blessington lakes greenway?

Rechuchote

smacl wrote: »

A bit more work, but climbing Bohernabreena/Ballinascorney followed by Manor Kilbride is the nicer way of getting there, N81 can be a pain.

Climbing Ballinascorney is nice? Am I living in an alternate universe? :eek:

mloc123

Rechuchote wrote: »

Climbing Ballinascorney is nice? Am I living in an alternate universe? :eek:

It is certainly nicer than taking your chances with the trucks on the N81.

Whatwicklow

Muahahaha wrote: »

Any update on progress for the greenway? WCC site says a planning decision was due in May 2017 but I cant seem to find any new information

It went to the courts late last year, a couple of local challenges. unfortunalty id imagine the money will be reallocated to a another project,

Muahahaha

Do you know what the outcome of the court challenges were? Surely not insurmountable? And have WCC officially called it off or what is their position? Be a shame if it didnt go ahead, it would clearly be of great benefit to the locality to have a 40km greenway within the greater Dublin catchment area.

Grassey

Muahahaha wrote:

Do you know what the outcome of the court challenges were? Surely not insurmountable? And have WCC officially called it off or what is their position? Be a shame if it didnt go ahead, it would clearly be of great benefit to the locality to have a 40km greenway within the greater Dublin catchment area.

Would be even better if they could wrangle a route from say the dodder greenway / kiltipper valley area around Mount seskin into Manor Kilbride to join it all together. Make a nice car free route out of Dublin to it so the n81 can be avoided.

Hoagy

Still looking for funding.


https://www.facebook.com/BlessingtonGreenway/

Muahahaha

Cheers thanks Hoagy, good to hear that the project is at least still alive in any case

Grassey

http://www.dttas.ie/press-releases/2019/minister-ross-and-griffin-announce-launch-bike-week-2019-along-greenway-funding-




Blessington Lake Loop

€5m

Wicklow County Council

42km of Greenway around the Blessington Lakes, incorporating Russborough House and the villages of Valleymount, Ballyknockan and Lacken.

Muahahaha

Great news that it is getting done and at 42km it is a fine distane, much of it lake side too which will make for a pleasant cycle

secman

What exactly does the blessington greeenway mean, as you can already cycle though valleymount, ballyknockan and Lacken ?

cletus

secman wrote: »

What exactly does the blessington greeenway mean, as you can already cycle though valleymount, ballyknockan and Lacken ?

Presume it means you are fully segregated from traffic...

Whatwicklow

It's offroad, similar to the phase 1 works already completed.

Mercian Pro

Brian? wrote: »

My preferred way is through either saggart or Rathcoole. About 2km on the N81 and turn off at Lisheen golf club and into Manor Kilbride.

I hate the N81 between Blessington and Tallaght. Buzzed by trucks too many times.

Just after leaving Tallaght, take a left onto the road up to Seskin, drop down into Brittas, a few hundred metres on the N81 before turning off at Lisheen golf club etc.

fat bloke

I do the big lake en route to Wicklow gap every Saturday in complete peace and serenity and virtually traffic-free. Every Saturday for about 6 years now with three mates.

... at about 7.30am.

A lake view greenway would be a fantastic family amenity though.

Tigerandahalf

That should be a good boost to the facilities at Russborough House - a cafe and a playground are there already and there is a fairy trail there as well.

Muahahaha

I know a couple of hotels in the area are planning on setting up hire stations of electric bikes, mainly because as it is going to be 42km long and will have a fair few hills on it.

With its proximity to Dublin I can see it being pretty busy. Also unlike many greenways this one is going to be a loop whereby you wont need to get transport back to your starting position

Duckjob

Muahahaha wrote: »

I know a couple of hotels in the area are planning on setting up hire stations of electric bikes, mainly because as it is going to be 42km long and will have a fair few hills on it.

With its proximity to Dublin I can see it being pretty busy. Also unlike many greenways this one is going to be a loop whereby you wont need to get transport back to your starting position

Yeah the fact that it's a loop is extra appealing if you're doing it with family / kids. No going 30km and then getting the dreaded "Daddy I'm tired!"

ED E

secman wrote: »

What exactly does the blessington greeenway mean, as you can already cycle though valleymount, ballyknockan and Lacken ?

This will be dead flat aroudn the lake (reservoir) shore.

It really won't suit the users of this forum but it will suit them with their kids.

cletus

ED E wrote: »

This will be dead flat aroudn the lake (reservoir) shore.

It really won't suit the users of this forum but it will suit them with their kids.

I thought the plan mentioned going through Lacken and Valleymount, does that not require using at least some of the climbs you would do around the lakes now?

ED E

Well, the problem is this has only got as far as DTTAS funding. Thats long before formal planning permission (if req) is sought etc so we don't have blueprints to review.

What we can assume they intend to do is continue as they started - below the road but above the high waterline.






