Ireland day 1524. Sunday 30 November 2025- Leixlip

Today’s summary	Took a morning train with friends from Malahide to Maynooth via Connolly to join a Club walk. Just a short stroll down the Royal Canal to Louisa Bridge station at Leixlip. A raw cold day but brightened up when a Santa Special steam train hauled by Slieve Gullion cruised by on the adjacent railway line. Trains back to Malahide via Connolly at the end then video call to Val in the evening. Pop pop boeuf bourgignon for dinner, and read another chapter of my book.
Today’s weather	Cold grey and raw but dry for most of the day. Heavy rain in the evening. Light south westerly wind. Appx 5c

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Maynooth to Leixlip DWC

Commentary

Sundays are normally walking club days, and today was no exception. The weather was pretty decent – frosty and clear – when I got up, so I was looking forward to today’s outing. Especially as this particular walk wasn’t one I’d done before.

So once I’d got my stuff together and had had a couple of slices of toast, I headed over to Malahide station where I met up with one of my friends who was also going on the same trip. We were soon in Connolly where we got a quick cup of coffee then were straight out again on another diesel heading for Maynooth. We met up with another walker on this second train and of course there was lots to chat about. So the short journey passed even more quickly than I had expected.

Fourteen of us were at the assigned meeting place outside Maynooth station, and we set off straight away down the canal towpath to our destination at Leixlip Louise Bridge station. The Royal Canal, with its towpath, runs parallel with the railway along almost all of its length, so hopping on and off the train makes walking one way sections of the route (which is also the National Famine Trail, part of which I walked to the Botanics last week) – easy.

It was cold and raw so we didn’t hang around anywhere for long. It was a straightforward and undemanding route and as usual the best part was of course all the chat. We paused for lunch at some picnic tables about half way, near a bridge and level crossing, and watched the trains come and go. They were surprisingly frequent.

For me the highlight of the trip came shortly after lunch, when a distant plume of smoke heralded the arrival of a “Santa Special” steam train. It was shuttling between Connolly and Maynooth today (I saw it again at Connolly at the end of the walk) and was hauled by Slieve Gullion, a beautiful blue Class S 4-4-0 steam loco built in 1913. The eight carriages appeared to be full of excited children (of all ages) enjoying the thrill of the ride and sustained presumably by plenty of mince pies.

Our walk reached Louisa Bridge station soon after Slieve Gullion had passed, and we only had a couple of minutes to wait before a diesel came to take us back to Connolly. Once back in Dublin, I got a cup of tea, by which time Slieve Gullion had reappeared. So I of course took a quick peek at the cab and then got a Dart back to Malahide.

The evening followed a familiar pattern after that. Val called from Vancouver soon after I arrived, and we had a good chat. All’s going well with her though she starts her long journey back to Europe again tomorrow evening. Time has flown for her!

Then I had a pop pop boeuf bourgignon for dinner, and while I was enjoying that, I got the old PC back to work, copying a load more photos off it. They had somehow got onto “OneDrive” though I have no idea how they got there. It’s a real nuisance.

Now I’m going to kick back and relax with my book, then think about next week’s activities. I do hope we get at least a couple of days without rain!

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Setting out along the towpath from Maynooth, heading east (Dublin-wards) to Leixlip	Entrance to Carton House – formerly the ancestral home of the Duke of Leinster – I’ve never visited (I’m not even sure if you can – it may be a deluxe hotel now) but must pay a visit soon

Lunchtime viewing	Bottoms up! There’s obviously something tasty at the bottom of the canal which is catching the eye these three cyngets

Massive Intel factory at Leixlip – employs about 4000 people, apparently	Louisa bridge station – one of at least two stations in Leixlip

Footplate view at Connolly was a major draw for anyone with a Y chromosome