This month’s featured trail

Royal Canal, from Spencer Dock

#getoutthere
 
 

The Royal Canal

One of the most special features of this trail is that there are so many places you can hop onto the towpath so it will suit a lot of people within reach & once we are free to travel further, there is so much that awaits you on this trail.

The Royal Canal, is a whopping 146Km in length, with 43 working locks, 10 of them double-chambered, so from Dublin to the River Shannon this spans a huge area for trails lovers who have access to it.  Tracks & Trails filmed two episodes along the Royal Canal.  In the episode below Annalise Murphy and her mother Cathy McAlreavy, both Olympians, start their journey at Dublin’s Spencer Dock and finish it - appropriately in a boat…. at the 12th lock at the M50. 

This very well maintained path hugs the canal for the duration with loads of options for long or short walks or cycles for all level of trail lover along the Royal Canal.  There area many interesting diversions on this particular part of the Royal Canal- including passing by the shadow of Croke Park, (the guided tour here is excellent so come back & do that when it opens again). Further along you can discover a statue of writer, Brendan Behan, which is engraved with some of his work including the poem “Uaigneas” (Loneliness); there are also numerous watersports clubs and boat clubs along the route and if you’re lucky you might catch a match ; Of course, you can just enjoy crossing over and nosing around the locks which are feats of engineering which have withstood much history and of course daily use.

There is extensive wildlife and birdlife along this route, (see Waterways Ireland for more info), and of course, the simplicity of starting your walk in an urban area and quickly finding yourself surrounded by nature in a more rural situation, just as you get warmed up, is really what this is all about.

What is so great about this walk, is it suits everyone, biker, hiker, young and old.

This is very easy underfoot, is flat and once out of the urban scenery the trail becomes a rural haven. 

Click of any of the photos below to go to the Tracks & Trails  Website to watch either part 1 or part 2 of this episode along the trail. Leave your comments on Twitter or Instagram or FB, the more followers we get the more we can hope to film new trails…….
 
 
 
 
 

Trail Guide

  • Family friendly,

  • dog friendly,

  • all level of walker,

  • bike & buggy friendly.

It’s Summer time. Have you noticed the huge amount of birds in our gardens, parks and roadways?  It has had us reaching for the bird book. Here’s what to look out for when you are out for a walk over the coming months and the birds you may see, with a link to birdwatch Ireland. On the Royal Canal look out for. Grey Heron, mallard, Mute Swan, and moorhen. Numerous smaller birds inhabit the stretches of hedgerows, for example thrush, chaffinch, bullfinch, Blue Tit and robin
 

In Conversation with…..

This month we chatted with, avid walker, presenter and the original producer of Tracks & Trails,  Jim Sherwin. 
 

What made you chose the Royal Canal walk ( Annelise Murphy episode) as a trail you wanted to feature?

The Royal Canal has many more features for walkers than the Grand Canal all the way along its 146km route from Spencer Dock to where it joins the Shannon at Clondra in Co.Longford. It can also be done in stages, one of which is the brilliant section under and over the M50, well worth look. 

Had you walked any of it before?

I would have visited and walked every route we decided on for the programme.

What was or is favourite trail that you visited while filming Tracks & Trailsl? 

I liked everywhere we went and there are many more walks which we hope to do all over the country as we are very lucky to have such a wonderful selection of places to enjoy.

Where have you enjoyed hiking most in Ireland ? 

My favourite place would be, The Great Western Greenway from Westport to Achill. It has tremendous scenery and wonderful memories for me. 

Do you walk now? And if so where would you normally go?

Yes, usually I walk the cliff walk from Bray to Greystones.  But for shorter versions we use the seafront in Greystones.

Have you ever been on a hiking holiday?, 

Yes we went walking in the Lake District in England.  And, in Ireland we went to Clare Island wh?ich has its own special attraction.

Would you go on a walking holiday again?

Oh yes, every chance we get.

Where would you recommend as a weekend away in Ireland if you wanted to start hiking and wanted a selection of trails to do.

I think one of the places with loads of options is the Midlands, and if you base yourself in Laois or Offaly, you have a variety of walks which will take in several counties. 

What is it about walking that you enjoy?

Being out in the fresh air, and the great thing about walking in Ireland is that the trails are there, they are free, and they are ours.

Who would be in your ideal hiking group?

There is something about walking alone and meeting all kinds of people on the way.
 

Where will you hike when we can travel again?. Tracks & Trails recommends looking up the World Trails Network which is a brilliant organisation for the preservation and development of worldwide trails. Have a look on their site for a roundup of trails to consider - how about Japan? The Long Trail Association is a consortium of 25 trails in Japan working to establish and promote the long trail culture and Japanese “travel on foot” tourism from the north in Hokkaido to the south in Kyushu. Click here to learn more about stunning options in Japan.

 
 
 

If you are interested in any of our programmes or would like to talk to us about suggestions for future filming of episodes, please email, hello@tracksandtrails.ie

This email was sent by Tracks & Trails Worldwide, based in Co.Wicklow Ireland.