Is it possible to cycle from Phibsboro to Clonsilla along the royal canal?

grizzly_beer

Is it possible to cycle from Phibsboro to Clonsilla along the royal canal?
On a road bike?

I just started working at IBM in Damastown industrial estate. I live in Phibsboro.. I was told by a guy there its possible to cycle along this route...

https://maps.google.ie/maps/ms?msid=206828222946855787033.0004d244a4953473014ad&msa=0&ll=53.382522,-6.366169&spn=0.008268,0.022724

It looks ok up until Castleknock and then the path does not appear on googlemaps mapview anymore and in the satellite view for most of it all I can see is trees.
One other thing is last time I walked down the canal that way from Phibsboro the path was blocked off by a steel barrier when it is crossed by the rail line.

EDIT: I added an alternate route where I get off the canal after the M50 and then go through tolka valley park for a bit... Ive never been there and it looks weird... Seems to be a some long pedestrian tunnels going under the main roads there...
Any comments/advice from someone who takes a similar route would be appreciated.

Sean02

I read reports here that improvments were done along the route.Over Christmas I had hoped to do a ride from Kilcock to Ashtown through the Park to Inchicore and return to Prosperous via Grand. However didn´t happen, so whatever I say may not be uptodate. The hard path ends at Ashtown train station . The next section till you come to the viaduct under M50 canbe extremely mucky in wet weather. don´t know it they finished the surface on the next small section on end of that stretch. From Castleknock to Porterstown again like Ashtown it Hybrid or MTB stuff. and at one section at deep cutting its safer to walk (50mtrs only) . Porterstown to Clonsilla is one of the best stretches always dry. used to be a nice wide section but then our government decided to narrow it by doing away with the CE scheme some years ago. Anyhow thats it Hybrid or MTB spare tubes, shower facility in work , but if you make the extra time its a wonderfull way to commute. I look forward to updated comments from other members. H N Year

johnwest288

Last time i Cycled Phibsboro to Blanch the path from phibs to Ashtown is great. tarmac path all the way. But just after ashtown the track turned to a mud trail till the M50 area where i came off. Not sure about the next section to clonsilla. The bit after ashtown put me off as i had to dismount and trudge through the mud. Isnt it a shame they wouldnt invest in a cycle path right the way through to the city centre !!! Time to get on to Leo Varadkar!

ThisRegard

It's good ground from Ashtown to the 12th Lock at Castleknock. From there to Coolmine station is pretty poor for a bike though, it's muddy and narrow but I have seen people do it on MTBs, a road bike would be hairy. But you can just pop down Blanchardstown village from there into Damastown anyway. You can go via the Blanchardstown centre into Mulhuddart and you're basically there. Staying along the canal to Clonsilla just brings you out of the way anyway.

The problem with trying the Tolka Valley park route is that it has opening hours so you're not guaranteed the gates are open, although when I've tried before the official opening time in the morning it has been open on the hospital side, but locked the Mulhuddart side.

Sean02

This is good news This Record. Has the path being leveled and gritted or tarmac surfaced?. For whatever reason this was the muckiest between Dublin and Cloondara.

ThisRegard

I only ran the section from the 12th Lock to Ashtown before Christmas and I'm having trouble remembering the make up, but it's not dirt and muck anyway. I'm pretty sure it's that tan coloured gritty surface but I'm not 100%.

grizzly_beer

OK! I did my "alt route" today (canal to after M50 and then through tolka valley park, I only went through the 2nd half of it as when I got to the 12th lock I was disorientated and chanced upon a fellow cyclist and he bade me follow him for a bit)... very early in the morning (I arrived in IBM at about 8)
The route I took was fine on my road bike.. A few sections before the M50 had a fine gravel surface that was ok, but I think I got a bit of grit stuck in the crank..It was dry enough maybe those sections would be pretty bad in the wet.. There was also a fallen tree almost completely blocking the path at one stage! My biggest problem was that it was totally dark so I couldnt see any potholes and such and couldnt really see where I was going so I took it fairly slow. It was an EPIC cycle to work tho! quite enjoyable, great to get away from the cars..
also that barrier under the railway near phibsboro has been removed.

wotdef

Just in case the issue comes up again, the gates in Tolka Valley are never locked. I work in the parks around Finglas. It's the only one in the area that doesn't get locked. That may change in the future, or it may not. The signs were only put up to confuse everybody.

ThisRegard

They definitely get locked on the Mulhuddart side. It's on my run route and I have had to run around it either early in the morning or in the evening before I can get in via the Corduff side, i.e. the side directly across from the shopping centre.

trxking

what do you work as?

wotdef

@ThisRegard, I was talking about Tolka Valley Park in Finglas, keep forgetting that one in Corduff is called the same. Two different councils. The word is that they are going to be linked up or at least have their boundaries very close to each other.

