Royal Canal on a Road Bike

KevRossi

knockoutned wrote: »

When Delwood was originally constructed, there was a laneway that ran from the Park through the three cul de sacs ending in Delwood Drive at the canal end of these roads. These were all closed due to anti social issues, though admittingly this was over 20 years ago and when the age profile of the estate was a lot younger.

Regarding the land behind the houses, the actual ownership of the land is a grey area. It is my understanding that the original farm boundary that Delwood was built on ended at the top of the hill that leads down to the canal and not where the original back garden walls were built. The reason the wall was built there was due to the quarry that came in and impacted 4-6 houses (see the map above indicating where a bridge is required). This is why there was no fight from Waterways Ireland or any other bodies when the land was taken.

I've looked at the 1888-1913 25 inch map on OSI Mapviewer. The field boundary of the farm seems to match up with most of the original back walls of the houses on Delwood Park.

From this old boundary/present wall to the river is marked as a continuous portion of land on the same portfolio. But Landdirect has no info on it, which usually means state ownership.

Something for someone in the council to dig out of the archives.

magicbastarder

KevRossi wrote: »

Looks like a land grab from several years ago. As long as the title is with Waterways Ireland there shouldn't be too much of an issue. I hope.

IIRC, adverse possession requires 15 years of unchallenged occupation. it's been well over 15 years since they extended their gardens, so that bit is easy. whether it's been unchallenged is a different matter, but the delwood residents will be well advised legally.

magicbastarder

knockoutned wrote: »

When Delwood was originally constructed, there was a laneway that ran from the Park through the three cul de sacs ending in Delwood Drive at the canal end of these roads. These were all closed due to anti social issues, though admittingly this was over 20 years ago and when the age profile of the estate was a lot younger.

i don't remember much antisocial trouble when i was a kid, but i might not have been told about it and our house was several houses from the lane. i suspect it was just boisterous noisy kids at worst, rather than actual antisocial behaviour.

i do remember one of the kids once finding what they claimed was an upside down cross daubed in blood on the wall in the laneway, but it was only about three inches high and i was very dubious about it. that's about as exciting as it got.

but as you mention, a very different age profile now. lots of people in their 60s and 70s.

Weepsie

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Have read through most of the key documents. They have done an extraordinary amount of investigation and analysis of the Deep Sinking section including detailed technical assessments of the constructability of the south and north options. They scored 11 different options in that area alone and rated them all before coming down in favour of running the Greenway behind the Delwood gardens and along the edge of Brompton green.

Buried within it is a reference to "Land take required on the northern embankment where three Delwood Road residents have extended their back gardens (title still remains with Waterways Ireland). This option may have an impact on their back gardens" This should cause a bit of consternation and confusion as Delwood Road is well away from the canal and doesn't have any houses adjoining the embankment! Otherwise, they seem to have anticipated most of the counter-arguments but that won't stop plenty of local politicians jumping to the defence of their constituents.

Leo and jack will. Paul and Roderick O'Gorman will surely be all in on the Greenway side of things, albeit from different angles.

Leo was very happy to celebrate the Greenway from ashtown castkeknock when he was the relevant minister though and was out handclapping one morning shortly after it opened with locals

KevRossi

magicbastarder wrote: »

IIRC, adverse possession requires 15 years of unchallenged occupation. it's been well over 15 years since they extended their gardens, so that bit is easy. whether it's been unchallenged is a different matter, but the delwood residents will be well advised legally.

I'm not sure if it's 15 years since the 3 houses took on the 'extra bit'. Anyway, Waterways will know and as you said, the residents will be well advised.

This is a photo from 2005, I can only see two houses that are extended. After this they extended the gardens another bit. This extra extension is the problematic bit.

delwood2005.PNG

magicbastarder

that's delwood green (well, delwood park); i'm referring to people extending their gardens on the cul de sacs, which was threatening to be a flash point.
the 1995 imagery seems to show extended gardens there.

magicbastarder

KevRossi wrote: »

I can understand that the residents are aggrieved with the Greenway.

yeah, for the people whose gardens will back onto it. if i was living in one of the houses which didn't, i'd be all for it.

Mercian Pro

Weepsie wrote: »

Leo and jack will. Paul and Roderick O'Gorman will surely be all in on the Greenway side of things, albeit from different angles.

Leo was very happy to celebrate the Greenway from ashtown castkeknock when he was the relevant minister though and was out handclapping one morning shortly after it opened with locals

My memory of the last consultation was that Roderick O'Connor was the only local politician to support the obvious north bank option and was roundly attacked for doing so. I was delighted he subsequently topped the poll in the General Election.

