The Barrow Way | Rothar Routes

Posts tagged ‘The Barrow Way’

Barrow Cycle Continued January 2018

It was good to attend a packed public meeting this evening in the Abbey Hall, Graiguenamanagh held by the local ‘Save the Barrow Line’ Committee to update people on the proposal to create the Barrow Blueway. There were hundreds in attendance and all of them opposed to the development as proposed.

Seeing photographs of the damage done by WWI as part of their maintenance programme has to be a cause of concern. The Track will be destroyed if the hardcore surface is laid.

Amazing to hear that WWI cannot locate any otters or kingfishers along the river! There are plenty of otters close to Carlow Town, I have often seen them between the Lerr and Griese section – in fact an otter crossed our path one night and almost knocked us off our bikes! There are also common sightings below Mickey Websters Lock down as far the the Woodford Dolmen Hotel. I suppose the name of the old house on the Kilkenny road opposite the Vocational School kinda gives it away as it has long been called ‘Otterholt’!

I had a short cycle between Clashganny and Graiguenamanagh before going to the meeting where sections of the Canal were over flowing (WWI claim the canals never flood). Any unbound surface will end up in the river leaving potholes like I showed down at St Miullins on my last video. Grass is the only method to keep the canal bank in tact; it knits the soil together and forms a permeable barrier that allows water to drain away…. save it don’t pave it…

Sunrise Cycle along the Barrow Track

An early morning cycle, starting at sunrise, along the Barrow Track between Goresbridge and Clashganny was a great start to County Final Day!

Joe Sheppard, now domiciled in Manchester, a keen cyclist on UK towpaths and Sustrans routes, was looking forward to cycling along a riverbank as distinct from the linear towpaths that criss cross the UK.

Of good GAA stock, the conversations were wide ranging – from Ruislip to County Final Day; from Mental Awareness to Social Housing and Brexit; from Mary Teresa Kelly’s newsagents to out of town developments!

We don’t appreciate how much it means to ex pats to see Carlow doing well on the inter county scene. Joe and his son drove from Manchester to Rusilip to cheer on the Scallionaters in the Qualifiers during the summer. It was his sons’ first game of gaelic football and he was hooked. He marvelled at Brendan Murphy’s performance in particular – ‘ like a ballet dancer’ was his description of his movement and his agility.

Joe has been following the debate about the Blueway from afar, and he was initially all for it until he began reading up on the debate going on around the proposal. His position was changing before he came over based on first hand accounts of those who utilise these wonderful green linear nature reserve that we have hidden away so well in south Carlow.

After his cycle today Joe compared the route with what he has experienced in the UK. The UK routes benefit from hubs where bike repair / hire shops and coffee shops dot the routes attracting cyclists out into the countryside. The Barrow obviously does not have those key facilities but he maintained there was nothing to compare with the Barrow in the UK. He considers it a unique trail and would strongly be an advocate for minimal development. he found the route very passable – even though the grass was wet and long in places this morning. Interesting to hear the views of a very experienced touring cyclist from across the pond.

Here are a few photos of this morning:

Comorants take flight

How many Cormorants?

Neck and Neck!!

Cormorants on the Barrow

Dermot and Joe at the Mountain River

Cycling at Clashganny

Does anything taste nicer than a sambo on a cycle / hike?

Cormorant Rock

Heron in flight

Joe Sheppard, Manchester and Dermot along the Banks of the Barrow

Dermot at Mountain River

Autumn on the Barrow

Autumn is a great season to pay a trip to the Barrow, whether walking or cycling. A feast of colours, a nip in the clear air, a time of change.

The Barrow promenade is a fantastic development that showcases the River in Town

Carlow Rowing Club crews going through their paces

Brought the touring bike up to see how it handled the soft track surface after recent rains. No problem! Save it!

33 miles to St Mullins from the milestone at Bestfield Lock

The river is alive with elusive herons, they don’t like encroachment, lovely river birds

Sneaky take off!

