A Ride on the Grand Canal

It's rare in Ireland to have a dry, warm day in December. Whenever I've tried to get out and about, it's been clear, cold, and windy--or warm, wet, and dark.

Not so at the end of last week as the sun came out and pushed Dublin to a tolerable temperature. I decided to get out and make the most of it--exploring farther west along the Grand Canal than I've ever gone before. Sadly, the wind was still a-blowin' this day, limiting my western progress a bit.

Just had a great ride on a sunny-but-crisp day on the Grand Canal in #Dublin pic.twitter.com/59Cu5T2oQa
— Cory Hanson (@HansonCory1) December 19, 2014

From the Suir Luas stop, I hopped on the canal towpath--formerly used to pull heavy barges but now a nice canalside walking trail. The low sun should be evident from the photos, it was almost exactly midday as I pedaled through the long shadows.

Grand Canal from Suir Luas Stop

I kept running into not-very-cycle-friendly gates. I never actually saw a NO CYCLES sign, but I had to navigate through a number of narrow gates designed to keep either bicycles or motor vehicles off the trail.

I ran into another one at the Blackhorse Luas stop, where I saw the following sign:

Lansdowne Nature Park Trailhead

I wanted to check out this little suburban park. It seemed to have everything I needed: a small creek (called a river here), trees, and a trail winding through it all.

Sadly, after fighting through a tricky traffic-and-Luas intersection, I ran into a closed gate, keeping me and my bicycle out. I had to settle for a photo through the iron gate.

Well, That Would have been Fun!

Sticking to the canal, I noticed that the water has finally returned to normal levels. After a very dry November, we've finally had some rain to refill the rivers, lakes, and canals.

Water Flowing over a Lock

Going farther along the canal, I knew that I was getting out of the city when I rode past a grazing horse.

Chillin' on the Canal

I was in the Bluebell village, and saw the following sign with canal fishing tips.

Bluebell Angling Club Fishing Tips

Just like the Portobello Angling Club closer to the city, this club seems to maintain a stretch of the canal for recreational angling. The waters of the canal seemed to be (just a little bit) cleaner and more accessible out here in the suburbs. Maybe there could be fishing potential out here, less than an hour's ride away on a windy day.

Once I reached Ballyfermot, near Dublin's round-town motorway M50, I decided to turn around. I was faced with more annoying gates and tricky intersections, and the wind was just a bit chilly in my face as I pushed up the hill into west Co. Dublin. Looking at the map, it seems I was very close to entering farm fields and pasture rural Ireland territory. Good to know that the country is closer than I had thought.

That does it: next summer, I'm going to try a bike trip on the canal to the Dublin/Kildare county line and back. Maybe I'll take my fishing pole with me.