Mullingar Greenway

godtabh

Is it suitable for a road bike? Some said to me some of it is off road but they werent sure

Carawaystick

Any picture of the new greenway to Athlone is of smoothasababysarse(tm) tarmac.

It's all off road in the sense of it not being on a road... The canal towpath is a little rougher, but fine for a roadbike

mr spuckler

i cycled both on a carbon road bike recently. the towpath from the county boundary to mullingar is absolutely fine for it, the greenway from mullingar to athlone is a better surface than any road you'll cycle!

one thing to be aware of on both is regular stops for gates etc

thread on it here btw
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057490409

tigerboon

godtabh wrote: »

Is it suitable for a road bike? Some said to me some of it is off road but they werent sure

There's a lot of leaves and debris off trees in some places at the moment but that's the same with some of the quieter roads. Time of year and all that. There's also a section of about 2km close to the Athlone end which isn't surfaced. It's got a surface dressing with a very fine chip. There's a fair bit of loose chip which may puncture softer compound tyres. This section looks as if parts were built up and they're leaving a settlement period before surfacing proper. If you're coming from Dublin it may be worth checking wind direction. I was on it today and had a 40km return journey to Mullingar into a head wind. Mullingar and Athlone are roughly the same from Dublin. The canal route joins onto it about 3-4km from the Mullingar end so you can keep going

godtabh

Its likely to be Dublin - Mullingar - Athlone - Beer.

mr spuckler

tigerboon wrote: »

There's a lot of leaves and debris off trees in some places at the moment but that's the same with some of the quieter roads. Time of year and all that. There's also a section of about 2km close to the Athlone end which isn't surfaced. It's got a surface dressing with a very fine chip. There's a fair bit of loose chip which may puncture softer compound tyres. This section looks as if parts were built up and they're leaving a settlement period before surfacing proper. If you're coming from Dublin it may be worth checking wind direction. I was on it today and had a 40km return journey to Mullingar into a head wind. Mullingar and Athlone are roughly the same from Dublin. The canal route joins onto it about 3-4km from the Mullingar end so you can keep going

i got hit with a headwind both down and back a few weeks back :mad:

velo.2010

Would be interested checking this out. With that in mind, where is the jumping on point for this cycle path in Mulliger? Is it just after the train station proper or further along?

meercat

velo.2010 wrote: »

Would be interested checking this out. With that in mind, where is the jumping on point for this cycle path in Mulliger? Is it just after the train station proper or further along?

Just beside outdoor escape bike shop in the industrial estate on the outskirts of mullingar.
There's a small pathway leading down to it at the roundabout. Not well signposted yet.
Plenty of unused units for parking.

marvin80

velo.2010 wrote: »

Would be interested checking this out. With that in mind, where is the jumping on point for this cycle path in Mulliger? Is it just after the train station proper or further along?

I parked at the train station (pay and display in operation there) and cycled down a bit of the canal path till I met the Greenway

tigerboon

marvin80 wrote: »

I parked at the train station (pay and display in operation there) and cycled down a bit of the canal path till I met the Greenway

There's a car park on the opposite side of the roundabout from the entrance to the greenway. Not sure if it's meant for people using the greenway but it's newly surfaced and is right next to a council yard.

Andy Magic

I've cycled this a few times now and I've only had the one puncture but that was because I hit a stone and that was before it was officially opened/finished on the Athlone side. The surface is incredibly smooth tarmac with a few gates in between where you have to completely slow down. It's wide enough for two bikes to cycle alongside and there would still be room to overtake.

It's a brilliant cycleway and I will be using it a lot this winter. Only thing is it's so boring to cycle on your own and also there does seem to be a drag both ways on it, I'm yet to experience a tailwind on it.

For anyone unable to find the entrance, it's basically here where you are facing on Google maps. The only thing is on Google Maps it's not built yet, it's grass.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.5168696,-7.3628326,3a,75y,237.34h,75.89t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1splJVKgHbt9RJJE6RW_beNw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

poochiem

I'm trying to remember if there was somewhere suitable along the canal near Mullingar for wild camping, anyone?

schemingbohemia

mr spuckler wrote: »

i cycled both on a carbon road bike recently. the towpath from the county boundary to mullingar is absolutely fine for it, the greenway from mullingar to athlone is a better surface than any road you'll cycle!

one thing to be aware of on both is regular stops for gates etc

thread on it here btw
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057490409

I didn't think there were any gates that you had to stop at on Mullingar - Athlone? I thought there were just chicanes that you could cycle through?

mr spuckler

schemingbohemia wrote: »

I didn't think there were any gates that you had to stop at on Mullingar - Athlone? I thought there were just chicanes that you could cycle through?

yeah not latched gates, not sure if you can cycle through without stopping or not as was only on it a couple of weeks before it opened when they had much bigger obstacles in place!