No flights cancelled on the Barrow!

I went down to the River

I went down to the river.
When I want to escape from the hum drum of living I take to the bike and head to the Barrow.
One of the few off road trails in the country, it exists along the narrow corridor of the Barrow between Athy and St. Mullins. A mini wilderness. An oasis of peace and calm, of beauty and wonder, A wildlife refuge. A haven for lovers of quiet and nature. The Irish landscape has been mostly tamed. Cultivated. Farmed. Ordered. There is no wilderness, you are never more than a couple of kilometres from ‘civilisation’.
As a result of former colonial rule, a tentacle of tarmac spreads itself across almost every square kilometre of the surface of Ireland. We have one of the best networks of local roads in Europe. In the counties of Carlow, Kilkenny, Laois, Kildare, Wicklow and Wexford there are 14,000 kms of local roads! 14,000 kms.
The Barrow is the antidote to all of that civilisation.

Yesterday, the brother wanted to celebrate his 60th year by running and cycling 60kms alongside Ireland’s second longest river. Family and friends joined in too to celebrate a landmark birthday in a unique way. To celebrate living.

My role was to park the van in St Mullins and cycle north to Clashganny, meet the gang and cycle back to St Mullins and transport bikes home. It’s a path I know well. Every protruding root and every bend in the river are familiar sights to me at this stage. Yet every time I cycle the Track I see new things and come away feeling blessed. Content. Pleased with myself and proud of the little known beauty of my county.

Yesterday was a particularly busy day along the river. I met big groups of hikers. I met cyclists, canoeists and fishermen. As I wasn’t cycling very far and was in no rush, I decided to hold an impromptu survey with many that I met. And it was very interesting. The Barrow is a long distance walking trail that attracts many hikers to the banks of the Barrow. Experienced walkers. I asked at least 30 people a simple question. Which did they prefer – the grassy surface or a hard surface. All bar two opted for grass. Not only did they opt for it but they were animated about it too. I was surprised at the reaction. Some of the comments were very interesting; two female walkers were sitting having a cuppa tea and a sandwich on the lock gates at Carriglead. They had walked the Waterford Greenway last week and were very uncomfortable doing so as there were so many bikes speeding along. They felt that the Track in so much narrower and so close to water that a hard surface cycle track would be a serious danger for users. It would need be to be 2 metres wider to be used as a safe shared path. Some were annoyed at the characterisation of those who oppose a hard surface as being selfish and unreasonable. All were happy for the trail to be developed but in an environmentally sound manner.

I certainly share those sentiments as you will have gathered from my posts but I have long realised the economic spin off that a property developed Barrow can generate for the local economy. And that should not be dismissed too easily. Many are looking to the success of the Waterford and Western Greenways as models that can apply here. The success of the Greenways has been staggering and its understandable that people will look and say ‘lets develop one here’.
But that is like comparing apples and oranges.
Local knowledge and experience tells us that any hard surface will not last past the first of the annual floods that occur on the Barrow. This is one of the key differences between the aforementioned Greenways and the proposed Blueway. That issue has never been answered satisfactorily – what will happen to the surface after flooding, how will the potholes be repaired and maintained?
The argument in favour of development is purely economic; if we develop and it fails we will be left with an environmental and economic disaster – a potholed surface unsuitable for walking or cycling! The development must be realistic and it must protect the environment. There can be no risks taken.
There are alternatives. If the Western Greenway, the Waterford Greenway and the Westmeath Greenway can all be developed on old disused railway lines wouldn’t it be marvellous if such a disused line existed nearby? Well what do you know, but there is one that runs from Bagenalstown, through Borris, over the viaduct and down to St Mullins, running parallel to the Barrow and the Blackstairs. A stunning route! If it can be done elsewhere it can be done here. And would receive great support. Here are some photos that show the true beauty of the Barrow. Feel free to share!