Cycling the grand canal

tnegun · 24-07-2019 2:07pm

Absolutely understand this but what a fupping crying shame and shame on our police force and local authorities that its not safe to use dedicated cycling infrastructure at 6.30 in the evening. For what its worth I travel this route daily and occasionally that late , personally have never had anything serious happen but witness antisocial behavior daily.

Hugo_Whoriskey · 24-07-2019 4:55pm

tnegun wrote: »

Absolutely understand this but what a fupping crying shame and shame on our police force and local authorities that its not safe to use dedicated cycling infrastructure at 6.30 in the evening. For what its worth I travel this route daily and occasionally that late , personally have never had anything serious happen but witness antisocial behavior daily.

It really is a shame, I usually cycle it on weekday mornings and even then will still see things going on. Could be such a great piece of cycling infrastructure

tnegun · 26-07-2019 12:47pm

tnegun wrote: »

Anyone know the purpose of the new drag strip/tarmac'd road across the green to the 11th lock? Theres already paved access across the same green a little further up so not sure what purpose this serves.

Spoke to a Waterways guy working on the canal today and the new road was installed to give the Gardai access at this point so that's a bonus I suppose!

a148pro · 04-07-2020 11:13am

Anyone any recent intel on the following from tullamore to naas area:-

Current surface (an online review from 2019 suggests grass either side of edenderry, i'll be on gravel bike but mate will be on road bike, i've done dublin to robertstown so know it's good from there to Sallins)

Route marking (I assume it's the yellow man) and whether you are at risk of going down dead ends

Somewhere good for lunch along the route (one review suggests larkins in edenderry, hopefully it's open for lunch on a sunday in covid)

nilhg · 04-07-2020 1:48pm

a148pro wrote: »

Anyone any recent intel on the following from tullamore to naas area:-

Current surface (an online review from 2019 suggests grass either side of edenderry, i'll be on gravel bike but mate will be on road bike, i've done dublin to robertstown so know it's good from there to Sallins)

Route marking (I assume it's the yellow man) and whether you are at risk of going down dead ends

Somewhere good for lunch along the route (one review suggests larkins in edenderry, hopefully it's open for lunch on a sunday in covid)

Over the last few days I've done all of Lowtown to Edenderry on a CX bike, surface is fine for most of it if a bit bumpy in places but parts of it are going to be hairy on a road bike with skinny tyres, mostly grass but rough tarmak with big potholes in places, the sections either side of the skew bridge outside Allenwood have some quite rutted grass paths.

Navigation is simple, keep to the north bank, take the spur into Edenderry for your lunch (lovely tarmac there). With covid restrictions it's hard to know where will be open, Eden Deli just at the roundabout at the harbour is grand, there's a big Centra with good deli and a supermacs on the Dublin side of town if you're stuck.

a148pro · 04-07-2020 2:04pm

That's great, road bike now gonzo so only my tummy to look after, will settle for supermacs if need be, hopefully not

nilhg · 04-07-2020 2:30pm

Just thinking, almost all of Tullamore-Ballycommon-Daingean is tarmac (of the grass down the middle type) apart from the first bit out of town.

The golf club at Castle Barna has closed, that was always a good spot for grub, I'm not sure if it's under new management or not.

beggars_bush · 04-07-2020 3:07pm

Royal canal towpath has much better surface

Enjoy your cycle

a148pro · 04-07-2020 5:53pm

beggars_bush wrote: »

Royal canal towpath has much better surface

Enjoy your cycle

Yeah I just have to get this bit done then will move on to the royal

a148pro · 05-07-2020 3:43pm

Still a lot of green on this route, cx bike minimum needed. I did it on gravel bike with 37s which ate the route. In fact, of all the cycling I do on the gravel bike, it's this kind of stuff it's most useful on, your average fire road or forest trail is doable on road bike. But this kind of bumpy grassy route would not be fun, but you can tear along on 37s. Eats it up.

nilhg · 05-07-2020 9:09pm

a148pro wrote: »

Still a lot of green on this route, cx bike minimum needed. I did it on gravel bike with 37s which ate the route. In fact, of all the cycling I do on the gravel bike, it's this kind of stuff it's most useful on, your average fire road or forest trail is doable on road bike. But this kind of bumpy grassy route would not be fun, but you can tear along on 37s. Eats it up.