Derrydingle

Where is the best place there for parking arena ?

Andy Magic

Derrydingle wrote: »

Where is the best place there for parking arena ?

This is the official car park

https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Outdoor+Escape/@53.5171136,-7.3626998,3a,75y,301.87h,76.59t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sUO8odXuLTCjYUfr4fBMDtA!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo2.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DUO8odXuLTCjYUfr4fBMDtA%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D242.02542%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x485deab8f3093ccb:0x4152fbdbfd7b8575!8m2!3d53.5169715!4d-7.3619493!6m1!1e1

loudymacloud

has anyone cycled it lately, planning on doing coming from North County Dublin via Dunshaughlin, Hill of Downs.

is it still in good condition?

Carawaystick

loudymacloud wrote: »

has anyone cycled it lately, planning on doing coming from North County Dublin via Dunshaughlin, Hill of Downs.

is it still in good condition?

It's tarmac... So I'd say it hasn't worn out yet On the Mullingar-Athlone Greenway anyway.

If you're going along the canal from the hill of Down,
It's road to the next bridge ( 1km) then awful rough track for ~2km to the Westmeath border, made it on 23mm front wheel but rolling slowly and picking a line through cobbles and potholes the whole way.

You could detour and take the roads to the north to the next canal overbridge.

benneca1

If I was doing it on a road bike id stay off it till after mary lynches pub as it is rough enough the best bit starts after the railway on mullingar

loudymacloud

Carawaystick wrote: »

It's tarmac... So I'd say it hasn't worn out yet On the Mullingar-Athlone Greenway anyway.

If you're going along the canal from the hill of Down,
It's road to the next bridge ( 1km) then awful rough track for ~2km to the Westmeath border, made it on 23mm front wheel but rolling slowly and picking a line through cobbles and potholes the whole way.

You could detour and take the roads to the north to the next canal overbridge.

was thinking i may have to do something like that, cheers carawaystick

Carawaystick

mr spuckler wrote: »

yeah not latched gates, not sure if you can cycle through without stopping or not as was only on it a couple of weeks before it opened when they had much bigger obstacles in place!

You can cycle through, they're about a yard wide and a yard long at right angles to the direction of travel, where you cross a road.

calistro

Went from Killucan to Castletown last Monday (60k return). Killucan to Mullingar (20k) was mainly on hardpack & old tarmac and ran along the canal but definitely rideable on 23mm's. The actual Mullingar to Castletown part was a joy to cycle on.

boredatwork82

Thread about this over in the westmeath forum. Lovely surface, nice smooth and flat. Only bad surface is for a km or so just outside athlone.
My opinion on it is that it is the most boring cycle I have ever done in my life. I actually got so bored I came back on the roads. Grand for people who are not confident or afraid of traffic, but not for me. I will never do not again. Just be aware that it has kind of become a dog walkers and people with kids area.

Planet X

Do you get bored with everything?

boredatwork82

Planet X wrote:

Do you get bored with everything?

Haha good question. No I don't get bored of everything, surprisingly enough. But maybe I do have a touch of A.D.D.

Blahfool

It is dull alright but I find it great for midweek spins. Up and down to moate ish for a quick 30 with no traffic. It is busy for the first 1k outside town but I'll take that over traffic. And it has definitely increased cycling in the area. Family's and tourists on hire bikes? More please. Plus the connection to the canal makes it a great bit of infrastructure.

Planet X

So......where's the best place to "hop on" on Mullingar side?

Just west of Hill of Down?

Carawaystick

Planet X wrote: »

So......where's the best place to "hop on" on Mullingar side?

Just west of Hill of Down?

The Greenway only starts at Mullingar
but the royal canal has a cyclable-on-a-roadbike surface from here

The canal surface is much lower quality than the greenway, which has a perfect surface, bar a km or so of tar&chip.

Planet X

Carawaystick wrote: »

The Greenway only starts at Mullingar
but the royal canal has a cyclable-on-a-roadbike surface from here

The canal surface is much lower quality than the greenway, which has a perfect surface, bar a km or so of tar&chip.

OK, thanks Caraway, so where abouts in Mullingar? Easy to find?

