Final hurdle cleared on Tramore road walkway.

 Less then a year since we began working along the Canal we can now safely say every major obstacle has been cleared as of this morning Saturday 9th November 2013.

Rubbish was been held up by over reaching branches at Avondale .The situation had gotten so bad that small craft were unable to pass safely.

Taking advantage of a small window in the weather and utilising the boat after lots of hard slog we finally got the better of the branches and released the canal from its ever tightening choke hold.

It was also very heartening to hear a story from one passerby of days gone by when he used to swim on this section, needless to say he was truly overjoyed to see somebody interested in returning the waterway to its former glory.

We are proud to say the river along the Tramore road is now very much open to kayaks and other small craft.It truly is a gem in Waterford City.
It is now up to City Council to add a small slipway at either end of the walkway which would greatly improve access to the waterway.

The team for this section of the project was John-Paul and Brian Simpson.

Improvement to Sheep's Bridge.

On the kayak trip it was noted that there were potentially dangerous overhanging Brambles on the bridge.

 Got out the shears and cut away the overgrowth removing an obstruction it now allows for clear, safe passage and ultimately visually more enhanced experience.

Photos-Brian Simpson.

 Tramore Road Kayak Trip.
First here's a brief history of this stretch of water which was very kindly provided by Thomas Deegan of the Waterford History Facebook Group.
"The straight stretch of river running parallel to the Tramore Road is man made. George Lane Fox below had it built as a canal, planned to reach Tramore in 1847 as part of a famine relief scheme. The train was most likely built on the tow path laid out for horses, and it explains how the railway was built in a few months, as no engineering needed to be done to overcome the bog....... Lane Fox owned a large parcel of land stretching from Tramore to Waterford, he was an absentee landlord, living in England most of the time. He planned to reclaim the Kilbarry Bog and build the canal to Tramore. The project was never finished, as funding for famine relief dried up. I would love to see the plan."

 Thursday 30 May 2013
 Starting at Cherrymount paddling up river as far as Sheep's bridge turning and paddling down towards the Superquinn roundabout before going back up to Cherrymount again.

 Navigable as far as this bridge in dry summer conditions however in normal wet conditions it would be possible to travel further upstream near the Outer ring road Balindud roundabout.

Sheltered waters within the city most suitable for learning to kayak.

Photos-Brian Simpson.

Oarsman-John-Paul Simpson.

Please spread the word about the potential of this beautiful waterway running through our historic city and more importantly get using it walking,fishing ,boating,cycling. 

Kayaking on the St.John's river.

Out on the bogs by Blackrock.

Avondale. 

Kilcohan Industrial Complex.

Cherrymount.

Miller's Marsh.

Johnstown.

Waterside.

Carlisle Bridge,People's Park.

Bolton Street.

Lombard Street.

George's Quay.

Scotch Quay entering River Suir.

Restoration work on St.John's river.

The Tramore road stretch of river was blocked and choked up by fallen branches and debris in many places.
Avondale section before and after;
                                           

Blackrock section before,during and after;

 Cherrymount section before and after;

There is no need to write too much of a description of the work as the images above tell the story.