Brock Turnpike

Mercian Pro wrote: »

My memory of the last consultation was that Roderick O'Connor was the only local politician to support the obvious north bank option and was roundly attacked for doing so. I was delighted he subsequently topped the poll in the General Election.

Attacked by whom? The locals?

magicbastarder

vaguely related, i've just seen a video posted by LV where he states that the plan to build a bridge between stationcourt and riverwood, over the canal and railway line has been abandoned; which had been mooted as part of dart west.
instead, they will be *closing* the level crossing at coolmine but putting in a pedestrian and cycle bridge; as there will be 12 trains per hour at peak times, the gates would be closed most of the time as it stands.

i'm not very au fait with the ins and outs of the bridge plan, but it had been anticipated years ago with the road layouts there.

Mercian Pro

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

Attacked by whom? The locals?

Yes

DaveyDave

Seth Brundle wrote: »

Punctures shouldn't be an issue. However, the surface from Leixlip to Castleknock ranges from poor to avoid (see this).
See my post further up this page on the route and which side of the canal to be on.
In terms of landmarks, there are one or two along the way such as where the canal crosses the Boyne
The canal skims past both Enfield and Kilcock so you can pop in there if one of the pubs & restaurants along the route aren't to your liking (Mary Lynch’s where the canal meets the M4 at Coralstown; Nanny Quinn’s bar and restaurant near Killucan; and Furey’s tin-roofed bar on the edge of the canal at Moyvalley).
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/walk-cycle-or-fly-the-130km-royal-canal-greenway-to-open-this-summer-1.4518162

I'm interested in cycling between Lucan and Clonsilla as this would take my peak time commute from 21km to 13km each way. It doesn't look too bad from the photos but I understand it's a different story in the wet. Would this be an absolute no no on 32c tyres or Marathon Plus? I found the Marathon Plus fine on dirt/hard gravel paths but probably not up to the wet grass?

Any chance some of the grass has been flattened and worn out from walkers during Covid?

iwillhtfu

Slick tyres are just a ball ache on any kind of wet grass or mud. Get yourself a set of wtb riddlers or something along those lines. Better yet get yourself a gravel bike and you'll be set for all conditions.

Seth Brundle

DaveyDave wrote: »

I'm interested in cycling between Lucan and Clonsilla as this would take my peak time commute from 21km to 13km each way. It doesn't look too bad from the photos but I understand it's a different story in the wet. Would this be an absolute no no on 32c tyres or Marathon Plus? I found the Marathon Plus fine on dirt/hard gravel paths but probably not up to the wet grass?

Any chance some of the grass has been flattened and worn out from walkers during Covid?

To be honest, I haven't cycled that stretch in a few years and even then it was on a hardtail hybrid. I wouldnt contemplate it on my road bike. Maybe its possible when the weather is dry but I doubt it would be a comfortable speedy journey.
Not sure how you'd be saving 7km on your commute though. What route do you currently follow?
The road past Westmanstown isn't too bad and depending on where in Clonsilla you're going, you could try either continue on the R121 or else head over to the Clonee Rd (Barnhill Rd) and from there to Clonsilla.

Breezer

DaveyDave wrote: »

I'm interested in cycling between Lucan and Clonsilla as this would take my peak time commute from 21km to 13km each way. It doesn't look too bad from the photos but I understand it's a different story in the wet. Would this be an absolute no no on 32c tyres or Marathon Plus? I found the Marathon Plus fine on dirt/hard gravel paths but probably not up to the wet grass?

Any chance some of the grass has been flattened and worn out from walkers during Covid?

Last time I did it in the dry on 35mm I had a lovely time. Last time I did it in the wet on the same tyres I fell off! Mine are slick though, you’d probably be ok with a decent gravel tyre.

DaveyDave

Seth Brundle wrote: »

To be honest, I haven't cycled that stretch in a few years and even then it was on a hardtail hybrid. I wouldnt contemplate it on my road bike. Maybe its possible when the weather is dry but I doubt it would be a comfortable speedy journey.
Not sure how you'd be saving 7km on your commute though. What route do you currently follow?
The road past Westmanstown isn't too bad and depending on where in Clonsilla you're going, you could try either continue on the R121 or else head over to the Clonee Rd (Barnhill Rd) and from there to Clonsilla.

I go down the N4, through Phoenix Park at Chapelizod and into Blanchardstown to get to Clonee. It's a long route but handy enough which is the main thing, very little interaction with traffic.

Not a big fan of the backroads due to traffic and limited spots to fix a puncture. I see a fair amount of traffic going down Westmanstown Road when driving to work and once the R121 turns towards Clonsilla it gets bendy so would probably have a queue of traffic behind me which is why I avoid the R149.

