2023 Foray No.3 Old Rail Trail

The purpose of this trip, beyond the all consuming desire to explore nature and railways and make good use of my Free Travel card, bicycle, sometime tent and other paraphernalia, was to suss out the Old Rail Trail Greenway which follows a former railway linking Athlone and Mullingar, and the Phoenix Park tunnel.

The Old Rail Trail Greenway - 42km

This was a day trip, so I travelled light, cycling to Sallins (Naas) to catch the 10:50am (bikes not allowed on commuter services before 10am) service to Portarlington where I would change for Athlone.

When travelling by train with my trusty Trek 1.2, I look out for other bikers supposing that they are more likely to know the spot along the platform which will match the only carriage bike door. There was a boy with a heavy looking bike at Sallins. I urgently needed the loo and, figuring he was a local, asked him where I might find one. He told me, somewhat nervously, that there were none at the station but there would be one in the train. This, and his propensity to take pictures of passing trains, identified him as a fellow ferroequinologist or siderodromomaniac. After this brief exchange he wandered away with his bike. I reckoned he didn't want my company. But as there was only one bike compartment the two of us ended up together again, but an electric scooter-er preceded us and plonked his machine in bicycle slot one. Our friend used the only other slot but, not having the necessary dorsal muscles, he needed help to lift the bike in. It remained for me to stand with my machine in the lobby. Our friend was disembarking at the next station and again needed my help to first lift the bike from the slot and then over the top of mine which was fouling the lobby, and we had to do this before the door could be opened to secure his retreat. He was duly appreciative and I figured I had made a friend. But then (I mused) the likelihood that I would ever meet him again, or even recognise him if I did, was sadly remote. 

At Portarlington I had a half-hour wait for the service to Athlone. During that time I ventured out to nearby Carrick Woods and its curious folly nicknamed "the spire" which of course had to be found and duly photographed for the album. The picture above was taken by William Forster back in 1852 and the spire may have been part of an old windmill on the hill which was converted into a landscape folly as part of the estate for Viscount Carlow at Emo Court. Climbing a small hill through a beautiful broadleaf wood to find a ancient folly is something that one just has to do in an odd half hour. Especially as there is a waymarked trail to the Spire (1.5km, 40mins, moderate) that will bring you to the entrance of this wonderful folly and my challenge included getting there and back (less than a mile) in the available time, cognisant that Iarnród Éireann waits for no man.

Once ensconced in Athlone I had to find the beginning of the trail (end of green trail bottom left in the aerial view above) which was curiously lacking in signage. I ended up crossing the mighty river Shannon by accident in this pursuit but, once found, there was no chance of loosing it given its straight course and the still extant old track alongside complete with rails. Did they intend at some point to resurrect the line (the rotting wooden sleepers would need to be replaced), or is it just not worth the bother to salvage the rails?    

Whilst motoring along the greenway it seemed like I was being followed by an electric storm - one clap of thunder seemed right overhead. Thunderstorms had been forecast and for this reason I had packed my waterproof. But I managed to avoid the rain until I reached Mullingar but even there it was insufficient to wet me. To use up spare time before my 5pm train to Dublin I explored the Royal Canal Way and found it sort of paved - dressed with loose small grit which my narrow tires accepted without too much complaint. 

And so to Drumcondra (north Dublin). My service was running 10 minutes late and I feared I would miss my connection, but in fact I had 5 minutes in hand, enough to cross to the other platform for the Phoenix Tunnel service to Sallins. 

Built in 1877, the Tunnel was opened for passenger traffic on 21 Nov 2016 to link the rail network emanating from Heuston station serving the West to that from Connolly serving North-East and South-East.

Trip stats: 33.3 miles, average speed 12.6 mph, elevation gain 146m. This does not include from home to Sallins and back again in the evening.

Here are my photos.