Cycling the grand canal

a148pro · 29-09-2018 8:27pm

blueballfc wrote: »

never realised that that Pollagh to Tullamore was paved, that must be a 20 km stretch right ?

Not entirely sure as we were tearing it to catch Tullamore train, which then was 40 mins late without any announcement at station or information

One side, the south side was a local access road and while the trail sent you over the bridge to the north side of the canal onto a bumpy ish track with grass down the middle, they seemed to have just done the other side in either road quality or flat grit the whole way. There was a roller parked up. Again, the signs were sending you over the bridge onto a much poorer surface but it seemed near perfect on the other side.

Then from a bit out of tullamore on its nice grit and even tarmac, with a lot of traffic

Don't quote me on pavement but its certainly much easier going than the grass track west of pollagh

blueballfc · 29-09-2018 9:06pm

its amazing like a county council like offaly and similarly westmeath (for the royal canal) can push ahead with this work while bigger CC like Kildare etc are dragging their heels.

mloc123 · 29-09-2018 9:08pm

blueballfc wrote: »

its amazing like a county council like offaly and similarly westmeath (for the royal canal) can push ahead with this work while bigger CC like Kildare etc are dragging their heels.

In fairness. Westmeath had very little to do as most of the canal already had tarmac road running alongside it.

blueballfc · 29-09-2018 9:19pm

fair point for the canal but the still they the old rail line between mullingar and athlone

mloc123 · 29-09-2018 9:24pm

blueballfc wrote: »

fair point for the canal but the still they the old rail line between mullingar and athlone

True.

Kildare on the other hand can't manage to do the 2km from Intel to Carton or Hazelhatch to Adamstown.

10pennymixup · 29-09-2018 9:24pm

The towpaths are canal property not council property.

It's up to Waterways Ireland, under the Dept of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Josepha Madigan, to develop the towpaths with the necessary planning permission from the relevant local authorities.

cdaly_ · 01-10-2018 12:22pm

Carawaystick wrote: »

Has anyone come up from Athy to the Grand Canal on a bike?

I did Monasterevin to Graiguenamanagh on the canal side in July. Going was tough but doable. Stretches of grass (was pretty sparse due to summer drought), gritted path.

nilhg · 01-10-2018 1:43pm

Carawaystick wrote: »

Has anyone come up from Athy to the Grand Canal on a bike?

Athy to Vicarstown is mostly tarmac road on the Canal bank, after Vicarstown there's a stretch of unimproved towpath that wouldn't be great for a road bike but Ok on a CX/Gravel one, near Fisherstown there's a stretch of tarmac, then more grassy towpath. Around Monasterevin there's a mixture of grit and tarmac, then from Ballykelly on through Rathangan to Ballyteague it's mostly grassy towpath, you come back onto tarmac road then through Lowtown and into Robertstown.

The grassy stuff is fine on a CX bike though progress would be slower than on a grit surface

10pennymixup · 01-10-2018 2:52pm

Kildare County Council Sports Partnership do an excellent hard copy walking trails booklet that can be ordered on line, showing which towpath/ side of the canal is best for walking and where the trail changes side. It covers the Grand, Royal and Barrow/ Barrowline. Might be of help to some one.

It is called Towpath Trails, I had a copy sent to me from KildareCoCo SP when I rang 045980546 and left a voicemail.

Not much to do with cycling but someone might find these interactive boating charts of the canal interesting LINK

blueballfc · 28-12-2018 12:26am

Some movement from Kildare CC
“Kildare County Council has erected site notices all along the Grand Canal throughout the county outlining plans for the Greenway”

https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/home/355050/kildare-greenway-site-notices-appeared-over-christmas.html?fbclid=IwAR3p0Gw4rNF2YHj9RVmxbDkr7hKcDWX1x9ELxm3zJ9FPBcNu6piey8dB9KA

blueballfc · 07-01-2019 2:36pm

blueballfc wrote: »

Some movement from Kildare CC
“Kildare County Council has erected site notices all along the Grand Canal throughout the county outlining plans for the Greenway”

https://www.leinsterleader.ie/news/home/355050/kildare-greenway-site-notices-appeared-over-christmas.html?fbclid=IwAR3p0Gw4rNF2YHj9RVmxbDkr7hKcDWX1x9ELxm3zJ9FPBcNu6piey8dB9KA

Following on from the above looks like 12th lock to Hazel hatch planning permission has been submitted.
https://consult.sdublincoco.ie/en/consultation/part-8-grand-canal-greenway-hazelhatch-12th-lock?fbclid=IwAR2906FcFazHVn8e_-T50Xo4eI7Aub7rwdAsknCKGZx0RD67dqArE2k4_zU

TooObvious · 07-01-2019 2:42pm

That's great news, that section even on a CX bike always added a fair chunk to the commuting time. Certainly was no quicker than skirting around Peamount. This will make the canal commute a lot more attractive.

mloc123 · 07-01-2019 3:12pm

TooObvious wrote: »

That's great news, that section even on a CX bike always added a fair chunk to the commuting time. Certainly was no quicker than skirting around Peamount. This will make the canal commute a lot more attractive.

This will make my year

I have used it a few times on the way home from work, but I think it is actually slower than via Peamont. The only advantage being... the peamont road at 4-5pm is like death race 2000

TooObvious · 07-01-2019 4:34pm

mloc123 wrote: »

This will make my year

I have used it a few times on the way home from work, but I think it is actually slower than via Peamont. The only advantage being... the peamont road at 4-5pm is like death race 2000

I hear ya, Peamount road is dangerous, lots of close overtakes. I'm hoping that when all the bridge works are complete at lock 12 that the original path from lock 11 remains, as i hate cycling over that crappy red bridge in the rain. Death trap.

