info on slane river walkway please.

feck sake lads

can anyone tell me the walkway from slane heading towards donore, is it a deadend . love to cycle this but hate to think i would have to go all the way back to slane bridge.any info on it greatly appreciated.

kormak

I don't think it's fully walkable but I could be wrong...
You'll probably get as far as "Scaby Arch" but it might be overgrown from there.
There's a nice walkway from Ardmulchan in Stackallen towards Navan along the Boyne.

feck sake lads

kormak wrote: »

I don't think it's fully walkable but I could be wrong...
You'll probably get as far as "Scaby Arch" but it might be overgrown from there.
There's a nice walkway from Ardmulchan in Stackallen towards Navan along the Boyne.

cheers Kormac ah thats a pity i passed it this morning when i was out cycling was gonna try it but thought better.
yes that walk from stackallan if lovely done it a couple times last year, actually met a very narky couple who wasn't to pleased when i asked could i pass( i was cycling.):eek: other than that it's well worth doing.

MugMugs

Surely the tow path is still there? The IWAI have a big involvement in the old canal system and may have some info on the old tow paths and their current condition.

macadam

Is Slane and Donore in Louth?

feck sake lads

macadam wrote: »

Is Slane and Donore in Louth?

meath .i had a book on cycle the canals of ireland didn't think much of it to be honest for instance it said you can cycle the boyne canal you can't.
i seen in the drogheda paper last week there was 150 thousant allocated to this canal project yeah right it will never happen. but what an oppertunity lost think of the tourist market it would be for louth and meath .
anyway besides all that i just want to cycle our canals in peace and harmony nothing more.;)

MugMugs

There has indeed been quite a bit of restoration on the navan side of the old canal and I believe the intention exists to indeed work this down the river. It's quite a big job though. The system is very old and a lot of the locks are rapids.

MugMugs

Plus a lot of the weirs require a lot of attention. One, just after stackallen bridge needs to be completely rebuilt.

TO_ARTHUR!

Where does the walkway start outside Drogheda? Because one starts in st Dominick's park and turns into a dangerous road to walk, a bit before the cable bridge, which then stops outside the battle of the boyne site.

feck sake lads

MugMugs wrote: »

Plus a lot of the weirs require a lot of attention. One, just after stackallen bridge needs to be completely rebuilt.

yes but they have the know how to tackle these jobs so not that much of an issue just hope it doesn't go belly up.

feck sake lads

TO_ARTHUR! wrote: »

Where does the walkway start outside Drogheda? Because one starts in st Dominick's park and turns into a dangerous road to walk, a bit before the cable bridge, which then stops outside the battle of the boyne site.

do you mean the oldbridge road yeah it is a bit narrow but i always find it ok to cycle.
love to see a plan of the route ,i walked the boyne canal from drogheda to donore its only beautiful but can get dodgy in places .really great if this gets developed all the way to navan :cool:

Scotty #

TO_ARTHUR! wrote: »

Where does the walkway start outside Drogheda? Because one starts in st Dominick's park and turns into a dangerous road to walk, a bit before the cable bridge, which then stops outside the battle of the boyne site.

If you go over the humpback bridge at the entrance to the Battle of the Boyne site and walk a 50 yards or so towards Slane the walkway starts back up again and continues towards Donore. Though it does become overgrown again after a mile of so. You can divert into the Battle of the Boyne site and come back that way if you don't want to return the way you came.

The walk from the end of the ramparts along under the cable bridge and past the old lock towards the Battle of the Boyne site is narrow. I would love to see a proper cycle track/walkway put in. I walk it on a Saturday/Sunday morning when there is not much traffic and it's a lovely walk. Particularly if the tide is in. There is a fierce problem along that road with fly tipping though

feck sake lads

Scotty # wrote: »

If you go over the humpback bridge at the entrance to the Battle of the Boyne site and walk a 50 yards or so towards Slane the walkway starts back up again and continues towards Donore. Though it does become overgrown again after a mile of so. You can divert into the Battle of the Boyne site and come back that way if you don't want to return the way you came.

