Royal Canal on a Road Bike

Mercian Pro

Not such great news at the Dublin end with yet another delay on the Phibsborough to Ashtown section.

https://irishcycle.com/2022/10/19/royal-canal-greenway-delayed-until-july-2023-due-to-esb-high-voltage-cable-added-to-project/

tnegun

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119796987#Comment_119796987

I see all the councilors claiming this as their own doing again, same as the last time it was supposed to start! I'd love to know what they actually added to the project other than tweets and a few mentions at council meetings! Anyone know where exactly the contractor is supposed to have started I didn't see anything passing along some of the canal on Tuesday.

Gerry

I know Joe and know he is passionate about cycling infrastructure in general to be fair to him, not just greenways. I think with the photos on that twitter thread it shows the current path needs some improvement as its not really usable by anyone in winter.

Mercian Pro

A couple of us tried to board the almost empty Sligo train this morning with our bikes. We intended heading to Mullingar and cycling back along the Greenway. We were repulsed by two attendants who were determined not to let us on unless we could produce booking confirmation. Neither of us could so off the train went without us.

We had no trouble getting on the Maynooth train shortly afterwards and had a great spin from there to lunch at Nanny Quinn's (Thomastown) and back to Maynooth afterwards.

It's the first time in many trips to Mullingar and Longford that I was asked for proof of booking and I'm not sure if it is even noted on the ticket when you do book a bike space. It looks as if it is a new and regrettable policy to restrict the number of bikes.

iwillhtfu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119829919#Comment_119829919

I'm sure it's noted on the booking. I have to say first I've seen them check but nice to see as have had a few trips with the bike only to see the bike rack already full on the train. Usually have to end up standing in the carriage connector with it. I see your side also and surely it wouldn't cost a whole lot more to drag an additional carriage for bikes and goods.

beggars_bush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119426778#Comment_119426778

can be busy at weekends

The bike on train all depends on what employee is working.

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119829919#Comment_119829919

Just curious - did they refund your fares?

tnegun

I was put off at Maynooth about 18 months for having no bike booking. I appealed for the return of my fare it was refused on the basis that the train operated I eventually got credit I think after arguing that I was denied boarding the agent was insistent that I wasn't due a refund but gave me the credit as a good will gesture.

beggars_bush

There's a new coffee trailer in the village of Ballynacarrigy.

So that's coffee trailers at Keenagh, Abbeyshrule, Ballynacarrigy, Coolnahay, Mullingar.

Somebody is clearly using the canal and buying coffee!

devonp

for those who cycle the royal canal....

able to walk it today with the wuff but maybe during the week it might be closed off due to upgrade works

anyone know if this section btw Louisa bridge and Confey is for tarmacing ? (hope not) or regraveling ?? and widening ?

tnegun

Any sign of work in the other/Maynooth direction?

buffalo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119869648#Comment_119869648

I meant to post that there were small construction vehicles at Louisa Bridge on Thurs or Fri morning. As per the post up the page, they're converting the Maynooth-Confey section of towpath to greenway. So not tarmac, but that gritty stuff I presume. They've probably started with Louisa Bridge-Confey as it's a heavily used part that can be unusable after heavy rain.

Seth Brundle

Looking at this page, there are various docs relating to the design...

https://kildarecoco.ie/AllServices/Roads/RoadSafetyCyclingandSustainableTransport/SustainableTransport/SustainableInfrastructureProjects/RoyalCanalGreenway-MaynoothtoConfey/

However, it looks like the towpath will principally be tarmac (solid light grey in the following image)...

It also looks like it will be a 4.0m wide towpath meaning that much of the current pathway will be cleared & widened.

Mercian Pro

Yes, it looks like the sections adjoining Maynooth and Leixlip will be tarmac but the more rural stretch between the towns will be grit. This follows the general policy they have adopted on most of the rest of the Greenway. The section between Pike Bridge and Intel will give cyclists the option of riding on grit on the towpath or tarmac alongside the main road. I assume they are going to work from the county border at Confey westwards, closing off sections as they get to them. I can't see any reference to the overall timeframe for completion of the full 7.6km but it is great, after all the delays, to finally see work starting. (Edit - 18 months according to an earlier post).

It looks as if Fingal are going to win the "race" to be last to finish their section of the Greenway although DCC are still in with a chance.

Seth Brundle

 I assume they are going to work from the county border at Confey westwards

Just a quick point of clarity: the county boundary is at Confey Harbour rather than at Cope Br (which is where the current works stop). This means that Kildare Co Co will have ~500m of grass track along their western side of the canal. Hopefully KCC will work alongside Fingal Co Co when they eventually get the finger out but I don't think I'll hold my breath just yet.

buffalo

I see there's a little construction compound by Louisa Bridge now, with portacabin-type thing going in this morning. And work underway by the RCG barn near Confey too. I'm actually overjoyed to see real physical progress!

