Harbour Riders private cycle group grew out of Dun Laoghaire Harbour. The cycle ‘lines’ we design join-up the new Dublin greenways with our mostly off-road-sections that enjoy nature and now cover the whole of Dublin. Harbour Riders aim is to see Bray and Howth Harbours in County Dublin connected by greenway to Shannon and Richmond Harbours on the majestic River Shannon. 

 

Inspired by the cycle lines of Helsinki and Amsterdam - and the Irish housing crisis - our dream is for European-style city life, sustainable, and affordable to anyone who (maybe with some help) can raise the 10% deposit to buy a permanent home. Where relaxing green space is no further than 15 minutes away by pleasure or cargo bike.

 

Presently the Harbour Riders Healthy Housing Highway is a work-in-progress. 

 

On our Greenway Line Menu boxes click ‘Details’ for the route description and ‘Line’ for the route itself – courtesy Google My Maps - which take a special interest in housing land-banks available for a new planning system which I believe will come after the next Celtic Tiger collapse. Given that the majority of what we are building now is over-sized concrete blocks of transient-worker flats, that maybe soon.

 

On our Greenway Lines you’ll see our White Line Dream Ways, for example through the huge derelict land-banks around Dunsink Observatory, or along the Druid Valley in Carrickmines with it’s ancient, but marooned national monuments. 

 

If and when the time is right Harbour Riders will make cycle way un-blocking suggestions to any sufficiently empowered local politicians, so the great new parkland greenways can one day be safely joined up into a connected bike exercise network.

 

As well as nature, Helsinki marks heritage features en route. See our brown heritage markers along our greenway lines, which our heritage enthusiast David Davies and I add to our routes when we find anything of particular interest.

 

And if you are interested in leisure-cycling which is more about the environment and social history than activity-tights and speed, join Harbour Riders for some chatting, day dreaming and slower cycling, any Sunday morning 10.00 – 13.30.

 

Our last private fund-raiser was a pre-covid canal trip to the Shannon which raised €2,500 for early intervention pediatric cycle training. The next one is a trip from the beautiful Iveagh to Kilruddery Gardens, along the old Harcourt Steam Railway line, details coming soon.

 

Christopher Craig.   Autumn 2023.