The walk from the end of the ramparts along under the cable bridge and past the old lock towards the Battle of the Boyne site is narrow. I would love to see a proper cycle track/walkway put in. I walk it on a Saturday/Sunday morning when there is not much traffic and it's a lovely walk. Particularly if the tide is in. There is a fierce problem along that road with fly tipping though

if you walk to the end 200yds by the steps that take you up to the old house you come to a very soft dangerous part, but take a left up the hill scramble over trees and whatever turn right back onto path on other side avoiding the swamp all the way to donore, from there you can walk out to main road turn right for slane left for donore.;)
i cycled the newry canal many a time lovely as it is,;) it doesn't hold a patch on the boyne river and canal walk .i often met a few harden walkers up by the canal that walked all the way from navan 17 miles ,never done it myself i'm more a cyclist than a walker.ah happy days will we ever see it started certainly hope so.

MugMugs

I've certainly kayaked from Navan to Drogheda however walking it would seriously daunt me!

feck sake lads

MugMugs wrote: »

I've certainly kayaked from Navan to Drogheda however walking it would seriously daunt me!

had you a camera with you by any chance.;) must have been a great trip .

Scotty #

MugMugs wrote: »

I've certainly kayaked from Navan to Drogheda however walking it would seriously daunt me!

This is an ambition of mine but I haven't started kayaking yet. If I was able I'd do this every weekend!


According to here... http://boyne.iwai.ie/. Work starts on the Oldbridge lock again next week.

MugMugs

feck sake lads wrote: »

had you a camera with you by any chance.;) must have been a great trip .

Scotty # wrote: »

This is an ambition of mine but I haven't started kayaking yet. If I was able I'd do this every weekend!

It's actually not a very taxing trip to be honest.

The views are however splendid especially toward the Slane part of the trip. Some of the weirs can be extremely hazardous if you're not experienced but anything after Slane is generally handy enough. We got out at Ship Street but took an obligatory paddle under the Railway Bridge in Drogheda first to say we had. A very impressive structure indeed, more so than the Boyne Valley Bridge. All in all a nice day out and a great bit of shoulder work too. Got some very strange looks from the Drogheda locals paddling through their fair town.

kormak

Not getting off topic here but I often wondered why paddlers don't generally kayak from Slane to Drogheda? Is no weirs or is there a safety issue here?
I would Curley Hole could be a bit hazardous given it's currents and whirlpools!!
I've kayaked the Stackallen to Slane Bridge route a good few times and It's beautiful. by the way, there is a walkway on the South side of the river along by Beauparc House.
500mtrs down from Beauparc House is "the big A" maasive weir which can be great fun going over in a kayak. You'll hear this weir before you see it!!

MugMugs

The main level of "fun" is between Stackallen Bridge and Slane Bridge. That's where all of the main weirs are and the "Whitewater" too. It's also stunning as you have already said.

The Big A is a well known weir in the paddling community and has had it's fair share of accident's in the past. One being the near drowning of a local Drogheda man not so long ago. It's like any river element though, know what you're dealing with and ensure you respect it and you'll be fine.

After Slane, with the exception of Newgrange, there isn't much there. There are a few small weirs overgrown to some degree due to lack of use and it's just a big long flat stretch of river. A lot of todays Kayaks aren't really geared toward flat water and more so toward Whitewater. There's a bigger resistance on the hull of these boats to improve their handing in moving water which makes for flat water being a bit more difficult to push the boat through.

The curley hole really doesn't present much of an issue to a Kayaker. It may take a few extra strokes to get out of but isn't half as lethal to a Kayaker wearing all of their safety gear.

I know Drogheda have Silverbridge Kayak Club based up river from the bridge of peace and I have met numerous racers from that club out on that stretch of river before. There's also the element of the closer you get to a large town like Drogheda, you also encounter more pipes ditching into the river and at times, a distinct smell. I naturally hope that it's all processed but that too can be off putting to a kayaker who may well be dipping their head into the water.

kormak

MugMugs wrote: »

The main level of "fun" is between Stackallen Bridge and Slane Bridge. That's where all of the main weirs are and the "Whitewater" too. It's also stunning as you have already said.

