One of our very first project in 2018 was the Royal 200 Survey.
With numbers on the canal struggling and low levels effectively closing the canal from through traffic for part of the year, we wanted to gauge the level of activity on the canal. The survey was accessed from our website and worked successfully though it soon became clear that detective work would be required to track down boaters known to have travelled the Royal Canal during the year.

The stats break down as follows:
81 –  Total journeys logged
  6 –  barges
22 – cruisers, narrowboats & smaller barges registered
25 – of those journeys were end-to-end through trips
  3 – canoe clubs logged large numbers of journeys

The results were surprising in the number of canoe clubs and canoe-polo clubs which use the canal to train, some training all year round.
There were four groups of kayakers, at least one large canoe club, a flotilla of heritage boats and all the participants of the Irish Canoe-Polo Championships identified who didn’t register. Compiling the info was surely a job for a team of people which we just didn’t have, but if we survey traffic again we will be forearmed.
What was abundantly clear from the survey was that although the canal is struggling to serve under difficult conditions often featuring thick weed and low levels, there is still vast enthusiasm shown by a variety of people, from very different sporting and leisure backgrounds who choose to spend their time out on the Royal Canal. It’s not difficult to imagine the potential for tourism and leisure development possible, were the canal more accessible and constantly watered.

We issued a Royal 200 certificate to anyone completing a Royal journey and registering it with us (*there was a nominal fee for each certificate). There was no charge for registering a journey and although the survey is finished you can still register your journey. We will still provide you with a cert should you want a souvenir of the journey.

Please send your details to us
by completing the form below:

[contact-form-7 id=”279″ title=”Journey”]

*There will be a nominal fee of €7 to cover our costs for each certificate. You can send a Cheque to:
Branch Treasurer
IWAI Royal Canal Branch
c/o Sprucefield, Carrick, Edenderry, Co. Offaly, Ireland.