Royal Canal on a Road Bike

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120295322#Comment_120295322

My mate walked his bike on that part. 🤣

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120295322#Comment_120295322

If they're doing like they've done the grand canal near me, that'll be the base layer. It'll be dressed with about 4" of fine gravel

Seth Brundle

But to my knowledge, it's not part of current greenway improvement works so is this just a temporary path until the final one is tendered & built? There was no hard path under this previously AFAIK, just grass.

buffalo

Leixlip section now has kerbing of sorts about half the length. I presume they're borders to keep the grit/path material in place.

devonp

or stop little cyclists going overboard...?

buffalo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120305013#Comment_120305013

They'd have to be very little! :D

Weepsie

The bit around croke park was back open on Wednesday (maybe earlier but I was away) was supposed to be closed for 3 weeks but seemed half that.

Not sure why it was closed, they'd been digging and laying stuff or fixing stuff. Maybe water related

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120310563#Comment_120310563

I saw them digging right by the Dorset street end last Saturday. Then it was open again when I passed on Wednesday.

Breezer

I went down to Mullingar by train today and cycled back to Maynooth. Lovely cycle, my first decent spin this year, after being injured.

The only bit that seemed closed (from looking out the train window) was between Confey and Louisa Bridge. The path between those “curbs” looks very narrow, barely wide enough for a single lane cycle track, never mind a two way shared path. Was it always that narrow? It never seemed that way to me. Maybe it was just the angle from the train window?

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120314282#Comment_120314282

Nah, it's wide enough. Probably just a bit deceptive looking. I cycled it last weekend.

VonLuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120313393#Comment_120313393

Looks like there are some trenches that were dug from the southside of the path towards the canal. Maybe they're rainwater drainage pipes? There's a section beneath the Summerhill Parade bridge (not sure what it's called). Just looks to be blocked by stuff they've cleared from the canal.

Doesn't seem to be much else happening strangely enough. You'd think with a two year programme that they'd be mobilising ASAP!

jebidiah

Cycled to Enfield (and back, thanks to a signaling issue) on Paddy's Day. To date, you are still probably better off getting off the canal at Castleknock and sticking to the roads as far as Maynooth.

Castleknock to Clonsilla is still trecherous.

Clonsilla to Leixlip is not a comfortable cycle with stones and roots. Especially in the wet when the ground is slippery and waterlogged.

Leixlip to Maynooth, seems to be either under construction or in semi-decent condition. You can cycle on some secitons of it closer to Maynooth, but I would recommend not doing so in the wet due to puddles every 5 meters.

Hoping to take a group of friends along to Mullingar and then to Athlone in the summer.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120382524#Comment_120382524

What's the Maynooth to Enfield section like? Had planned to do it a few weeks back but had to scale back so only started Maynooth and then back to Dublin. Looks like a narrow enough mud path for a lot of sections from google maps.

Thinking I might do it this weekend. Or might jump on the train to Waterford and do a bit of the greenway, as haven't been on it yet.

Rosahane

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120384951#Comment_120384951

The Maynooth to Enfield section is great. It was completed a few years ago. Nice hard surface with fine gravel surface as well as a few bits of tarmac outside the towns. You need a bell sometimes as the track will be busy with walkers near the towns.

jebidiah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120384951#Comment_120384951

From Maynooth all the way out to Longford is great. I cycled it last year. The only sections that are not there yet are between Maynooth and Castleknock.

Citizen Six

Thanks. I've done Maynooth to Castleknock recently, so maybe I'll go as far as Longford and make my way back this Saturday.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120393104#Comment_120393104

Citizen Six

So I got the train from Castleknock to Maynooth, and from there on to Enfield and then cycled back towards Dublin. There was three bikes on the train from Connolly, two more had got on at Drumcondra, and then myself and another cyclist at Maynooth. The CSO was really sound about it and let us squash on.

Lovely path from Enfield until Maynooth. Got a puncture somewhere before Kilcock (tubeless), and found my backup pump I'd brought didn't work properly, so stopped off at Two Wheels bike shop in Kilcock, right beside the canal, used their track pump, and bought a new pump.

There had been rain, so the section after Maynooth was tough for my mates on road bikes with 25mm tyres.

Then another puncture on a mates bike before Deey bridge meant we had to stop again for repairs. Luckily I'd brought a repair kit for tubes as well.

So after a mixture of some nice sections, and some tough sections, we hopped back on the train at Clonsilla as far as Broombridge, and then cycled on to the Gravediggers for a pint.

Next time I'm going to head as far as Longford on the train, cycle back to Maynooth, and hop back on the train to Dublin from there.

Londonirish72

I dont live in Ireland full-time but I'd like to attempt as much of this as possible during the spring. Would anyone be able to share a decent cycle route from south or central Dublin that would get me and my road bike to the first usable section in Maynooth?

buffalo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405380#Comment_120405380

This is probably what I'd do - a mix of (Grand) canal, country roads with urban roads when necessary: https://goo.gl/maps/jb6xUaHnFa2uvfNy9

Seth Brundle

I'd probably join the canal at Jacksons Bridge, getting there via Celbridge but not going through Maynooth which can be a bit of a kip to cycle through if unfamiliar.

https://goo.gl/maps/Afv6UkrZqm4it5wi9

However, it will all depend on your experience and confidence on the road.

Londonirish72

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405419#Comment_120405419

cheers!

Steoller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120405568#Comment_120405568

I think I'd go up the oldtown road via tea lane, in celbridge rather than through pickering forest - it means less distance on the R406 as that can be fairly fast moving.

Mercian Pro

Being thankful for small mercies - the kissing gate at the 8th lock / Reily's Bridge is no more. However, Waterways Ireland in the infinite wisdom want cyclists to dismount when passing through!

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120436876#Comment_120436876

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120230154#Comment_120230154

So glad it's gone. Still a few more to go though!

Mercian Pro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120437397#Comment_120437397

The ones at Cross Guns and Binns Bridge are due to go as part of the {almost started) Greenway Phase 3 upgrade works. I think there is a strong push from Dept of Transport and NTA/TFI to get rid of them in any projects they fund.

Citizen Six

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120442917#Comment_120442917

Yeah, I hate those two. With panniers I often just stick to Whitworth road.

VonLuck

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120443009#Comment_120443009

Whitworth Road is certainly quicker as you don't have to tackle with pedestrians or the gates. Also safer getting across the Drumcondra Road as there's a junction at the end of it.

mewso

Thinking of driving to Maynooth tomorrow for a spin on the canal. Whats the best place to park? Train station?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120447796#Comment_120447796

If it were me, I'd park at Jackson Bridge just West If the town and not worry about parking charges or times.

However there is limited parkjngbat the station itself but a good bit in the car parks on the northern side of the canal between the canal and the garda station

Trekker09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120447796#Comment_120447796

If you're parking at the station you'll need to download the Apcoa app for parking