The Big A is a well known weir in the paddling community and has had it's fair share of accident's in the past. One being the near drowning of a local Drogheda man not so long ago. It's like any river element though, know what you're dealing with and ensure you respect it and you'll be fine.

After Slane, with the exception of Newgrange, there isn't much there. There are a few small weirs overgrown to some degree due to lack of use and it's just a big long flat stretch of river. A lot of todays Kayaks aren't really geared toward flat water and more so toward Whitewater. There's a bigger resistance on the hull of these boats to improve their handing in moving water which makes for flat water being a bit more difficult to push the boat through.

The curley hole really doesn't present much of an issue to a Kayaker. It may take a few extra strokes to get out of but isn't half as lethal to a Kayaker wearing all of their safety gear.

I know Drogheda have Silverbridge Kayak Club based up river from the bridge of peace and I have met numerous racers from that club out on that stretch of river before. There's also the element of the closer you get to a large town like Drogheda, you also encounter more pipes ditching into the river and at times, a distinct smell. I naturally hope that it's all processed but that too can be off putting to a kayaker who may well be dipping their head into the water.

I've paddled before with SBKC and hope to get out again.
The Big A is mental alright, I have heard of a couple of close ones there in the past.
The reason I ask though is I would like to try out a paddle from Slane to say Oldbridge sometime. Just for the scenery really and nothing else!

MugMugs

kormak wrote: »

I would like to try out a paddle from Slane to say Oldbridge sometime. Just for the scenery really and nothing else!

It's perfectly safe just make sure you're equipped and have people with you that know what their at.

I'd like to paddle out to sea from Slane through Drogheda some day I've got a GoPro so will document it here if I ever do it

kormak

MugMugs wrote: »

It's perfectly safe just make sure you're equipped and have people with you that know what their at.

I'd like to paddle out to sea from Slane through Drogheda some day I've got a GoPro so will document it here if I ever do it

ah yeah, I don't think I'd ever paddle in a group smaller than 3.
I have mates who paddled a Canadian Canoe from Staleen in Donore right out to the Boyne estuary @ Mornington.
Took them a full (really hot) Summers day and they even managed to stop off in Drogheda for chips, dragging the canoe with them! lol:D

Scotty #

lol... McDonalds Drive (or paddle) Thru!



I'm living on the banks of the Boyne for 8 years and only saw kayakers on it for the first time a few weeks ago. Early on a Saturday morning up near the end of the Ramparts. The club you are talking about obviously.

kormak

Scotty # wrote: »

lol... McDonalds Drive (or paddle) Thru!



I'm living on the banks of the Boyne for 8 years and only saw kayakers on it for the first time a few weeks ago. Early on a Saturday morning up near the end of the Ramparts. The club you are talking about obviously.

maybe... Silver Bridge paddling is generally on Sunday mornings and starts @ Ardmulchan in Stackallen.

feck sake lads

do you need permission to paddle the river
i met two canadians in a canadian loaded for bear obviously they were camping on the river bank. ah thats about 7 years ago but they were having a great time .
anyway lads is this cycleway going to happen, those boys that work on the canal are only part timers just keeping that boyne canal stretch in good order no more than that.

MugMugs

feck sake lads wrote: »

do you need permission to paddle the river

It's only trespass when you touch the bank. Ireland has some really good laws in favour of paddling.

feck sake lads

MugMugs wrote: »

It's only trespass when you touch the bank. Ireland has some really good laws in favour of paddling.

wow didn't know that but a fella can't stay on the water all the time.:P

TO_ARTHUR!

I hope one day that we will be able to walk the whole way through the town, along the boyne on a walkway but I think it's a long way off.

feck sake lads

TO_ARTHUR! wrote: »

I hope one day that we will be able to walk the whole way through the town, along the boyne on a walkway but I think it's a long way off.

not on my lifetime.:mad: i was up there today first time you could actually walk the whole way without sinking in muck. hell of a lot of people there today .;)

TO_ARTHUR!

