Waterways Ireland | Things To Do
Things To Do
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Walking

Walking on the Waterways

Walking

Self-guided and guided walks are accessible, fun ways for families, groups, clubs and individuals to use the waterways either as part of a Sunday outing, for healthy walks or for traffic free enjoyment of longer distance trails. Check out the walks on each waterway to find the one that suits your group, your starting point and your timeframe the best.​​

​A landscape of sandstone hills and mountains, and a waterfront graced with bays, scenic harbours, nature-rich wetlands and wild woodland mean walking around Ireland's watyerways is a rare treat. Some shores have been settled since prehistoric times with trails studded with reminders of the past, from a beech grove where 19th century ladies took tea in Portumna Forest, to the blustering cliffs around Lough Erne in Co. Fermanagh. As the seasons change, Ireland's waterways remains constant in her beauty, and is as captivating in the rinsed-out, watercolour tones of winter as it is in the technicolour-drenched heights of summer. Follow these trails and you’ll stumble upon partings in the forest where views of the water will stop you in your tracks. Swans cut soft ripples through the vitreous surface, dragonflies blitz, and the skies above seem endless. It is true paradise....


Greenways

Waterways Ireland has supported the development of multi-purpose greenways on Canal towpaths on the Grand Canal and the Royal Canal to broaden the type of use and the suitability of the surface for a wide range of use.


Royal Canal Greenway

The Royal Canal Greenway is ideal for walkers. Starting in Maynooth, it follows the 200 year old canal through friendly Enfield and Mullingar to Cloondara in Longford, with cafés, picnic spots and attractions along the way. 

For more information about the Royal Canal Greenway, visit here.

​​​Grand Canal Greenway

Works are ongoing to develop sections of the Grand Canal Towpath to Greenway standard.  

For a summary of the works to be undertaken by the Local Authorities and current development updates on the grand canal towpath, visit here.


Blueways Ireland

With Blueway trails beginning in Mullingar, Lough Derg, the Shannon and the Shannon Erne, there's walking routes suitable for everyone.

For more information about Blueways Ireland, visit.


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Why not try Walking on...

Barrow Navigation

Riverbanks fringed with swaying reeds, an abundance of wildlife from moorhens to otters, and a lands...

Erne System

Take a digital detox and wrap yourself in nature on a walk through the enchanting wilderness surroun...

Walking on the Grand Canal

Grand Canal

Romantic waterfalls, heather-flecked boglands and canal bank walks – these trails along the Grand Ca...

Lower Bann Navigation

Set off into the countryside surrounding the Lower Bann and enjoy a landscape punctuated by the ripp...

Shannon Navigation

Escape into a natural environment that soothes the soul on these great trails that weave through woo...

Walking on the Shannon Erne

Shannon Erne Waterway

Wonderous walking trails that unfurl into peaceful forests, paths that weave beside placid waters an...

Royal Canal

Wrap yourself in nature as you explore the lush grasslands and historic treasures surrounding Mullin...

Select your waterway...

Barrow Navigation

​​​​​Winding its way through peaceful woods, fertile valleys and picturesque villages the Barrow is fully navigable for 68km from Athy to St. Mullins. A significant canalised waterway right up to the 1950’s the Barrow’s industrial past saw commercial barges carrying consignments of barley to the Guinness Brewery in Dublin and later, supplying beet to Ireland’s first sugar factory at Carlow.

Erne System

​The Erne System has its share of dramatic landscapes and historical treasures; the monastic round tower at Devenish Island rising up from the Lough, the ruined remains of Tully Castle, the picture postcard image of Enniskillen’s medieval castle on the edge of its island banks and the National Trust’s Castle Coole and Crom Estate all compete for your attention.

Grand Canal

​Built amid the 18th-century canal fever that swept across Ireland, the 144km Grand Canal stretches across the country from Dublin to the Shannon.

Lower Bann Navigation

​The Lower Bann is navigable from Lough Neagh to the sea at the Barmouth between Castlerock and Portstewart Strand.

Royal Canal

​The Royal Canal, on its 146km journey from the River Liffey in Dublin to the Shannon, passes 46 working locks, 10 of them double-chambered.

Shannon Erne Waterway

​Running between Leitrim Village and just north of Belturbet, the Shannon-Erne Waterway links the two great waterways on the island, the Erne System and the Shannon Navigation.

Shannon Navigation

​The Shannon is a treasure waiting to be discovered. The longest river in Ireland, the River Shannon and its lakes are a bustling, colourful navigation.​

More fun activities to try...

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