Cycling the Grand Canal

mjsc1970

Mec-a-nic wrote: »

I'll be doing the Royal Canal from Lock 1 (North Strand Road) to Mullingar - starting ~ 11am, Sat 1 Aug. Hard Tail MTB and travelling light, the wife is bringing all my stuff on the train.

Good luck with this, sounds good, I hope to do this trip some day too.

SCOL

Mec-a-nic wrote: »

I'll be doing the Royal Canal from Lock 1 (North Strand Road) to Mullingar - starting ~ 11am, Sat 1 Aug. Hard Tail MTB and travelling light, the wife is bringing all my stuff on the train.

Lucky Feck*r I had to put all my stuff on the bike best of luck I done it a few week ago but camped out at Hill of Down. keep an eye out for the sign posts and follow which side the sign are on as the path changes sides a few times.

I hope to continue from where I left off at Mullingar to Longford and next year do the Grand.

gzoladz

Mec-a-nic wrote: »

I'll be doing the Royal Canal from Lock 1 (North Strand Road) to Mullingar - starting ~ 11am, Sat 1 Aug. Hard Tail MTB and travelling light, the wife is bringing all my stuff on the train.

Best of luck with it. 11am feels a little bit late to start bit days are long now. It took me 9 hours door to door with stops, all in.

Thargor

Yeah earlier the better, it is a long day. Forget about checking GPS progress on your phone every half hour aswell, its demoralizing how slow your dot crawls along...

TooObvious

I didn't get going myself until about 12.40pm last Saturday. I think if you're un-laden, as I was, you should make reasonable progress! Agree with Thagor though, I wouldn't bother me barney with checking GPS progress, sometimes it's nice to be safely lost and I'm sure you'll recognise Mullingar when you come to it.

Cakewheels

Does anyone know whether this is cycle able at the moment or if stretches are flooded? I'm interested in making a day trip starting from Dublin (on a hybrid) and then getting a train back from wherever I get to.

smacl

loughgill wrote: »

Does anyone know whether this is cycle able at the moment or if stretches are flooded? I'm interested in making a day trip starting from Dublin (on a hybrid) and then getting a train back from wherever I get to.

Last time I was on it in October sections around Hazelhatch and onwards were closed for resurfacing, which according to the workers I was chatting to was due to be re-opened in January with a crushed gravel surface. I'd give Waterways Ireland a shout and ask them directly as they'll know what the current state of play is. I cycled Dublin - Leinster Aqueduct and back after heavy rain last winter and it was tough going and muddy as feck. Good craic, but hard work!

Thargor

What bike are you going to be using?

Cakewheels

Tried contacting waterways Ireland but they said they dont have the resources to know what stretches or open or not.

Thagor, a Giant something or other, it's a reasonably modern bog standard commuter hybrid! Why, do you think it is ill advised on anything other than a mountain bike?
Dont really mind if I do the grand or the royal, just want to explore one as never been on either before.

Thargor

I don't know Ive only done it in Summer when it was absolutely baked dry, Id say you'll be grand though, I was just going to tell you not to try it on a roadbike like was discussed earlier, I dont think its doable on one, any dodgy parts just walk it and you'll be back on tracks in a little while. Id definitely recommend Summer over Winter for the animals and plant life though, and the extra daylight, its like a nature reserve in Summer, could be a bit grim these days with the way the weathers been. I dont even know if a canal floods or not, the midlands has had 400-500% precipitation for the last few weeks so it couldnt be any more wet out there so talk to the experts...

cdaly_

A commuter hybrid should do fine. Slick tyres may have trouble on muddy sections and there are fairly rough surfaces in spots so make sure your tyres are pumped.

Don't expect to make any decent speed. Take your time and enjoy the scenery...

Mr. Grieves

I don't think the canal itself floods but the unpaved towpaths can become completely waterlogged themselves after rain.

The Royal towpath (as far as Maynooth anyway) drains better than the Grand. I did the Grand as far a Sallins a few times last December and it gets very muddy once the tarmac stops, I was covered head to toe. It was fun though. I'm not sure where the works referred to above start but I know there's no works on the Royal.


Here's the wettest section I encountered on the Royal a few weeks ago after very heavy rain (so heavy that the Strawberry Beds road was impassable to cars).

irishrover99

How is the surface from Ashtown to Closilla station. I was going to give it a try on my quick lunch time spins

smacl

cdaly_ wrote: »

A commuter hybrid should do fine. Slick tyres may have trouble on muddy sections and there are fairly rough surfaces in spots so make sure your tyres are pumped.

+1, I've cycled the Dublin Sallins stretch with lots of mud on a hybrid, but put cross tyres on first. If you and your bike end up as mucky as I did, you're not going to be popular trying to get on a train. Maybe use the train for the leg out and cycle back, you can also switch to the road if the going is too tough.

poochiem

I cycled down as far as Daingean (between Edenderry and Tullamore) and camped there the weekend of a bad storm a few weeks ago (Nov.7th). The going was soft and took a lot out of my legs tbh, on 35mm semi-slicks and a CX bike. Can't imagine it's improved!