Carawaystick

The canal is all tarmac around Mullingar, Loops around the town. Hard to Miss.
I'd definitely recommend getting on the Canal from Mary Lynch's pub, where the canal crosses the N4. The N4 into Mullingar is 10+km of Dual Carriageway with no hard shoulder...

ShaunieVW

There is a hard shoulder along that section. It's my daily driving route to work but you would want to be bat sh*t crazy to cycle it. Despite it being a 100kmh zone everyone is still doing mway speeds due to it just coming off the m4. There has been quite a few pedestrian fatalities along there aswell so a no go area for cycling.

dingding

Any update on the Mullingar - Longford along the canal.

Just cycled Athlone - Mullingar and it is excellent, along the old train line. The surface is excellent, could do with more seats and picnic tables otherwise excellent.

marvin80

dingding wrote: »

Any update on the Mullingar - Longford along the canal.

Mullingar to Ballymahon along the canal is good - you'd need to do it on a hybrid though - soft gravel in a lot of parts.
The same goes for Longford to Cloondra.

http://www.longfordtourism.ie/wp-content/uploads/Royal-Canal-Cycle-Route.pdf

Been meaning to do Ballymahon to Cloonsheerin Bridge to see what the surface is like there as well but haven't got around to it.

Mario Speedwagon

I cycled the Greenway today: Mullingar-Athlone-Mullingar; the surface was great except for a small stretch near Athlone that was still unsurfaced. Plenty of people out on TT bikes, too.

 

 

I really enjoyed the change from cycling on the road, and the flatness meant that I was pedalling the whole time, no freewheeling.

 

 

It was nice but I couldn’t do it every week, I’d get bored, but it was a nice way for me to get some distance (for me, anyway – it’s the furthest I’ve ever cycled). I could do it once a month or so.

mr spuckler

yeah it's definitely not overly scenic but the peacefulness is fantastic.

i hope the TT'ers were slowing down when passing families etc!

loudymacloud

will be on it this weekend, cycling from Dublin, cant wait.

Daroxtar

The stretch near Longwood isn't finished. Completely unfit for a bike, it's 2"crushed rock. Even on a mountain bike you'd be shook to bits.

surball

marvin80 wrote: »

Mullingar to Ballymahon along the canal is good - you'd need to do it on a hybrid though - soft gravel in a lot of parts.
The same goes for Longford to Cloondra.

http://www.longfordtourism.ie/wp-content/uploads/Royal-Canal-Cycle-Route.pdf

Been meaning to do Ballymahon to Cloonsheerin Bridge to see what the surface is like there as well but haven't got around to it.

I cycled Keenagh to Cloondra at the weekend. It is lovely (mixture of tarmac and soft gravel). You do have to come off the canal path around Killashee for about 4km, but then back on again all the way to Cloondra. Great facility, peaceful and very quiet.
In the past I have cycled Keenagh towards Ballymahon, but the surface is very poor.

loudymacloud

Did the greenway on Saturday.

Came down from NCD via Dunshaughlin - Trim - Hill of Down. Hopped on the canal there and on to Mullingar to the greenway.

Was a great journey, except for the few kms on the canal just after Hill of Down. Serious amount of rocks/gravel, would avoid it if i were to do the same journey again. definitely not suitable for a road bike that little stretch of the canal.

feedthegoat

Walked the stretch from Longwood and again on from Hill of Down in anticipation of bringing the kids for a cycle later in the month. Far to much rough gravel to cycle it safely. Great walk however, loads of dragonflies, fish, numerous sightings of heron - had great potential if fully developed.

mr spuckler

Deedsie wrote: »

I am really hopeful the greenways will become areas where re-wilding initiatives can be attempted along suitable sections of the greenways. Native wildflower meadows and native trees etc. This would vastly improve the scenery and natural sounds greenway users will experience.

yeah i fully agree - there's certainly a great opportunity to do this and it would hugely add to the attraction.

marvin80

Any recommendations for a nice cafe at the Moate/Athlone end of the Greenway?

benneca1

Tuar Ard in Moate is a nice spot cycle friendly and you can see your bike from inside or you can sit outside. Food is good and reasonable also

mr spuckler

hoping to finally get to do the full length of this on Sunday, weather / mood etc pending as will be home in Athlone for a few days.

any thoughts on a suitable spot in Mullingar for an early morning (9am ish) coffee before turning around and heading back the way?

EC1000

mr spuckler wrote: »

any thoughts on a suitable spot in Mullingar for an early morning (9am ish) coffee before turning around and heading back the way?

Probably best to head to some of the shops on the outskirts for bike parking so there's a SPAR here or a Centra here which should work.