Just because I'm curious, did you manage to find somewhere for lunch in Edenderry afterwards?

a148pro · 05-07-2020 11:25pm

I arrived too early - 10.50, I couldn't find larkins but the lads in the spar made me a perfectly good roll with sausages and surprisingly good coffee - Seattle's best per the blurb

I don't know why I wasted time talking about tyre size when the only thing which really matters is the eating

Grassey · 16-07-2020 2:48pm

Did this today. Out to Robertstown. Had planned to go further but was getting tired at that point, and still had to get back to Dublin!

Way more green than I'd thought. Most was grand bar that 5km from lock 12 to Mcevoys. Was just slow sucky slidey slimey mud.

Cx with 32s was flying along lost of it.

blueballfc · 16-10-2020 10:47am

nilhg wrote: »

Just thinking, almost all of Tullamore-Ballycommon-Daingean is tarmac (of the grass down the middle type) apart from the first bit out of town.

The golf club at Castle Barna has closed, that was always a good spot for grub, I'm not sure if it's under new management or not.

Good news on grand canal from Offaly CC.
https://www.offaly.ie/eng/News/Greenway-Extension-Daingean-to-Edenderry-Press-Release-Oct-15th.html

CormacH94 · 21-11-2020 5:40pm

Is the grand canal doable on a road bike with 28 tires from Edenderry onward? What's the surface like from there?

Have a route done up to do the two canals together and wondering would it be feasible on my winter bike

https://www.strava.com/routes/2765266568279804378

ninoon · 21-11-2020 6:06pm

Edenderry to Daingean is not doable on a road bike but it has recently been announced that upgrade work will commence in Jan 21.

mazza · 21-11-2020 7:16pm

I did Roberstown to Shannon Harbour during the Summer.

From memory the bit after Edenderry was extremely rough. Just long grass with a narrow rutted track. I remember it was about 10km of what we called "The Field"

I was on full MTB tyres and was ok, but my friend on gravel bike with maybe 28s or 30s had an extremely hard time on that stretch. Its mixed overalls, some ok surfaces, some other rough, muddy.

As per above, I wouldn't fancy it at all on a road bike...

The Royal and Grand are very different propositions...

CormacH94 · 21-11-2020 10:04pm

ninoon wrote: »

Edenderry to Daingean is not doable on a road bike but it has recently been announced that upgrade work will commence in Jan 21.

Planning to do it next summer/early September so I'd hope that the upgrade work would be done at that point?

Mercian Pro · 22-11-2020 5:35pm

CormacH94 wrote: »

Planning to do it next summer/early September so I'd hope that the upgrade work would be done at that point?

Based on the length of time it took to finish a few sections of the Royal a couple of years ago, your question mark is spot on!

nilhg · 22-11-2020 5:48pm

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Based on the length of time it took to finish a few sections of the Royal a couple of years ago, your question mark is spot on!

An awful lot depends on the existing condition of the towpath, if it's decent they make good progress but if it's unlevel and drainage is an issue then it can take ages, you have to remember access is poor and space non existent.

I'm watching the contractors doing the Barrow Blueway close to home here and they seem to be making decent progress, two crews working from either end.

cletus · 22-11-2020 6:02pm

nilhg wrote: »

An awful lot depends on the existing condition of the towpath, if it's decent they make good progress but if it's unlevel and drainage is an issue then it can take ages, you have to remember access is poor and space non existent.

I'm watching the contractors doing the Barrow Blueway close to home here and they seem to be making decent progress, two crews working from either end.

I haven't been down on the canal in a while. How far have they progressed?

nilhg · 22-11-2020 6:20pm

cletus wrote: »

I haven't been down on the canal in a while. How far have they progressed?

I think they're just about ready to put the final layer of quarry dust on to the section they dug out, from just past Glenaree lock to Ballyteague castle, that should be ready and open befroe Xmas, the remaining bit up to the lock was hardcore already, AFAIK that will get another course of 804 then the final course, no digging required.