I might pop down to the canal tomorrow and have a look to see what it's like.

buffalo

It's a bit mad that any random person can create an official looking account on Twitter with a massive agenda behind it. At least the bio offers a hint:

https://twitter.com/canal_royal

I fear I am falling into some sort of trap by effectively promoting this account, so consider this a warning to ignore it I guess? I'd have more time for whoever's behind it if they just called themselves 'Delwood residents' or something.

Brock Turnpike

buffalo wrote: »

It's a bit mad that any random person can create an official looking account on Twitter with a massive agenda behind it. At least the bio offers a hint:

https://twitter.com/canal_royal

I fear I am falling into some sort of trap by effectively promoting this account, so consider this a warning to ignore it I guess? I'd have more time for whoever's behind it if they just called themselves 'Delwood residents' or something.

Jaysus. Reading the tweets from that account has actually made me angry.

IrishLad90

After finding this post this morning I done the Royal Canal trail this afternoon from cross guns to Maynooth.. And made the trip back due to bike maintenance.. Will be a better equipped next time for the trail and will take it as far as i can get..

Admittedly the trail can be a bit rough at parts and I did jog along with the bike for a bit but a very attractive cycle route.
..

Mercian Pro

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

Jaysus. Reading the tweets from that account has actually made me angry.

It's actually made me happy! The arguments for the north bank in the recent DBFL report are so comprehensive and convincing that I look forward to the day when construction starts and guys like @canal_royal have to accept they have lost. The counter-arguments are getting more and more ridiculous and farfetched.

Mercian Pro

Interesting composite map showing the historical field boundaries and the later Delwood Park houses with their original 25m back gardens before they were extended. There seems to have been a path or track through the wooded bank at some stage but much of it is now incorporated into the gardens.

magicbastarder

the residents of the area have generated an unpredecented newfound love of nature.
however, this is also the thing i am most concerned about. it'll take out a large amount of growth that's been left to itself for many decades.

Eathrin

Could anybody suggest somewhere along the way from Dublin to Cloondara to wild camp, or even a paid campsite if there is one? Planning a two day trip.

I understand most wouldn't want to give up coordinates on a public forum so feel free to PM

buffalo

magicbastarder wrote: »

the residents of the area have generated an unpredecented newfound love of nature.
however, this is also the thing i am most concerned about. it'll take out a large amount of growth that's been left to itself for many decades.

I presume the residents are willing to give back their reclaimed garden space to nature also? :pac:

It's greenwashing. It's possible to create a path through the north bank and leave the majority of it intact (though it's also possible to create a path and raze half it to the ground, depending on your construction methods). Creating a path on the south bank will leave absolutely nothing there - if the 'ambulance must fit' criteria is used, there's no room for any trees or significant growth to be kept afaics.

Rechuchote

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

Jaysus. Reading the tweets from that account has actually made me angry.

I didn't mind them after reading down through a few. There's been the same local debate at Beaver Row, where the residents are worried about their quiet riverside walk past the local otters and kingfishers being changed in a way that would disturb these. Discussion has to be done to open out these questions.

Brock Turnpike

Rechuchote wrote: »

I didn't mind them after reading down through a few. There's been the same local debate at Beaver Row, where the residents are worried about their quiet riverside walk past the local otters and kingfishers being changed in a way that would disturb these. Discussion has to be done to open out these questions.

It does. But they are not being genuine. They are worried about their gardens being trimmed back but are framing it as being a nature concern. They are literally saying "not one local resident has an objection to this other than the concerns around nature impact". That's before you get into the fact the account is setup to look like some Greenway information page.

buffalo

Brock Turnpike wrote: »

It does. But they are not being genuine. They are worried about their gardens being trimmed back but are framing it as being a nature concern. They are literally saying "not one local resident has an objection to this other than the concerns around nature impact". That's before you get into the fact the account is setup to look like some Greenway information page.

I always find those statements amusing: "I have no objection to this, except an objection to it as it is".

magicbastarder

buffalo wrote: »

It's possible to create a path through the north bank and leave the majority of it intact

there has been some rather overenthusiatic cutting back of trees along one of the greenways out beside the dodder AFAIK. a lot of these contractors will cut down as many trees as they can if they can charge for the privilege.

there's no truer illustration of the maxim 'to a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail' than when you find an irishman with a chainsaw.

buffalo

Snazzy video:

Duckjob

buffalo wrote: »

I always find those statements amusing: "I have no objection to this, except an objection to it as it is".

Also known as "doing a Mannix"