Route to Bodenstown

Qualitymark

I was thinking of mooching off to Bodenstown (near or in Slane), having never seen the grave of Wolfe Tone, where "wildly around it the winter winds rave". But what's the best route, starting at Emmet Bridge in Harold's Cross? Any help gratefully accepted. How long will the cycle take for a weakly wimp who just keeps one pedal going around after the other?

Brian?

Qualitymark wrote: »

I was thinking of mooching off to Bodenstown (near or in Slane), having never seen the grave of Wolfe Tone, where "wildly around it the winter winds rave". But what's the best route, starting at Emmet Bridge in Harold's Cross? Any help gratefully accepted. How long will the cycle take for a weakly wimp who just keeps one pedal going around after the other?

I hope you mean Clane and not Slane!

Best bet is to run parallel to the grand canal as much as possible till you hit hazelhatch. Then over through Ardclough towards Clane. Plane for about 2 hours.

Qualitymark

Thanks! Not Slane? (Oh, I was thinking of Sallins. But Clane?)
Love the name Hazelhatch. Nearly moved there once, years ago, but the people selling the house turned out to be just checking the market. Probably a good thing; asked about damp because of the millrace at the end of the road, they said "Ah, well, you know there'll always be a bit of damp in a black stone house".
Looking at the map, it's not clear whether it's better to stay north or south of the canal…? (What a pity there isn't a bike path beside the railway line - it would be perfect.)

PaddyFagan

Hi

I'd suggest you follow the towpath on the grand canal - it's there the whole way, but it does get more rugged after Adamstown - Are you on an MTB? Google suggests following the roads from Adamstown as you can see https://www.google.ie/maps/dir/Harold%27s+Cross+Rd,+Dublin/53.2662792,-6.6678849/@53.3139244,-6.4789314,12z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x48670c0fdd4a0eab:0x622d4884e3023a0f!2m2!1d-6.2793865!2d53.3222342!1m0!3e1

If you stay on the towpath, you can leave it either at the bridge on the Bodenstown road (beside Killeen golf club), then follow the Bodenstown road or in Sallins it's self and head out the Clane road taking the turn for Bodenstown (well sign posted, a little out of Sallins on the right as you head for Clane)

Irish Water Ways have some information and links on the towpath - http://walks.iwai.ie/grand/

Paddy

Qualitymark

Thanks, Paddy. Not a mountain bike (if that's what an MTB is now), but a sturdy old Dawes with only the front gears working.



Edit - don't know why it's sideways. I usually ride it upright

PaddyFagan

Yes, I meant mountain bike. My experience of the towpath around Hazelhatch->Straffan is that it's rough (lose stones etc) - but you should be OK. I don't know the stretches from Adamstown->Hazelhatch or Straffan->Bodenstown Rd, but from the Bodenstown Rd-> Sallins is very mucky and soft.

In any event, if the going gets too bad - there are bridges regularly on most of those sections and you can always go by road for a stretch if needs be.

Paddy

PS The towpath is paved to Adamstown, so that's no problem.

cdaly_

Pretty Dawes. Would you not go and get the rear gears working?

It'll be well able for canal towpaths and you end up with a really nice spin. There are a couple of bridges where you need to change sides of the canal or you end up in a cul-de-sac.

Koobcam

On that bike, I think the canal as far as the end of the 'path' section is about all you could do (it ends at a bridge, the other side of which is grass/much, gravel etc, for which you'd need a mountain or cyclocross bike). It's a nice flat spin, though you might have a headwind. After than you could take a left and head towards smithfield, on to Hazelhatch and in the general direction of Clane-lots of nice country roads around there. Plenty of hedges and trees as well, which will help with the wind. Some of the roads can be narrow and generally won't have hard shoulders, so be mindful of traffic. Probably also best to do the spin at off-peak times as there tend to be a lot of commuters on those roads heading to train stations etc, though only during what you might consider getting-to-work hours.

Qualitymark

cdaly_ wrote: »

Pretty Dawes. Would you not go and get the rear gears working?

It'll be well able for canal towpaths and you end up with a really nice spin. There are a couple of bridges where you need to change sides of the canal or you end up in a cul-de-sac.

Thanks, cdaly. I don't really use the gears very often in town cycling; in fact, my preference would be for hub gears, which are easier to use in city traffic. When summer comes I might get the derailleur gears reconstituted, but I hate derailleurs with a passion, which is mutual; the accursed things never work for me.

Koobcam wrote: »

On that bike, I think the canal as far as the end of the 'path' section is about all you could do (it ends at a bridge, the other side of which is grass/much, gravel etc, for which you'd need a mountain or cyclocross bike). It's a nice flat spin, though you might have a headwind. After than you could take a left and head towards smithfield, on to Hazelhatch and in the general direction of Clane-lots of nice country roads around there. Plenty of hedges and trees as well, which will help with the wind. Some of the roads can be narrow and generally won't have hard shoulders, so be mindful of traffic. Probably also best to do the spin at off-peak times as there tend to be a lot of commuters on those roads heading to train stations etc, though only during what you might consider getting-to-work hours.

Thanks, good advice, Koobcam. I plan to do this when it's a bit less windy and a bit warmer. *Very* good advice to choose off-peak.