Mr. Grieves

irishrover99 wrote: »

How is the surface from Ashtown to Closilla station. I was going to give it a try on my quick lunch time spins

Tarmac to Castleknock station, then very rocky and rooty - the Deep Sinking section.

smacl

Mr. Grieves wrote: »

Tarmac to Castleknock station, then very rocky and rooty - the Deep Sinking section.

Worth pointing out perhaps that the deep sinking section has no cycling signs at either end. I did it earlier in the year and got off on some of the worst sections. Sill worth it though as it is also one of the more attractive parts of the local canal system.

Thargor

Can I get a Google Maps link to this Deep Sinking section please? Dont remember what part you're talking about.

Mr. Grieves

It's the bit where the canal is cut quite deep into rock. Apparently it was built there at great expense to convenience a local member of the gentry, rather than taking an alternative route.

It's my favorite bit. Someone's painted over the "no bikes" sign btw.

https://www.strava.com/segments/9796934?filter=overall

Thargor

Ah right, Royal Canal, thought it was a bit of the Grand Id somehow missed, thanks.

bovis

Ashtown to 12th lock (castleknock) is on fully sealed surface. Castleknock to Porterstown bridge is very uneven and would be very waterlogged in this weather but nothing more than puddles. Porterstown bridge to Clonsilla is on a good surface (fine loose gravel)

Bovis
http://www.dublingalwaygreenway.com

irishrover99 wrote: »

How is the surface from Ashtown to Closilla station. I was going to give it a try on my quick lunch time spins

irishrover99

Gave it ago the other day on my lunch time spin from Ashtown to Just before Clonsilla train station. I was on my commuter road bike with the touring 28mm tyres that i use for winter. Great fun through the deep sinking section even though it was slippy on the rocks sticking out of the ground. Lots of tree stumps as well.
Got back to work with a filthy bike thinking i give it a try again this week, adding a bit more on. Came out of work to a flat tyre so pumped it up and had to cycle home out of the saddle with a slow puncture. Maybe ill wait till i eventually get my MTB fixed before i go again.

smacl

Anyone been on the Grand Canal since the heavy rain? Thinking of going Dublin Leinster Aqueduct on the canal this weekend,coming back either same way or Naas - Blessington. I'm expecting muddy, but just wondering if it is passable or flooded?

Mr. Grieves

smacl wrote: »

Anyone been on the Grand Canal since the heavy rain? Thinking of going Dublin Leinster Aqueduct on the canal this weekend,coming back either same way or Naas - Blessington. I'm expecting muddy, but just wondering if it is passable or flooded?

I went as far as Lyons estate last week. They've tarmacked all but a few kilometres to that point. The unsurfaced section had a few large puddles, not too bad. From memory, the section under the railway before Sallins can get quite wet, but I imagine it's more unpleasant than impassable.

Go to Maynooth and come back in the Royal, it's fine.

Carawaystick

Mr. Grieves wrote: »

I went as far as Lyons estate last week. They've tarmacked all but a few kilometres to that point. The unsurfaced section had a few large puddles, not too bad. From memory, the section under the railway before Sallins can get quite wet, but I imagine it's more unpleasant than impassable.

Go to Maynooth and come back in the Royal, it's fine.

Is the unsurfaced section to Lyons grass or gravel?

Mr. Grieves

Carawaystick wrote: »

Is the unsurfaced section to Lyons grass or gravel?

It seems like it was roughly surfaced 100 years ago, so it's rocky and firm but overgrown with grass which is muddy at this time of year. Like the centre of a country road which has grass growing down the middle.

Edit: see my photo from a year ago on the 3rd or 4th page of this thread.

smacl

Mr. Grieves wrote: »

I went as far as Lyons estate last week. They've tarmacked all but a few kilometres to that point. The unsurfaced section had a few large puddles, not too bad. From memory, the section under the railway before Sallins can get quite wet, but I imagine it's more unpleasant than impassable.

Go to Maynooth and come back in the Royal, it's fine.

Thanks for this, will give it a go and see how I get on.

SCOL

How do you get from the Grand to the Royal Canal around Maynooth ?



I cycled from Dublin to Mullingar on the Royal last year. I would like
to take the young lad for a day spin.

Carawaystick

SCOL wrote: »

How do you get from the Grand to the Royal Canal around Maynooth ?

I cycled from Dublin to Mullingar on the Royal last year. I would like
to take the young lad for a day spin.

You have to cycle through Celbridge to Maynooth.( from the Lyons Estate)

SCOL

Carawaystick wrote: »

You have to cycle through Celbridge to Maynooth.( from the Lyons Estate)

Would this be sign posted ? looking on the map Celbridge to Maynooth is about 4 mile as the crow flys and about 30 mile trip.



Can you give me directions when I get to Celbridge ?