Given the length of the Royal Canal Greenway of 125 Kms there are many places to begin your cycle.  If travelling by car and bringing your own bikes there are parking facilities in all towns and villages on the route. Parking is often available where roads cross the greenway. If intending to start outside of a town or village, use Google maps/ Streetview to check if there is parking at your desired location. If you intend leaving your car overnight on on one or more nights, it is safer to choose a paid-for parking location as these areas are supervised or choose a well lit area or an area that is not isolated. Don't leave valuables in your car and pack any items in the boot out of sight. Ireland is generally a very safe country and outside of big cities there are very low crime rates. 

Those travelling by car can park can park at the train stations on the route which tend to be close to the greenway. Download the APCOA parking app to your phone. Add your vehicle registration to the app and select the current location. The cost is approx. €3.50 per day. Lock your car and remove any valuables as you may be away for some time.

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For those hiring bikes then your options are limited to towns that provide a bike hire service, see the Bike Hire and Repair Royal Canal page here for details.

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For those travelling by train and bringing bikes with them then first check out Irish Rail's policy on the carriage of bikes and also the Rail page of this website.

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Cyclists carrying bikes can also use Expressway buses which stop in the main towns such as Maynooth, Mullingar and Longford, although rail is likely to be a better option. 

Local buses from Bus Eireann provide services to smaller towns and villages but there are generally restrictions on the carriage of bikes, see Road Travel page here. Use the Transport for Ireland (TFI) website or download their app which will provide more information on all travel options including rail, bus and private bus operators. ​

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Starting points

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Leixlip

There are two rail stations in Leixlip, Leixlip Confey and Leixlip Louisa. The greenway starts at Leixlip Confey and there is a small number of car parking places at the station. There are more parking places at Leixlip Louisa. Also note that in general intercity trains do not stop in Leixlip. There are greater restrictions on the carriage of bikes on commuter trains especially during peak hours.

 

See here the map showing the location of the Leixlip stations.​​