Worth a spin down the canal bank to have a look, that side of the town is in much better condition than heading for Monasterevin.

wanderer 22 · 08-02-2021 3:10pm

Cool video of a bike ride along the Grand Canal - from the beginning to near Ardclough - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0Qf1gOXVBo&ab_channel=Lo%C3%AFcVirtualBikeRideIreland

duffer247 · 08-02-2021 3:55pm

colm18 wrote: »

Cool video of a bike ride along the Grand Canal - from the beginning to near Ardclough - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0Qf1gOXVBo&ab_channel=Lo%C3%AFcVirtualBikeRideIreland

Thanks for this. I did a bit of this with the kids during the summer, Clogher road out towards Adamstown and back. I recall cycling ahead to scare off the rats around Dolphins Barn area

Bit of a strange choice by this guy at Portobello to head out on the pavement, probably wanted to keep the canel in sight I guess. I really shouldn't have laughed at 24:20

a148pro · 09-02-2021 12:03am

duffer247 wrote: »

I really shouldn't have laughed at 24:20

I live near that any many's the time I've pushed a bike with a kid on it up that! It does get muddy however. The key is to use the brakes to hold the bike as you push it up, he may have been on drop bars where it wasn't so easy.

For anyone watching looking for some lockdown (or more realistically, staycation inspiration) you can cycle from the start of this route all the way to either the Shannon or St Mullins in the South East close to the end of the Barrow river, almost entirely away from roads. Pretty amazing asset for a cyclist to have. Plenty of info on threads on here about it.

Magzire · 31-03-2021 9:11pm

I was going to commute from lucan to parkwest for work but way to much scum on my first go.
Anyone see many issues?

TooObvious · 01-04-2021 11:27am

If the sun is out the scum will be out. I cycled from Kill to Town loads on the Grand Canal, the stretch in question has always had it's fair share of locals using it, but I never had any issues or felt particularly threatened. During summer it will be busy with youths swimming in the canal, as well as a few drug users in the ditch, but it's also used by regular folk out for a walk. I think it's relatively safe.

Watch out for punctures on broken glass, and the red bridge at Lucan is lethal in the wet.

DaveyDave · 01-04-2021 4:24pm

Magzire wrote: »

I was going to commute from lucan to parkwest for work but way to much scum on my first go.
Anyone see many issues?

Not sure exactly where you're coming from but you might be better off using the bike/bus lane along Kishogue Community College, bit tight going up Ninth Lock but bus lane again from Lidl all the way up to Park West so you shouldn't have too much trouble with traffic.

Between the pedestrian gates, traffic light crossing, glass/debris and people the canal isn't any more convenient.

Breezer · 08-05-2021 5:11pm

So I had to go from Portobello to Lucan and back today, and I decided I'd chance the canal path and just keep my wits about me. Sunny Saturday afternoon. Apart from 4 young lads enjoying a joint and minding their own business, there wasn't a sign of anything remotely antisocial. The path was in great condition, no broken glass. Two kissing gates, I think. Most of them had a gap you could just lift the bike through, others were wide enough to allow you to cycle through. Tons of people cycling, walking dogs, families out with kids, it was gorgeous! And quieter than the Royal which meant I could actually do 30km/h + for the most part, and annoy no one. The traffic crossings could do with having the wait time shortened for pedestrians/cyclists, but it was a minor issue.

Did I just get lucky, or has something been done to tackle the fabled antisocial behaviour?

silverharp · 09-05-2021 2:02pm

Breezer wrote: »

So I had to go from Portobello to Lucan and back today, and I decided I'd chance the canal path and just keep my wits about me. Sunny Saturday afternoon. Apart from 4 young lads enjoying a joint and minding their own business, there wasn't a sign of anything remotely antisocial. The path was in great condition, no broken glass. Two kissing gates, I think. Most of them had a gap you could just lift the bike through, others were wide enough to allow you to cycle through. Tons of people cycling, walking dogs, families out with kids, it was gorgeous! And quieter than the Royal which meant I could actually do 30km/h + for the most part, and annoy no one. The traffic crossings could do with having the wait time shortened for pedestrians/cyclists, but it was a minor issue.

Did I just get lucky, or has something been done to tackle the fabled antisocial behaviour?

I wouldnt have a problem using it before 6pm, like you said there is enough people using it

Cycling the grand canal

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