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Displaying items by tag: S2S

Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Councillor Barry Ward will be among the speakers at a public meeting in Dun Laoghaire later this month on the S2S (Sutton to Sandycove) coastal promenade and cycleway around Dublin Bay.

Long in the development stages, the S2S has been beset by planning snags and funding issues, and as yet only sections on the northern side of Dublin Bay between Sutton and Clontarf have been completed.

Michael Collins (S2S) and Clara Clark (Cycling Without Age) will also address the meeting at the Royal Marine Hotel on Tuesday 22 October from 7.30pm to discuss current and future moves on the project, including the €17.5 million allocated earlier this year for the section from Merrion Gates to Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

All are welcome to attend.

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#Coastal - Planning permission has been granted for a new coastal cycle and walking path between Baldoyle and Portmarnock, as The Irish Times reports.

The new 1.8km path, which has much local support, will take cyclists off a narrow country road running between the two North Dublin suburbs.

It will also be in close proximity to the Sutton–Clontarf section of the S2S cycle route, and may be extended to both Sutton and Malahide in future.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

Published in Coastal Notes
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#S2S - The latest section of the Sutton to Sandycove (S2S) cycle route around Dublin Bay will not be opened till March due to delays on water main works, as Irish Cycle reports.

Once completed, the new cycle track — with mixed pedestrian and cyclist sections at junctions — will connect the pre-existing tracks between Sutton and the Bull Island causeway, and the route from Bull Bridge to East Wall Road.

As yet no section of the southside portion of the S2S has been completed, though a public consultation on the corridor from Sandymount/Merrion to Blackrock is currently open for public consultation till 31 January.

Irish Cycle has more on the story HERE.

Published in Dublin Bay

#DublinBay - An independent expert commissioned to evaluate local concerns over the new sea wall in Clontarf has recommended its height be reduced by at least 10 centimetres.

As previously reported on Afloat.ie, fears had grown among residents in the North Dublin Bay suburb that new flood defences constructed as part of the Sutton to Sandycove cycleway would exceed the height of the existing wall at the wooden bridge to the Bull Wall.

In response, Dublin City Council commissioned Dr Jimmy Murphy of University College Cork to examine the "technical information" that directed construction plans which residents claim breach previous promises over its maximum height and appearance.

But according to The Irish Times, while Dr Murphy's draft report says the wall's 4.25m height was "appropriate" in light of the council's long-term flood prevention criteria, there was no consistency as to the design plans and information used to inform such.

And for the time being, Dr Murphy suggests reducing the wall's "sea level rise" allowance by 10 to 20cm "at locations where the visual amenity is most affected".

The Irish Times has much more on the story HERE.

Published in Dublin Bay

Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of.   For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water.  The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.

The Forty-foot Christmas Day swim

A Dublin institution that brings people from across Dublin and beyond for a dip in the chilly winter sea. Bathers arrive in the dark from 6 am and by noon the entire forty foot is a sea of red Santa hats!