Anyway, here's looking forward to getting off the N7.

tnegun · 07-01-2019 11:18pm

Plesant suprise this morning from Adamstown to Parkwest(and possibly further) the gates have been fixed in a slightly open position allowing bikes to pass at speed!! Nice xmas present as I use it 3/4 times a week and they are a pain and have numerous scratches on my bike from clipping them.

blueballfc · 08-01-2019 5:01pm

more news from grand canal in Offaly
completion of linkage of the Grand Canal Greenway to the Royal Canal Greenway
and sion from Poolagh to the Lough Boora Discovery Park see link
https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/356637/offaly-s-grand-canal-greenway-gets-huge-400-000-funding-boost.html

ED E · 08-01-2019 5:05pm

tnegun wrote: »

Plesant suprise this morning from Adamstown to Parkwest(and possibly further) the gates have been fixed in a slightly open position allowing bikes to pass at speed!! Nice xmas present as I use it 3/4 times a week and they are a pain and have numerous scratches on my bike from clipping them.

They started works just before Christmas. Working from 12th Lock east. Should be clear as far as Suir Road.

SPDUB · 08-01-2019 9:55pm

ED E wrote: »

They started works just before Christmas. Working from 12th Lock east. Should be clear as far as Suir Road.

They hadn't done anything at the 4th lock by last Friday .Still only a narrow gap

ED E · 09-01-2019 12:56am

SPDUB wrote: »

They hadn't done anything at the 4th lock by last Friday .Still only a narrow gap

Damn, WI are slow as can be so.

niallo32 · 17-01-2019 11:01pm

Nice to commute along the canal with the kissing gates open - scramblers racing along the tow path from across Labre park up to the bridge at Kylemore this evening though

a148pro · 18-01-2019 12:28am

blueballfc wrote: »

more news from grand canal in Offaly
completion of linkage of the Grand Canal Greenway to the Royal Canal Greenway
and sion from Poolagh to the Lough Boora Discovery Park see link
https://www.offalyexpress.ie/news/home/356637/offaly-s-grand-canal-greenway-gets-huge-400-000-funding-boost.html

Thanks but no map of the route? Is this the route mentioned in book on Ireland's best cycle routes I wonder, combines canals and greenways in mostly off road loop

ED E · 18-01-2019 12:31am

a148pro wrote: »

Thanks but no map of the route? Is this the route mentioned in book on Ireland's best cycle routes I wonder, combines canals and greenways in mostly off road loop

The Part 8 Report might interest you
https://www.offaly.ie/eng/Services/Planning/News/Grand-Canal-Greenway-Planning-Report-280318-pdf.pdf

a148pro · 18-01-2019 12:48am

Still doesn't show the link though?

Interesting to see such a thorough report

Page 6 though, image 4 - before and after - who here picks before? I do every time

ED E · 18-01-2019 1:21am

Ahh there's always a compromise.

Greenway Map of Ireland
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1HAHB3jpXV7qgrTHgopH4Zl7-ItDHGEPv&ll=53.4320326010536%2C-8.939188105408448&z=7

That was made by a boards user and shows a link route as potential. Thats over the county lines though so funding to Offaly wouldnt do that. Having the link closer to Dublin would be handy for us dubs to loop with but any connection is a win.

EDIT: its on the bloody map, I'm blind
https://static.rasset.ie/documents/news/2018/11/outdoor-recreation-infrastructure-scheme-2018.pdf

SPDUB · 19-01-2019 12:54pm

niallo32 wrote: »

Nice to commute along the canal with the kissing gates open - scramblers racing along the tow path from across Labre park up to the bridge at Kylemore this evening though

Is that with the new configuration of the gates or did they just have the gates open .

They still haven't done anything at the 4th Lock for the new configuration but I have noticed on occasion in the past for it to be opened when WI wanted to drive along the canal

niallo32 · 19-01-2019 3:39pm

SPDUB wrote: »

Is that with the new configuration of the gates or did they just have the gates open .

They still haven't done anything at the 4th Lock for the new configuration but I have noticed on occasion in the past for it to be opened when WI wanted to drive along the canal

I'd say its with the gates being open - they're open down as far as the 4th lock (is that where SDCC's boundary ends and DCC begins?)

site_owner · 19-01-2019 4:27pm

Kissing gates dont stop scramblers anyway.

Juat cargo bikes, bikes with trailers, tandems, handcycles, recumbent bikes, mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs....

SPDUB · 19-01-2019 4:27pm

niallo32 wrote: »

I'd say its with the gates being open - they're open down as far as the 4th lock (is that where SDCC's boundary ends and DCC begins?)

Given that there is at least one building beside the canal path under the control of DCC nearer to the Kylemore rd I said legally the boundary is at Kylemore rd but in practical terms the 4th lock is the first place it matters

ED E · 19-01-2019 5:20pm

Its Waterways Ireland land, not under the local authorities as far as I know. So the council boundary doesnt matter for the gates.

It does matter for the future works as they will consume small portions of land not currently part of the towpath.

TychoCaine · 19-01-2019 10:56pm

site_owner wrote: »

Kissing gates dont stop scramblers anyway.

Juat cargo bikes, bikes with trailers, tandems, handcycles, recumbent bikes, mobility scooters, electric wheelchairs....

Recumbent bikes? That's a good thing!

Cycling the grand canal

Comments