Royal Canal on a Road Bike

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?

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.

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 .

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.

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.

Just spotted your post, and by chance, I was on it today. I really enjoy cycling that section, but it has a lot of stones, and roots as mentioned. I mainly use a gravel bike on it, but I've done it on my road bike with 25mm tyres before.

The CrossGuns to Ballybough section upgrade is due to begin. So might be related

Section in Dublin City Council will be done.

Yes, I'd pictured a much rougher section and a bigger drop into the canal!

Supposedly the Crossguns down to Ballybough section upgrade is to start imminently...with a ...(wait for it) ...two year timeframe. It will be interesting to see if Waterways Ireland actually fix the various locks which are in very poor order. Cue budget complaints etc. I've yet to see how Newcomen bridge will be handled as its a death trap atm.

The section from Crossguns to Castleknock is in relatively good shape but the crossing at Ashtown lock (where u must switch sides) is really dangerous because of traffic. Its an old humpback bridge adjacent to a rail crossing with a train station to boot. Not sure of a solution but will get worse as there's so much development happening on the east side of the rail line. I wonder if there was a landgrab by some old Anglo estate back in the day which preludes a northern path on this section of the canal? Hence the need for the switchover. If so Waterways Ireland should reclaim their land.

The Deep Sinking Section which begins at Castleknock railway station heading west by north is snarled up with objections. Plus the involvement of Irish Rail because of the proximity of the line adds to complications. This is the reason for the proposed northern cycle ramp. The existing southern towpath right beside the rail line simply won't fly....far too narrow and steep ...and naturally IR have the final say. Don't hold your breath .....even though, in a way , this is the most important section since it will allow cyclists from a huge catchment area of north west Dublin/ Kildare to commute all the way to the Docklands....if its ever completed. Some of the submissions are attached below so u can see what Fingal CC are up against. My favourite is the Japanese knotweed.

Of the three authorities involved (DCC, Fingal, Kildare) Fingal seem to be the most active. I hear Kildare finally got their act together but haven't been on that section over the winter. Ideally when its done u can hop on the canal near Intel and fly all the way to Docklands. i'd love to see all the locks upgraded as part of this so that barge tourist traffic could resume from Docklands all the way to the Shannon...but dream on.

https://consult.fingal.ie/en/node/19709/submissions

"The electrification of the line will see the level crossing closed anyhow, so there'll be no more traffic then."

Will the level crossing be closed to traffic permanently?

Yes. See Dart+ drawings for Ashtown - there'll be a new underpass west of the stables coming out next to the Supervalu carpark access. https://www.dartplus.ie/en-ie/news/2022/revised-ashtown-preferred-option

It's all Dart+ to me. ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

Yeah it looks great. Crossguns and Castleknock also look great with the upgrade. Roll on....

It's already archaic, with a crossing keeper there closing the gates manually.

I think novices to this thread might be well reminded that the section around the ‘Deep Sinking’ nearer the city could very easily entail not just plunging into the canal but doing so from a considerable height .Once you get past Clonsilla outbound it’s just ‘soggy’ as far as Confey but before that it’s combined with tree roots , narrow tracks and unnaturally scarey heights above the water !Confey to Louisa Bridge is still under repair and Intel to Carton/Maynooth is slippy at all bar the best of times .The rebel in me reckons you could probably get from Confey to Louisa right now ‘out of workhours’ and maybe even during them if prepared to ‘engage’ with the council workers ….Barriers at either end don’t look very restrictive and coarse grey hardcore surface prob no worse than muddy slime normally there this time of year

Agreed. And it’s great craic with the right tyres! I’ll miss it when it’s gone, although I get the advantages the upgrade will bring for those of a more sedate disposition 😀

Looks like this is done the whole length (of that section) now.