Royal Canal on a Road Bike

Mercian Pro · 25-03-2018 10:56pm

An update on surface conditions heading out from Dublin and incorporating lamaq's earlier post:

Drumcondra to Castleknock Train Station - tarred surface ranging from pristine beyond Ashtown to a bit rougher closer to Cabra/Finglas

Castleknock to Porterstown Road - Grass, clay (muck), tree roots and some rocks along the Deep Sinking

Porterstown to Clonsilla Station - good surface

Clonsilla to Leixlip Confey Station - mix of grass and clay

Leixlip Convey to Collinstown Bridge (at western end of Leixlip) - ok surface

Collinstown to start of Carton Estate - grass and clay

Carton to Maynooth harbour - ok surface.

Maynooth Harbour to Kilcock - finished, the underpass at Bailey's bridge is complete.

Kilcock to about 2km west at drainage bridge - finished.

Drainage bridge to Ferran's Lock - the gravel foundations are down but not the finished surface. Generally ok to cycle on.

Ferran's Lock to Cloncurry bridge - still grass, no work has started yet.

Cloncurry Bridge to Enfield - all done except for last 500m into Enfield which has gravel, not sure why this was left.

Enfield to Blackwater aquaduct - finished.

Blackwater aquaduct to Moyvally - have the foundations down and currently being worked on, looked like they were cutting back some of the trees.

Mercian Pro · 02-04-2018 2:38pm

A bit of an update on this with length of sections included:

Mercian Pro wrote: »

An update on surface conditions heading out from Dublin and incorporating lamaq's earlier post:

Drumcondra to Castleknock Train Station - tarred surface ranging from pristine beyond Ashtown to a bit rougher closer to Cabra/Finglas. 8.2km

Castleknock to Porterstown Road - Grass, clay (muck), tree roots and some rocks along the Deep Sinking. 2.2km

Porterstown to Clonsilla Station - good surface 1.2km

Clonsilla to Leixlip Confey Station - mix of grass and clay 5.0km

Leixlip Convey to Collinstown Bridge (at western end of Leixlip) - ok surface 2.6km

Collinstown to Pike Bridge (Carton entrance) - grass and clay. 2.7km

Carton to Maynooth harbour - ok surface. 2.3km

Maynooth Harbour to Kilcock - finished, the underpass at Bailey's bridge is complete. 5.9km

Kilcock to about 2km west at drainage bridge - finished. 2.0km

Drainage bridge to Ferran's Lock - the gravel foundations are down but not the finished surface. Generally ok to cycle on. 1.9km

Ferran's Lock to Cloncurry bridge - still grass, no work has started yet. 5.9km

Cloncurry Bridge to Enfield - all done except for last 500m into Enfield which has gravel, not sure why this was left. 2.7 + 0.5km

Enfield to Blackwater aquaduct - finished. 3.5km

Blackwater aquaduct to Moyvally - have the foundations down and currently being worked on, looked like they were cutting back some of the trees. 2.6km

Moyvalley to Westmeath border - finished. 12.4km

So between Dublin and the Westmeath border (61.5km), all but about 18.4km is either completed or OK to cycle on. The rest is a mix of grass, clay or muck depending on weather conditions and use.

Harrybelafonte · 02-04-2018 2:58pm

"Clonsilla to Leixlip Confey Station - mix of grass and clay"

Worst section of the whole thing.

lamaq · 02-04-2018 3:30pm

Kilcock to about 2km west at drainage bridge (Spin Bridge?) - finished. 1.1km

No, just an unnamed drainage bridge to the Rye Water. I've put the updates on OSM.

Heavy blue dots = finished greenway
Light blue dots = under construction
Red dots = grassy path
Brown dots = grassy track

queldy · 04-04-2018 3:21pm

Hi guys,

thanks for this thread. Does a gps, strava, whatever map exist of the whole route?

lamaq · 04-04-2018 6:43pm

The greenway is not finished yet and in some places the greenway is on the opposite side of the Royal Canal Way walk. I don't know if they are going to change the signage once it's complete.

You can view the Royal Canal Way here - http://ra.osmsurround.org/analyzeMap?relationId=3466963

Strava mostly uses OpenStreetMap.org (OSM) for maps, which can be downloaded and used on Garmin devices.

tnegun · 04-04-2018 7:44pm

Cycled between Kilcock and Maynooth today and I think maintenance of the surface is going to be an issue. The hedges have been cut and debris has been left along the route extending about a foot from the hedges in places and rain run off has already washed away the loose stone topping in some places too

Greybottle · 07-05-2018 12:40pm

Cycled from Mullingar out to Furey's Pub (Moyvalley) yesterday. All done. Either tarred existing roads or new Limestone sand paths. Excellent surface, parking bays near most bridges, loads of people out and about. Proof that it does work.

I cycled the canal a few times over the years and this was one of the more difficult stretches. Nice to see it done up. Had a look over the fence at Moyvalley to see if the stretch towards Enfield has been done, but couldn't see anything. Looks like there's 2 Km of tough but easily walkable canal path here.

