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Waterways Cycling Route Recommendations

Yeahsitsme

Hi Guys,

I ahve been commuting to work since April 2016 and I am starting to cycle more for leisure.
I am looking for recommendations for Cycling routes for trips along the waterways of ireland. The reason for the waterways is me and my friend enjoy a bit of fishing.
I have a Cube Delhi Pro touring bike and I am looking to plan a few trips in 2017.
Any recommendations greatly appreciated.

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byhookorbycrook

The Barrow Track is worth considering.http://www.riverbarrow.net/barrow-way.html

p.stone

HI,

I think keep going out by the grand canal, I'm not a fisherman, so not sure what you might find lurking beneath. Also going out the liffey valley/strawberry beds might be nice but roads are a bit tight with fast cars!

wanderer 22

Here's a nice little loop taking in both Royal and Grand canals
https://www.strava.com/activities/780491217

p.stone

Looks good, I cycle on a hybrid, 28/32mm tyres. what are the track conditions like, would that bike be suited?

wanderer 22

You'd want cx/mtb tyres (ie. knobbly ones) for the majority of that route.

cdaly_

I rode the Royal Canal Dublin to Enfield on 35mm slicks last week. Some slipping and sliding in mud but mostly grand. I wouldn't want knobbly tyres, you're not climbing mountains or anything. Quite a lot of those sections are hard-paved.

p.stone

thanks, I'll give it a go and bring a bring a spare tube and pump!

Viscount Aggro

I cycled the Barrow way, Athy to St. Mullins and back in one day, 120KM.
Its world class scenery. You would need mountain bike tyres, not thin racer tyres. A lot of it is grassy tracks and hard core material (punctures likely on thin tyres).

blobbie

p.stone wrote: »

thanks, I'll give it a go and bring a bring a spare tube and pump!

And a small stick for scraping off the mud. Grand Canal is pathway to Lucan Bridge/Adamstown but the next section to Hazelhatch gets sloppy enough during the Winter. Also bear in mind that in winter it will be a few degrees cooler inland so you may encounter a bit more ice than we get in Dublin.

With regards the OP and fishing, if Dublin based, an option to save some cycle time and get more fishing time would be to get the train to/from Sallins and cycle from there if you want to get further inland quicker. Sallins/Nass was brought into the short-hop zone recently and is 3.50ish each way on a leap card and bikes go free on the commuter trains.

Plus 1 on the Barrow Way.
I have only done the Robertstown to Athy section but is a really good rural section. To 'shorten' the day, I took train to Sallins, cycled Grand Canal to Robertstown and then onto the Barrow Way spur at Lowtown just outside Robertstown. Cycled Barrow Way to Athy and then back via road (R418 & R448) to Sallins and train back to town. Approx. 110km cycling loop out of Sallins.

Yeahsitsme

Great feedback lads. Very much appreciated.
We cycle from the 3rd lock Bluebell/Inchicore every odd weekend to the 12 lock and grab a coffee in the garage and in the summer we went to McEvoys at Hazelhatch.
We also went the other way from Inchicore into Grand Canal onto the Pidgeon House and Lighthouse past ringsend. Great sunny day.
I just bought two new Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres 700x38 which were recommended so I hope they are suitable enough but I will find that out on a few test runs.

EC1000

From Mullingar, you can ride the Royal Canal for about 30km in both directions.. It's paved - map here

http://www.irishtrails.ie/Trail/Royal-Canal-Greenway---Westmeath/898/

You could always then follow the new greenway to Athlone from Mullingar (42km) and do a bit of fishing in Lough Ree....

smacl

Yeahsitsme wrote: »

I just bought two new Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres 700x38 which were recommended so I hope they are suitable enough but I will find that out on a few test runs.

Should be fine for 90% of it, and there's no law against walking or diverting on the shorter spots where its muddy. I regularly see people combining cycling and course fishing on the Grand Canal in around Hazelhatch who are using hybrids / beaters.

For a shorter trip nearer Dublin, you can also cycle and fish around the Bohernabreena reservoir, though fly fishing only and you need a permit. Blessington lakes are also worth a punt, and I think also need a permit.

Mr.Boots

I have cycled the grand canal a couple of times from grand canal dock to Shannon harbour.
It's a lovely cycle with plenty of places to pitch a tent and fish
It's very very boggy in places the further you go along, basically cow tracks in sections
I really enjoyed it though
Did it on a full Sus mtb with rear panniers

magicbastarder

sure if the cold weather continues, you'll be able to cycle on the canals, let alone alongside them.

schemingbohemia

EC1000 wrote: »

From Mullingar, you can ride the Royal Canal for about 30km in both directions.. It's paved - map here

http://www.irishtrails.ie/Trail/Royal-Canal-Greenway---Westmeath/898/

You could always then follow the new greenway to Athlone from Mullingar (42km) and do a bit of fishing in Lough Ree....

From Mullingar north it's recently been extended to Ballymahon from Abbeyshrule, don't think it's officially open but definitely cycleable.

smacl

magicbastarder wrote: »

sure if the cold weather continues, you'll be able to cycle on the canals, let alone alongside them.

I cycled them a fair bit Winter before last when they were frozen over, with mist hanging over the ice. Very surreal and well worth a go if you get the chance. Not the best pic below, but gives you an idea;

marvin80

schemingbohemia wrote: »

From Mullingar north it's recently been extended to Ballymahon from Abbeyshrule, don't think it's officially open but definitely cycleable.

This section is perfect for a bike alright (I wouldn't recommend a road bike though).
Also, you can keep going from Ballymahon all the way to Clondra.
The section between Ballymahon and Killashee mightn't be as good as other sections afaik. I hope to explore this in the next while and I can update this thread.
Killashe to Clondra is a very good surface.
Ballymahon is a nice stop-off for grub - a few options like Skelly's Bar.
Not sure if any place in Clondra does food. There's a pub right by the canal, The Richmond Inn - lovely on a summers day sitting outside having a pint bottle there.
There's also an option to take a diversion at Kilashee and cycle along a canel path into Longford town.
Just handy to know that the Dublin - Sligo train serves Longford.

Yeahsitsme

This is the bike I have. Two new Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres also. Www.cube.eu/en/products/trekking/delhi/cube-delhi-pro-black-glossy-2016/
No issue with it so far between Hazelhatch and Ringsend.

_Brian

Newry canal towpath is well surfaced and a really enjoyable cycle.

nilhg

Two of the reporters from one of the local papers along with one of the lads from a LBS took the train from Sallins to Heuston then cycled back along the Grand Canal, entertaining report with video below

http://www.leinsterleader.ie/video/local-news/233343/video-is-it-possible-to-cycle-along-the-canal-from-dublin-to-sallins.html

smacl

nilhg wrote: »

Two of the reporters from one of the local papers along with one of the lads from a LBS took the train from Sallins to Heuston then cycled back along the Grand Canal, entertaining report with video below

http://www.leinsterleader.ie/video/local-news/233343/video-is-it-possible-to-cycle-along-the-canal-from-dublin-to-sallins.html

Nice to see the video but they seem to make it sound a lot tougher than it is. I'd a lot less fit than most of the regular posters here and will do the round trip coming from Ballyboden as far as the Leinster Aqueduct when the ground is sodden in about 5 hours, or less than 4 if it has been dry. Perfectly doable on a hybrid with semi-slicks, or even slicks over the summer when its been dry for a bit. They show a bit 50secs into the video where they carry their bikes across the lock gates here which seems like a pretty dumb move give they're about 20 metres from a paved road bridge on what is a very quiet road. That said, entertaining video and report.