Towpath Trails: the Walker's Guide

Introduction | The Barrow Line | The Grand Canal | The Royal Canal | Waterways Map

The Royal Canal

Route: Leixlip to Kilcock: 8.5 miles, 13.5 km

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The starting point for the Kildare section of the Royal Canal walk is a Cope Bridge on the Confey road out of Leixlip. To get to the starting point walk from the centre of Leixlip village. Locate the traffic light junction just west of the Liffey Bridge in the town and walk up the steep hill known as Captains Hill until you come to the canal bridge. Some of the city bus services travel to Confey while during weekdays it is also possible to get a train to the commuter station at Confey right beside the canal bridge.

Beginning on the north bank and facing west, walk along the towpath towards a point were the canal turns sharply. To the south the housing estates of Leixlip (which has grown tenfold in its population over twenty years) are barely visible behind the canal-side hedges while, to the north, the landscape is surprisingly rural given its proximity to the suburbs.

The waterway bends sharply as if to tease the walker for a moment by concealing an engineering marvel. This is the point where it crosses the Rye Valley - a dip in the Landscape which at first looks mundane but on a closer inspection can be seen to alter the contours of the land so much that the waterway has to be carried across on a massive earthen embankment and pick your way down among the worked out pits that were dug out by the 18th century navvies in their construction of the aqueduct. A waterfall generated by canal overspill tumbles down the embankment particularly after heavy rain.

The aqueduct is more of a tunnel than the bridge - like structure which the description suggests. The stones which form its massive vault seem to strain under the weight of the millions of tons of earth above. Its construction brought about a crisis for the Royal canal company in the 1790s. Hundreds of workers spent six years pouring material into its foundations and for a time it looked as if the canal project might founder on the difficulty of crossing the Rye. The canal could have taken a less troublesome route but the Duke of Leinster who wielded great influence is said to have insisted that it should serve his demense at Carton near Maynooth.

Walk on over the aqueduct where the canal narrows. Looking up the river valley the large brown outline of the massive Intel computer chip factory is visible - an interesting contrast with the legacy of the canal builders of 2000 years previous who were considered the leading engineers of their time.

Continue on towards Louisa Bridge. Just before reaching the bridge take a turn right, still within sight of the Rye Valley, to a little park within the shadow of the canal embankment. Walk back towards the river to discover a deep bath-like structure with a set of stairs at either end and grids for letting water in and out. This is all that remains of the once famed Leixlip spas which, in their time drew crowds from the city to take advantage of the mineral springs. Back nearer the entrance to the park is a hexagonal basin of a similar purpose. Both features were restored in the late 1970s and a small park created around them. Unfortunately they have fallen foul to vandalism in the years since.

Continue on under Lousia bridge which formerly carried the busy main road to the west. This is now a modestly trafficked regional road since the North Kildare towns were by-passed by a motorway. Soon the towpath is pleasantly over-shadowed by trees and takes an usually elevated course well above the level of the waterway.

Walk past Deey bridge with its lock and adjacent level crossing. Here the canal is sandwiched between road (out of sight) and railway. The route continues straight to Pike Bridge where a recent restoration scheme has built the wharf which served Carton Estate, the estate of the Dukes of Leinster who were the premier peers among the Irish nobility. A well - placed seat here gives an opportunity for a rest about half way between Leixlip and Maynooth. A curious structure to the south of the canal is the Connolly Obelisk - an extravaganza of arches and spires built in 1793 in honour of speaker Connolly of Castletown House near Celbridge.

A spire also dominates the skyscape as you approach Maynooth signally the presence of the College which is a thriving campus offering courses to lay and religious students in disciplines including arts, sciences, finance and theology. Founded in 1795 as a seminary it became a symbol in Irish history for the reputed influence of the Catholic Church in national affairs. A diversion from the canal towpath to the town to visit the ruined but still imposing Geraldine Castle and the college itself would be well - rewarded. The towpath leads into the impressive harbour of Maynooth - another 18th century feature greatly enhanced by a 1990s restoration scheme. The triangular shaped basin has been dredged and bordered with stone walls and pathways.

A small island has been left in the middle as a sanctuary for wildlife. Continue on the north bank with the by-now familiar companion of the railway tracks on the south and after going under Bond Bridge, the walls of the Maynooth College grounds mark out the northern edge of the towpath. An easy walk along a firm path takes you to the engineering curiosity of Jackson's Bridge with its five arches spanning canal, rail, river, cattle path and, as if specially designed with walkers in mind, a pedestrian bridge.

The towpath continues with its peaceful environment disturbed only by the sound of the traffic on the motorway running parallel but out of sight to the south. The farm overbridge known as Bailey's bridge has been clad in unsightly manner with concrete but fortunately Chambers bridge, a little further on, has been rebuilt with stone in the traditional manner.

The lead-in to Kilcock brings the towpath back to the margin of the old western road. Kilcock's role as a stopping off place on the main road west had now disappeared with the building of the by-pass but the village's canalside is a gem. Kilcock harbour was the flagship of the Royal Canal restoration campaign. In full view of what was then a busy road its restoration helped trigger public awareness of the communities to take a fresh look at the waterway.

Kilcock's pubs and coffee shops are as good as incentive as any to finish the walk and replace some of the carbohydrates lost on the trek from Maynooth.

After Kilcock the canal crosses and recrosses the Kildare-Meath county lines for some thirteen miles before it finally exits Co. Kildare. Enfield, (Co. Meath), eight miles away, is the next town with public transport services as the canal heads to the west.

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