So, if I've got this right, almost all of >Maynooth-Clondra (Shannon) is done?

Carawaystick · 07-05-2018 11:52pm

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

"Clonsilla to Leixlip Confey Station - mix of grass and clay"

Worst section of the whole thing.

East of Porterstown is the worst bit, I abuse my road bike but I wouldnt do that.

Mercian Pro · 08-05-2018 9:34am

Greybottle wrote: »

So, if I've got this right, almost all of >Maynooth-Clondra (Shannon) is done?

Yes, as you can see from earlier posts, there are still a few sections between Maynooth and Moyvalley to be completed but heading west towards the Shannon and the branch to Longford town are fine. Good to hear it's being well used.

mr spuckler · 08-05-2018 10:10am

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Yes, as you can see from earlier posts, there are still a few sections between Maynooth and Moyvalley to be completed but heading west towards the Shannon and the branch to Longford town are fine. Good to hear it's being well used.

that's great, I'm planning on a spin from Dublin to Athlone during the summer and was hoping to use the canal in so far as possible, before jumping onto the old rail trail at Mullingar

loudymacloud · 08-05-2018 10:45am

mr spuckler wrote: »

that's great, I'm planning on a spin from Dublin to Athlone during the summer and was hoping to use the canal in so far as possible, before jumping onto the old rail trail at Mullingar

Same here, usually jump on at the the Hill of Downs, but taking a risk there with that stretch of path as, assuming its still the same as last summer, covered in rocks. Tough enough going on a road bike.

goverfe · 13-05-2018 9:31pm

Re. Mercian Pro's very useful list of surface conditions (post of 2/4/18, above), on the sections just before and after Enfield:

1. "Cloncurry Bridge to Enfield - all done except for last 500m into Enfield which has gravel, not sure why this was left. 2.7 + 0.5km"
- update: the last 500m into Enfield has been completed and is now open;

2. "Blackwater aquaduct to Moyvally - have the foundations down and currently being worked on, looked like they were cutting back some of the trees. 2.6km"
- update: Enfield to Blackwater aquaduct (Meath/Kildare border) has already been done. A short section around/after the aquaduct has a foundation layer done (big stones) but no top layer yet. From there to Kilmore Bridge and for some distance beyond (towards Moyvalley Bridge) the towpath has been stripped back to earth and levelled off but no foundation layer has yet been laid. However, this stripping work has not yet reached the Moyvalley bridge area so if you look back towards Enfield from Moyvalley bridge you will not see any evidence of work done. There was some machinery around Kilmore Bridge last week (early May), so it seems the work is being actively progressed. I don't know how they will do the underpass at Moyvalley Bridge however, it looks complicated.

I saw all this when I cycled from Enfield to Mullingar and came back by train - very enjoyable. I cycled from Enfield to the Blackwater Aquaduct and walked the short distance to Kilmore Bridge, took the road to the right and cycled to the R148, turned left and cycled the short distance to Furey's Bar, where I re-joined the Canal. The walk and on-road detour took about 25 minutes, I think.

Thargor · 13-05-2018 9:49pm

Is this the Grand and Royal canal threads merged into one or do they both run through the same places or something? Ive cycled the Grand canal but not the Royal, planning on doing that in a couple of weeks.

Greybottle · 13-05-2018 10:17pm

Thargor wrote: »

Is this the Grand and Royal canal threads merged into one or do they both run through the same places or something? Ive cycled the Grand canal but not the Royal, planning on doing that in a couple of weeks.

This is the Royal Canal thread. They are totally separate waterways and don't join or meet anywhere.

MagicBusDriver1 · 14-05-2018 10:52am

Greybottle wrote: »

Cycled from Mullingar out to Furey's Pub (Moyvalley) yesterday. All done. Either tarred existing roads or new Limestone sand paths. Excellent surface, parking bays near most bridges, loads of people out and about. Proof that it does work.

I cycled the canal a few times over the years and this was one of the more difficult stretches. Nice to see it done up. Had a look over the fence at Moyvalley to see if the stretch towards Enfield has been done, but couldn't see anything. Looks like there's 2 Km of tough but easily walkable canal path here.

So, if I've got this right, almost all of >Maynooth-Clondra (Shannon) is done?

Would this section be suitable for a road bike on 25mm tyres?

Greybottle · 15-05-2018 11:17pm

MagicBusDriver1 wrote: »

Would this section be suitable for a road bike on 25mm tyres?

Yes. I did it on a bog standard road bike with 23's

mr spuckler · 21-05-2018 1:35pm

tnegun wrote: »

Cycled between Kilcock and Maynooth today and I think maintenance of the surface is going to be an issue. The hedges have been cut and debris has been left along the route extending about a foot from the hedges in places and rain run off has already washed away the loose stone topping in some places too

is it still doable on a road bike?

RebelButtMunch · 21-05-2018 1:42pm

mr spuckler wrote: »

is it still doable on a road bike?

Last time I did that route I was only just a little bit past Maynooth when the path was blocked for upgrades and we could go no further.