Mercian Pro

Passed that way this afternoon. I saw the activity around the RCG shed so hopefully that means the section from the county boundary to Cope Bridge is included in the works.

Seth Brundle

I haven't been down that short stretch in a while but there has been some kind of digging works at the back of the shed (between the road and the tow path) for some months now but im not sure if it's for the greenway. I might head up that way tomorrow.

tnegun

It's been a long time coming I see activity at Louisa Bridge every morning now with a few guys in hi-viz milling about and vans arriving on site it really is great to see it!

buffalo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119917681#Comment_119917681

I was working on the train and just glanced up to see the vehicles, so you could well be right about it being for something else entirely.

Mercian Pro

Managed to get on the 9.10 Sligo train this morning to Mullingar despite not being able to book online or get a ticket at Drumcondra station. The ticket checker couldn't have been more helpful and I got one of the official bike spaces. At the other end of the carriage a guy had an enormous electric bike wedged into one of the wheelchair spaces.

The 90km spin back home was great - sunshine, a stiff westerly wind and not too cold. Other than near some of the larger towns, the Greenway was really quiet and I was able to keep up a good average both on the tarmac shared sections and the car-free gritted parts. Even on the shared sections I only met two cars and they slowed right down. After a great lunch in Timeless in Kilcock, I chanced staying on the towpath east of the Carton Estate but ran into grass/mud a bit before Deey Bridge at Intel and scrambled down a bank onto the busy R128. It was a bit of a shock to the system after 65km of glorious solitude so I took to the back roads before rejoining the canal at Castleknock for the last stretch back to Cross Guns.

Hopefully the remaining sections in Kildare, Fingal and Dublin will be finished before too long. It's such a fantastic amenity and beyond belief that the sections with potentially greatest demand are taking an age to be upgraded.

https://strava.app.link/lTLWUyURywb

Gerry

nice work. wonder how you'd have fared if you'd try rejoin at confey in leixlip.

I think I'll be trying to get a run at the maynooth to cloondara return. 240k in one day or else do sensible thing and overnight in tarmonbarry.

anyone up for this?

Mercian Pro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120113730#Comment_120113730

Sounds interesting but not on a windy day! Did Longford-Cloondra-Dublin a few years ago and that was 165km.

I couldn't quite remember the other day which were the muddy or closed sections between Intel and Castleknock so decided to skip the lot!

buffalo

Leixlip Louisa Bridge-Confey section was started in mid November with signs saying it'd be closed for three months. That means there's an estimated two-three weeks left, but it's still just all mud. I'd say the swans won't be happy if they overrun by much, it'll be getting deeper into nesting season.

Mercian Pro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120159368#Comment_120159368

Please don't be putting thoughts in their heads about suspending work for 4 months 😨

2011abc

26kmh plus is a very respectable average for those surfaces !You could easily scramble down the bank ( or be catapulted over !) into the canal at the terrifying bit with the incredibly long drop to water a few km after Clonsilla headed towards Dublin .(Does it have a name , unofficial or otherwise , it’s NOT ‘The Great Sinking’) It’s scarey walking or running it in the dry .Anybody attempting to cycle it in the wet deserves a medal ! It must be the maddest path in Ireland .The closest we have to one of those Top Gear specials where they drive large vehicles around mountainside precipices in South America !Upgrades were meant to be started last Summer there also .

RunDMC

That section between Castleknock station and St Mochta's GAA is known as the Deep Sinking.

R

Gerry

deep sinking in the wet or freezing weather is intimidating alright. doable on a mountain bike. I'd agree the fall to the canal does add a bit of spice . I think the plan for that section is for the other bank has run into objections from residents who got themselves lovely long gardens out to the canal.

Mercian Pro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120167665#Comment_120167665

If you look at my post and the Strava link, I skipped the Deep Sinking and all of the mucky or closed sections east of Carton Estate. There was a time when I actually enjoyed going through the Deep Sinking but in recent years it's got a good bit more gnarly and I've gotten more cautious!

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120170144#Comment_120170144

Went through the deep sinking section today, with a full load of shopping on the panniers! It's been a while since I'd done that stretch. Meant to get the train inbound from Coolmine, but it was delayed, so cycled on as far as Broombridge instead.

Met about four people/groups, who were really nice and moved aside for me, even the few times I had pulled in first. It's nice to see friendly walkers on that section.