ThisRegard

Ah, true. As I live closed to the Blanchardstown end that's the first one I think of.

fletch

My cycle commute is Ongar to Eastpoint and back and I have never tried the canal path but after reading this thread decided to give it a go this evening. I joined at Cross Guns Bridge and exited at the entrance to the Twelfth Lock. I cycle a flat bar racer with 700 25C tyres. To be honest, it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences and I probably wouldn't do it again, maybe in the summer. Between the lack of lighting, the poor surfaces and having to dismount multiple times for the swing gates, I'd rather take the N3. It really has potential though and I would love to see it improved like the cycle path from Adamstown.
To the OP, if I were you, this is the route I would take.

lazywhole

i cycled it in the summer.. i had to jump off and carry the bike under one of the bridges because of the glass.. if your going to do it, bring one or two spare tubes.

BostonB

There used to be a lot of antisocial activity along the canal. Has this declined.

It would make a great route if it was cleaned up for cyclists.

fletch

BostonB wrote: »

There used to be a lot of antisocial activity along the canal. Has this decline.

It would make a great route if it was done properly.

I was curious about that too....Broombridge was very quiet but being so dark I wasn't surprised...I wonder what it would be like in the Summer?

monument

Before leaving Dublin, getting a cargo bike sadly put an end to my use of Royal for leisurely spins -- because of the barrier before where the railway brige crossing the canal to Broombridge, the kissing gate at Ashtown.... Actually now that I remember the barrier at Castleknock was so bad with a normal bike and a baby seat I gave up after that and before the cargo bike.

The worst I've encountered is a burnt out car between Broombridge and town, at the above mentioned barrier. You get some drinking cans in better weather -- they seem to leave people alone but it's not a great sight -- and you can expect bits of glass. Also once shared complaints with young lads getting scrambles past kissing gates with ease.

Overall, the only things to convince me to not use the route was the barriers and gates, not any humans misbehaving.

Due to Broombridge I'd be very uncomfortable doing this route even if it is passable.

Cookie_Monster

Is it not a designated national walking route (like the wicklow way) etc and as such bikes are expressly prohibited?

Sean02

Well despite report to the contrary it seems from this forum that absolutly no work has been carried out in the last five years save for a bit of hard core alongside raiilway fencing at Viaduct M50. The reason lies in the fact that generely the OAP / W.I. have this thing about walker and cyclist (also Fishing people) sharing public amenity spaces, Again Kissing gates are essential (and only a small 10 second inconvience,in my opinion). for the very reason mentioned twice in last comment.
If kissing gates are removed or modified that will be the end of this wonderful amenity. Bye the way in 20 years comuting on Royal never had a problem, saying that its probally as dangerous as O´Connell St. at night, but for different reasons.

BostonB

Sean02 wrote: »

...Bye the way in 20 years comuting on Royal never had a problem, saying that its probally as dangerous as O´Connell St. at night, but for different reasons.

Good to know. Might check it out at the weekend.

monument

Sean02 wrote: »

Well despite report to the contrary it seems from this forum that absolutly no work has been carried out in the last five years save for a bit of hard core alongside raiilway fencing at Viaduct M50.

Work has been carried out between Ashtown and Catleknock to make a half mud / dirth track into a far more passable gravel path.

Work had also been carrier out on I think two other sections west of this -- including flat-top surfacing around Clonsilla.

But last time was of the out there some of the worst sections between Castleknock and Clonsilla had yet to be tackled.

monument

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Is it not a designated national walking route (like the wicklow way) etc and as such bikes are expressly prohibited?

No. It has gotten cycling funding and is on develoment and other plans as a cycling route.

Nothing expressly prohibiting cyclists anyway.

Sean02 wrote: »

Again Kissing gates are essential (and only a small 10 second inconvience,in my opinion). for the very reason mentioned twice in last comment.
If kissing gates are removed or modified that will be the end of this wonderful amenity.

Nonsence.

The gates don't stop anti-social behavior - at times the gates make that worse by boxing people into a confined space and also giving youths etc somewhere to sit around.

The gates don't even work to stop scramblers and bollards can stop joyrider or others intent on burning out cars.

It's currently an amenity for the few and the easiest way to change that is upgrade the surface as planned and remove the current barriers of all types which are too restrictive for cyclists, and some of which completely blocks prams and wheelchair users, and all of which blocks cargo bikes, bicycle trailers, large panniers etc.

trad

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Is it not a designated national walking route (like the wicklow way) etc and as such bikes are expressly prohibited?