During the boom, I was surprised that the old buildings a part of which is Cagneys, where going to be redeveloped and perhaps a walkway be built behind them to connect up with the haymarket bridge but alas the moment has passed.
I don't hold out much hope for the other side of the river :pac:

feck sake lads

having been up in a while but i think theres work going on near oldbridge the walkway back to ramparts,, could just be there was a land slide and there making it safe, but not sure about that.
is there a link where a fella could see whats going on

Scotty #

Yea it was (another!) landslide. They were supposed to be finished repairing by 17 Feb.

feck sake lads

Ah Well live in hope.:D

positron

I used to (before the ankle-biter happened) walk along the Boyne canal after parking near that wrought iron bridge. I remember the walk getting really narrow and fairly overgrown a couple of miles further on. I always wondered it would be a nice day out to come back with a machete and clear the way as you go along. I would also love to bike it all the way some day.

feck sake lads

positron wrote: »

I used to (before the ankle-biter happened) walk along the Boyne canal after parking near that wrought iron bridge. I remember the walk getting really narrow and fairly overgrown a couple of miles further on. I always wondered it would be a nice day out to come back with a machete and clear the way as you go along. I would also love to bike it all the way some day.

ah i passed it again this morning on the bike temped to go down but changed my mind again as i know i would only have to turn back:mad:.i never came across a local to ask how far it goes.

Scotty #

Almost two months on and STILL closed! :mad::mad::mad:

Apparently waiting for ESB to move a pylon. A deadline is no longer being provided.

I see a campaign has now started against the newly approved boardwalk and cycleway, or more specifically, the one way system and location of the parking spaces proposed. I hope this doesn't delay things too much. Really look forward to this being completed.

PinkFly

Reading through this thread and its such a shame that our town doesn't take more advantage of our river. I was in Waterford and there was this stream of kids no older than 7 or 8 on heading out on the kayake lesson on a Saturday morning. I thought why on earth is there nothing like that in Drog or even Clogher, mornington etc?

Love the walks through old bridge down at the river, on a sunny day it's so beautiful

MugMugs

PinkFly wrote: »

Reading through this thread and its such a shame that our town doesn't take more advantage of our river. I was in Waterford and there was this stream of kids no older than 7 or 8 on heading out on the kayake lesson on a Saturday morning. I thought why on earth is there nothing like that in Drog or even Clogher, mornington etc?

Love the walks through old bridge down at the river, on a sunny day it's so beautiful

There is.

Celtic Canoes.

I'm not affiliated btw.

PinkFly

MugMugs wrote: »

There is.

Celtic Canoes.

I'm not affiliated btw.

For kids??

MugMugs

PinkFly wrote: »

For kids??

They've got a summer camp as far as I know. Not sure if they run the boyne. I'm sure if the demand was there they could

feck sake lads

SO has all plans being shelfed for the cycleway is it going to happen at all.

Scotty #

No plans shelved that I've heard.

Some of the neighbours have started a campaign against the one way system and the new parking spaces being proposed which is understandable if you actually live on the route but is no doubt going to delay things unfortunately. They do not oppose the cycle way or walk way.

lostcarpark

The Ramparts from Drogheda towards Oldbridge is currently closed due to a landslide, which is a real pity. Hopefully it will be repaired and reopened soon. The new walk along the Boyne from the Ramparts to Oldbridge estate is excellent, though, but let down as you have to walk along the main road with no paths for the next section. However, there's a good route along the canal tow path for the next while.

After the canal it peters out. It's still walkable, but the quality is very variable. Parts are good and reasonably well maintained, other parts are abandoned and you've a lot of mud and overgrowth to deal with. I've walked beyond Newgrange without too much difficulty. However, it would be challenging to cycle - there would be sections that the only option would be to shoulder your bike and walk.

I would love to see this developed as a walking/cycling route, as it would have a lot of potential for tourism.

James