Coordinates: 53°44′02″N 6°42′39″W / 53.734°N 6.7109306°W / 53.734; -6.7109306 (Wilkinstown crossing, Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway)

Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway

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For the Boyne river blueway, see Boyne Greenway.

Boyne Valley to Lakelands greenway
monochrome map of former Midland Great Western railway including the Navan-Kingscourt branch
map of former Midland Great Western railway including the Navan-Kingscourt branch
Length30km[1]
LocationNavan–Kingscourt, Ireland
TrailheadsBlackwater Park, Navan,
Dún na Rí Forest Park[2]
UseHiking, Cycling
Websiteboynevalleytolakelandsgreenway.ie

The Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway is a greenway and rail trail, in Ireland. The 30 kilometres (19 mi) route has been completed in sections.[3] Completed in May 2024, it links Navan, County Meath to Kingscourt, County Cavan, along the defunct Navan and Kingscourt Railway.[4]

Sections

The completed sections link Navan's Blackwater Park to Kilmainhamwood,[5][6] through Kilberry,[7] Wilkinstown,[3] Castletown KP,[8][9] and Nobber.[5]

History

The branch line that the greenway was built on was authorised for construction by the Navan and Kingscourt Railway Co. on 5 July 1865,[10] and would reach as far as Kilmainhamwood on 1 November 1872. It would open to its final terminus at Kingscourt on 1 November 1875,[11] but it was hoped the line could be extended further north. The Kingscourt, Keady and Armagh Railway Co. was incorporated in 1900 to extend the railway,[12] but the section between Kingscourt and Castleblayney was abandoned in 1902.[13] The Midland Great Western Railway (who had acquired the line in 1888) would be authorised to complete the line to Castleblayney on 11 August 1903,[14] but it would ultimately never occur.

The line would find its primary source of traffic with the opening of a siding in 1939 at Kingscourt to allow trains to haul Kingscourt Gypsum.[15] Passenger service on the line would be discontinued during the harsh winter of 1947 on 27 January and never reopen.[11] The line would stop seeing non-gypsum traffic in 1975 and would ultimately close on 30 October 2001 after a driver's strike as gypsum switched to road haulage.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway | Discover Boyne Valley Meath, Ireland". DiscoverBoyneValley.ie.
  2. ^ "Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway" (PDF). DiscoverBoyneValley.ie. 25 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Official Opening of the Boyne to Lakelands Greenway between Nobber and Kilmainhamwood". Meath.ie. 31 October 2023.
  4. ^ Hogan, Laura (12 May 2024). "30km greenway connecting Meath and Cavan completed". RTÉ News.
  5. ^ a b "24km of Boyne to Lakelands Greenway is now open". Meath Chronicle. 1 December 2023.
  6. ^ ""A true delight": Opening of 30km Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway welcomed". IrishCycle.com. 13 May 2024.
  7. ^ "Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway". Navan Cycling Initiative. 17 November 2020.
  8. ^ Finegan, Noelle. "Could Navan-Kingscourt Greenway attract 150,000 visitors a year?". Meath Chronicle. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Works now underway on Ireland's newest greenway as €500,000 also allocated". StickyBottle.ie. December 2021.
  10. ^ "Navan and Kingscourt Railway Act 1865". vLex.co.uk. 5 July 1865. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Irish railways" (PDF). RAILSCOT.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  12. ^ "Kingscourt, Keady and Armagh Railway Act 1900". vLex.co.uk. 1900. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Castleblayney Keady and Armagh Railway Act 1902". vLex.co.uk. 22 July 1922. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  14. ^ "Midland Great Western Railway of I Act 1903". vLex.co.uk. 11 August 1903. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Railway and Railway Stations". navanhistory.ie. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  16. ^ "Kingscourt Line". Irish Railway Record Society. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2024.

External links

53°44′02″N 6°42′39″W / 53.734°N 6.7109306°W / 53.734; -6.7109306 (Wilkinstown crossing, Boyne Valley to Lakelands Greenway)

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