Lads, it's a tow path and horses have the right of way

grizzly_beer

fletch wrote: »

My cycle commute is Ongar to Eastpoint and back and I have never tried the canal path but after reading this thread decided to give it a go this evening. I joined at Cross Guns Bridge and exited at the entrance to the Twelfth Lock. I cycle a flat bar racer with 700 25C tyres. To be honest, it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences and I probably wouldn't do it again, maybe in the summer. Between the lack of lighting, the poor surfaces and having to dismount multiple times for the swing gates, I'd rather take the N3. It really has potential though and I would love to see it improved like the cycle path from Adamstown.
To the OP, if I were you, this is the route I would take.

Ive done it 5 times now..
I love this route.. I think those points you made are all correct but my personal opinion is that it is well worthwhile putting up with all those nuisances in order to be able to for once get away from the danger/stess/fumes/idiot drivers of cars.
I also think that though there are those barriers (and fallen tree still there!!) to get around its probably less waiting than you'd have to do at traffic lights on a normal road. I think by its nature the canal route is intersected less than your average road.
Its really fun too at times through tolka valley park, nice hills and banking corners
Once I get back in better shape I'll probably start taking the even more extreme route all the way to Clonsilla and then north to IBM, apparently the normal roads I'll have to take have a great surface + bus lanes

ThisRegard

monument wrote: »

Work had also been carrier out on I think two other sections west of this -- including flat-top surfacing around Clonsilla.

But last time was of the out there some of the worst sections between Castleknock and Clonsilla had yet to be tackled.

They were working on the section between Coolmine and Clonsilla stations back at the start of September anyway, they had the gravel layer down, not sure if they ever finished it off with tarmac.

But as you say, Castleknock to Clonsilla is the worse but I'm not sure what they can do with it, it's very narrow in places and has some steep drops into the canal from the bank.

It would take a lot of effort to get any sort of solid pathway along there, the bank would have to be reinforced and the removal of trees, bushes and shrubs would be required which would take away a lot of what makes that section attractive. There isn't the space to widen it due to peoples back gardens backing again the path way.

monument

ThisRegard wrote: »

It would take a lot of effort to get any sort of solid pathway along there, the bank would have to be reinforced and the removal of trees, bushes and shrubs would be required which would take away a lot of what makes that section attractive. There isn't the space to widen it due to peoples back gardens backing again the path way.

For the worst part, it's not so much people's back gardens as the railway line which is right beside the path. But I'd say a balance could be struck between fixing it up and keeping a lot of the greenery -- but some the overgrown jungle feel will be a victim.

Sean02

Its far from nonsence. The alternative to removing these barriers is not worth contemplating. Towpaths around urban area will be no go areas for law abiding leisure seeking citizens. Just imagine how handy it will be for the lirrerbugs and the fly by night refuge collectors. Then we have the petty and hardened criminals who love these unguarded rat runs for getaways. Remove the barriers and allow above alternatives....crazy. At the end of the day the mindset of legistlaters and cyclist have to change so that responsible cyclists can share public amenity spaces. Dublin South and Kildare Co.Co. please note

monument

Sean02 wrote: »

Its far from nonsence. The alternative to removing these barriers is not worth contemplating. Towpaths around urban area will be no go areas for law abiding leisure seeking citizens. Just imagine how handy it will be for the lirrerbugs and the fly by night refuge collectors. Then we have the petty and hardened criminals who love these unguarded rat runs for getaways.

They can't ram kissing gates, but they can ram bollards?

The alternative to the current kissing gates and restrictive barriers isn't nothing, it's bollards. Bollards in a single line and, where needed, bollards staggered.

The only way which seems to work with dealing with anti-social behaver --and even deal with the feeling of a route being not safe when there's not much wrong -- is to make the route popular for legitimate users.

Kiss gates don't work -- the current state and lack of use of our canals show this.

Lumen

I've been on bits of these paths on a bike, mostly around Clonsilla, and they're awful.

Dark, dingy places. Thick roots, slippery mud. And that's after you've negotiated the ludicrous barriers.

It made me feel like I wasn't supposed to be there, like no-one was supposed to be there.

A couple of years ago I spent some time in the New Forest area near Southampton. Unbelievable facilities. Open, tended paths everywhere. Nice surfaces covered in clean gravel and bark.

Do they have knackers on scramblers? No idea. I didn't see any. But I reckon if you design your environment negatively it will end up getting used by no one except the people you're trying to keep out.

We must not let anti-social people shape the environment in which we live.

There, my optimism has peaked.

Now, there was a new slide built in the Millenium Park in Blanch towards the end of last year, as an extension to the existing playground complex. Cue much excitement from the little ones. Then it got set on fire in the first week after it opened, and has been closed ever since.

Fúckers.

morana

we are planning to do the full length of the Royal in the summer. IT should be a bit of craic.

As I mentioned to Sean02 CI is involved in trying to get this up to a decent standard and anybody who feels they would like to get involved let me know.