We'd don't done it before and one of us was on a roadbike. Bar the works it's doable.

brianomc · 21-05-2018 1:49pm

mr spuckler wrote: »

is it still doable on a road bike?

I was on it for a short trip yesterday and Kilcock to Maynooth is clear and a good surface (tarmac or fine gravel).

Maynooth to Carton House was a bit rough, stick to the worn path. I used the grass verge to give pedestrians loads of space as I overtook and ended up with a slow puncture. A thorny twig and it became a not so slow puncture when I removed it.

Carton to Leixlip was ok.

RebelButtMunch · 21-05-2018 1:52pm

brianomc wrote: »

I was on it for a short trip yesterday and Kilcock to Maynooth is clear and a good surface (tarmac or fine gravel).

Maynooth to Carton House was a bit rough, stick to the worn path. I used the grass verge to give pedestrians loads of space as I overtook and ended up with a slow puncture. A thorny twig and it became a not so slow puncture when I removed it.

Carton to Leixlip was ok.

We got caught with a thorn puncture too. When they cut the hedges the whitethorn bushes are all over the ground. Huge thorns on them.

mr spuckler · 21-05-2018 1:55pm

brianomc wrote: »

I was on it for a short trip yesterday and Kilcock to Maynooth is clear and a good surface (tarmac or fine gravel).

Maynooth to Carton House was a bit rough, stick to the worn path. I used the grass verge to give pedestrians loads of space as I overtook and ended up with a slow puncture. A thorny twig and it became a not so slow puncture when I removed it.

Carton to Leixlip was ok.

sounds like I might be best off joining in Maynooth then (heading west). is the access beside the train station?

mr spuckler · 21-05-2018 3:42pm

so I'm looking at cycling Dublin to Athlone on a road bike in the next couple of weeks, down 1 day & back the next.

from the last couple of pages I think the below is doable but would appreciate if anyone could correct / confirm. thanks!

Canal Greenway from Drumcondra to Castleknock
Road from Castleknock to Maynooth
Canal Greenway from Maynooth to Kilcock
Road from Kilcock to Cloncurry bridge
Canal Greenway from Cloncurry bridge to Enfield
Road from Enfield to Moyvalley
Canal Greenway from Moyvalley to Mullingar
Old rail trail from Mullingar to Athlone

RebelButtMunch · 21-05-2018 3:49pm

mr spuckler wrote: »

Canal Greenway from Maynooth to Kilcock
Road from Kilcock to Cloncurry bridge

Why are you hitting the road there?

mr spuckler · 21-05-2018 4:01pm

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

Why are you hitting the road there?

because my search for Blackwater aquaduct earlier sent me much further along and confused me! when I look up Kilmore bridge now I can see it makes sense to go that far and rejoin the main road there as far as Moyvalley.

so it becomes...

Canal Greenway from Drumcondra to Castleknock
Road from Castleknock to Maynooth
Canal Greenway from Maynooth to Kilcock
Road from Kilcock to Cloncurry bridge
Canal Greenway from Cloncurry bridge to Kilmore bridge
Road from Kilmore bridge to Moyvalley
Canal Greenway from Moyvalley to Mullingar
Old rail trail from Mullingar to Athlone

brianomc · 21-05-2018 4:27pm

mr spuckler wrote: »

sounds like I might be best off joining in Maynooth then (heading west). is the access beside the train station?

We were on the other side of the canal from the train station so I'm not sure if you can go all the way through the car park or if there's gates. Access is still from the Straffan Road though.

RebelButtMunch · 21-05-2018 4:28pm

mr spuckler wrote: »

sounds like I might be best off joining in Maynooth then (heading west). is the access beside the train station?

No access from the train station side.

Steoller · 21-05-2018 4:58pm

brianomc wrote: »

mr spuckler wrote: »

sounds like I might be best off joining in Maynooth then (heading west). is the access beside the train station?

We were on the other side of the canal from the train station so I'm not sure if you can go all the way through the car park or if there's gates. Access is still from the Straffan Road though.

You can go all the way through the railway station carpark from the straffan road bridge to Bond bridge, on foot or by bike. You can then use Bond bridge to cross to the greenway side of the canal.

RebelButtMunch · 21-05-2018 5:00pm

Make sure you're wearing some kind of shades/glasses. Cycling near hedges means lots of flies.
For eats I liked the flahavans oat cakes. Full of energy and relatively cheap. I also put an extra waterbottle carrier on my bike.

edit: oh, also it might be a bit naff but a bell is really handy when cycling along shared pathways.

mr spuckler · 21-05-2018 5:06pm

RebelButtMunch wrote: »

Make sure you're wearing some kind of shades/glasses. Cycling near hedges means lots of flies.
For eats I liked the flahavans oat cakes. Full of energy and relatively cheap. I also put an extra waterbottle carrier on my bike.

edit: oh, also it might be a bit naff but a bell is really handy when cycling along shared pathways.

I wear prescription sunglasses and am well used to cycling longish distances

Royal Canal on a Road Bike

Comments