My bet is it'll connect to Lacken etc but not run through them, if they did sections on the main road it'd mean CPOing farmers ditches and building new fences further back, making breaks in the g.way for tractor access and so on. Chances of a court battle would be high.

The question I have is where the reservoir formally ends. It should have been specified when they flooded it in 1940. Will need to look.

recedite

cletus wrote: »

I thought the plan mentioned going through Lacken and Valleymount, does that not require using at least some of the climbs you would do around the lakes now?

Valleymount is at lake level. There is a nice pub somewhere around Lacken that you don't see from the road because you would have to go down a cul de sac towards the lake to it, down a steep hill. It would make more sense to include this on the route than to include the houses on the (upper) road.
As mentioned, the "lake drive" is a seriously hilly route on the normal road, much more so than you would think just by looking at the map.
If the cycle route stayed mostly flat, along the lakeshore, with lake views, it could become a very popular route.

Anyone in the mood for a few drags could still divert onto the road for a while.

Muahahaha

Im pretty sure it was previously reported that this greenway would be easily built (in terms of planning permission) because it has co-operation from the ESB who own the lake foreshore. I read that somewhere when it was first proposed, the jist of the article was that it would not have the same planning hold ups that other greenways had by virtue of having to negotiate with lots of farmers for land access. From that it would suggest the route is largely going to be close to the water and therefore not as hilly as Lake Drive. I would imagine it will have to cross some farmers land at certain points but not for the entire 42km route if the ESB have land rights and are willing to share them.

ED E

Does the ESB still retain ownership?


http://wicklowtimes.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Wicklow-Times-2-7-19-North.pdf

Seems they do. With Harris behind it there's probably the clout to get it progressed quick so as to shore up his base for GE20.

Grassey

Blessington greenway to benefit from e6.4m in government funding for 2021/

The allocation of €6.4m will go towards phase 2 of the project, an extension of the existing Greenway.

The planned extension of the greenway will consist of over 42km of a walking and cycling trail loop around the Blessington Lakes, taking in the surrounding villages”.

Corker1

magicbastarder wrote: »

i don't see a path out to russborough house marked on the map there?

There is a pre-existing tunnel beneath the N81 that runs from Russborough to Russelstown and the Greenway. It is disused at present but I understand that plans are afoot to refurbish the tunnel / underpass for pedestrian and cyclist use so that crossing the N81 at that tricky spot is avoidable which will make access to Russborough much safer.

Muahahaha

Corker1 wrote: »

There is a pre-existing tunnel beneath the N81 that runs from Russborough to Russelstown and the Greenway. It is disused at present but I understand that plans are afoot to refurbish the tunnel / underpass for pedestrian and cyclist use so that crossing the N81 at that tricky spot is avoidable which will make access to Russborough much safer.

That would be a good idea as cars are barrelling through at 100kph at the Russborough House turn off and with increased cyclists it would only be a matter of time before something happens. Any ideas what the existing tunnel was for back in the day?

Otherwise great news that it got funding. Whats the next steps, planning permission and then full steam ahead with construction, how long might that take? Would imagine maybe 18 months but could be longer as there will be objections.

chuck eastwood

I wouldn't get your hopes up on doing the lakes Greenway anytime soon. http://www.eplanning.ie/WicklowCC/App
Here is the planning application which gives very little detail concerning the upkeep of the greenway or the safety of those who might use it. The level of the lake as of today would mean the track would have to be on private lands and that's a hell of a lot of locals being asked to give up land.
While the outsider might see a greenway here as a great idea those living in the area have had nothing but trouble over the last few decades with trespassing and littering.
During the first covid lockdown vast numbers of people from Kildare and south Dublin descended on the lake leaving it in an absolute state. There is no provision in the plans for full time wardens or policing (it will need policing) . This isn't an old disused railway line like Waterford or the wild Atlantic way. This is slicing through people's private property in a very quiet area.
I've done every greenway in the country and some are well run, others not quite but none will encounter the same issues as blessington with the large amounts of antisocial behaviour from the large number of Dublin residents every year. I've spoken to plenty about this and people are dreading it.

secman

Personally speaking ive no grà for it , the lake spin for me is a great spin on ths bike , the isolation and quietness together with the spectacular scenery and its demanding enough too.
Last thing I'd want would be spades of cyclists clogging it up. Just my tuppence worth.

chuck eastwood

secman wrote: »

Personally speaking ive no grà for it , the lake spin for me is a great spin on ths bike , the isolation and quietness together with the spectacular scenery and its demanding enough too.
Last thing I'd want would be spades of cyclists clogging it up. Just my tuppence worth.

Likewise. I try to do the lake loop every other week but greenways aren't really aimed at serious (and me) cyclists

WestWicklow1

I have a lot of sympathy for the objectors to this plan.

In June 2019, a person asked on the greenway's facebook page "where will the parking spots be on the Blessington greenway".

An answer was never given. There is no mention in the planning application of any infrastructure to accompany the development.