10.20Km from the City
Leaving 12th Lock, Blanchardstown, the canal soon enters the Deep Sinking. at its deepest the towpath is carried some 9 m above the water. Care should be taken here as the towpath is very narrow. Beyond the cutting the canal passes under a new bridge that from 2010 will carry the reopened line of the Dublin & Meath Railway. There is a good road approach to the boat slipway near Leixlip which gives access to this 12 km long level.
The 12 km long level above the 12th Lock was the first restoration project to be tackled by the newly formed Royal Canal Amenity Group (RCAG) in 1974.
Granard Bridge and Castleknock Railway Station. At many of the bridges you will see grooves cut deep into the stonework. These were formed from the wet ropes, as the horse pulled his heavy load along the waterway. It reminds us that this was not always a place of leisure, but a working canal. Granard Bridge is the start of the 1.75 mile (2.8km) Deep Sinking. From here the tow-path is narrow and rises gradually to a height of 30 feet above the surface of the water.