Cycling the grand canal

Peeling1979

lovely Seth, thanks for this, might do O&B to that cafe 👍

columbus_66

just cross the Clane road To resume the canal path, go by all the boats, then take the right fork in the canal for Robertstown.

nilhg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122095288#Comment_122095288

Once you pass over the Liffey on the Leinster Aquaduct on the canal bank you're into gravel bike territory though.

This route I took on the way out for me will take you on mostly back roads from Sallins to Robertstown, and on as far as Athy if you wanted.

https://www.strava.com/activities/10971303908

RunDMC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122095152#Comment_122095152

This is a route I like, the roads are relatively quiet, apart from the bit through Properous.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46504992

R

Peeling1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122097186#Comment_122097186

Cheers Dec!

cletus

https://m.independent.ie/regionals/kildare/news/kildare-receives-39m-to-complete-barrow-blueway-route-connecting-it-to-laois/a134211100.html

Funding to finish the Barrow Line branch of the Grand Canal.

Initially I thought it was to extend it past Athy, but the article says it is to finish the Greenway between Lowtown and Athy, and installation of interpretation pieces.

I'm not sure what that involves. The route itself is basically finished, other than perhaps some tarmacing at bridges where gates have been installed.

FinnC

Any updates on the 12th lock to Hazelhatch?

Has worked started?

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122140114#Comment_122140114

Nothing has changed 🙄

Mercian Pro

Took the train to Sallins this morning to check out the new section of Greenway and an injured leg! Lovely surface and enjoyable 13km spin back to Hazelhatch despite a bit of a headwind. Headed for Lucan then via the delightful Stacumny/Tubber Lane with a stop-off at The Plant Collection café for coffee+. Excellent service & fare. Decided not to bother heading for Adamstown to pick up the canal again but returned home via the Strawberry Beds and the Park instead.

The café at The Plant Collection

py

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/109172836#Comment_109172836

This is a fantastic map. Thanks!

Does anyone know what the surface is like from Edenderry through to Shannon Bridge? I'm on a road bike so hoping for paved all the way.

Any progress made on the proposed connection between Enfield and Edenderry?

nilhg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122169112#Comment_122169112

Haven't had a chance to do it myself but I understand the Edenderry-Shannon harbour section is complete.

Edenderry to Enfield would be by road, maybe you're thinking of Lowtown/Robertstown/Sallins? I don't know what's happening behind the scenes but there's no physical activity on the ground, it's a nice spin on a gravel bike but would be rough going on skinny slicks.

cletus

There's definitely a proposed Edenderry to Enfield route on that map, but I've never heard anything about it other than that. I wonder are some of the proposed routes just routes that the creator of the map thinks would make sense?

flazio

I would class it as Edenderry to Tullamore and Tullamore to Shannon Harbour as there isn't really a marked path through Tullamore town aside from staying beside the canal.

Tullamore to Shannon Harbour is paved the whole way but there is still work going on on the route between the Pollagh wetlands and Shannon Harbour. Car park marking, junction improvement that sort of thing. Some of it is compacted gravel rather than tarmac mind but all okay for a road bike.

py

Appreciate all the info folks. Looks like I will jump on the greenway at Maynooth until Enfield and then travel across to Edenderry to resume my journey to Shannon Harbour.

mewso

Any good free parking options in Edenderry if planning a cycle from there? Any of the supermarkets free? Would probably be left there overnight.

flazio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122170381#Comment_122170381

There's parking spaces at Georges bridge down the road to the right of this picture. But it's at your own risk.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/kpGXPSDfA4veqKTc8

nilhg

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122169762#Comment_122169762

There was an Enfield to Edenderry railway spur at one time but it's long since closed and reabsorbed back into the countryside, i think the Greenway map creator included every possibility no matter how slim but I'd be hugely surprised if this got a go ahead. Ballycommon to Kilbeggan is done, and there is work being done on linking to the Mullingar/Athlone greenway and Royal Canal from Kilbeggan.

https://railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php#

nilhg

Also on street parking at the Catholic Church close to the Garda station. Car should be safe enough there

knockoutned

IMG_3918.jpeg

There might be a different way linking the royal and grand canal instead of going from Enfield to Edenderry. Think I read here somewhere that Bord na Mona are planning on opening greenways through the bogs using the old road network / railways in them. The Bog of Allen goes from Allenwood to slightly south of Johnstownbridge, which is only about a mile from Enfield.

cletus

Sounds interesting, but I can't open that link

knockoutned

That was just an image of the bog to show how close it runs between the two canals.

Here is the link to the story

https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0423/1445258-bord-na-mona-trails/

py

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122170242#Comment_122170242

This went well over the weekend. Only route planning mistake I made was to jump on to the greenway in Edenderry at Bluebell Aqueduct instead of one stop down. It meant I was travelling on grass for about 1Km or so until I got to tarmac. Lesson learned. The weather got a wee bit breezy and wet towards the end so I got some shelter in McIntyres at the end of the greenway in Shannon Harbour. I had a lovely steak sandwich with chips along with a well earned cider.

flazio

Is the Athy to Allenwood branch all paved yet?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122292244#Comment_122292244

The section from Athy to Robertstown is completed.

The canal branches in Lowtown, just before Robertsown. The branch running from Lowtown past Allenwood has not been started.

flazio

Sorry, that kind of what I meant. Passed through Monasterevin and looking from the train over the canal it looked like the northern end wasn't touched

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122292320#Comment_122292320

Definitely done, I was only on it this morning, from Rathangan to Athy and back.

There is a short section just at the train station that's on the road, but it's only a couple of hundred yards

Roadtoad

For anyone trying to link the Grand and the Royal, consider the branch from ~5k west of Daingean to Kilbeggan, then a choice of rural roads to the old Moate/Mullingar rail line, then back east along the Royal.

The Kilbeggan branch is very scenic, with perhaps one too many gates.

flazio

I believe it's called Ballycommon junction and Streamstown is signposted from Kilbeggan for cyclists, Streamstown station is roughly the halfway point on the Rail Trail, there's a lovely little coffee shop and water station and even a solar powered phone charging bench.

cletus

I spent the weekend kayaking from Leighlanbridge to St. Mullins.

The whole way down the tow path there's planning applications posted up.

There's a number of things on it regarding fixing up the wall and banks of the canal, but the most interesting thing (from a cycling point of view) was in relation to works on the path itself.

This ties in with what I was told by a Waterways Ireland worker, that being, even if the Greenway objections down in Carlow hold up the Greenway, the remedial works required on the banks etc. would require a proper path to be installed anyway, for the machinery