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Waterways, Inland & Coastal - Self Drive
Oct 10 2011 08:51 AM | Bhushan in Self Drive Tours
Waterways, Inland & Coastal
+353 (0)44 9342650
eastandmidlandsinfo@failteireland.ie
Endowed with a wealth of water, the East Coast and Midlands Region is a Mecca for boating enthusiasts of all kinds, for anglers and swimmers and divers and for plain people who just like to sit and gaze at distant horizons while their children play in safety in the sand. The sea forms the eastern boundary of the Region, the River Shannon with its lakes marks the western extent. And in between are sparkling hill streams, lazy meandering rivers, dark lakes in the mountains and bright lakes in the lowlands. And, for good measure, there are no fewer than three canals.
Sandy beaches abound from north to south. Popular bathing beaches include Laytown and Bettystown in Co. Meath, Bray, Greystones and Brittas Bay to the south. A special feature at Laytown is an annual horse-racing event on the strand. Templetown in Carlingford, Clogher Head and Brittas Bay hold the Blue Flag award for outstanding beaches. Carlingford and Bray are major centres for yachting, canoeing and board-sailing.
The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and its tributaries extends over a large part of the Region. Deep and slow-flowing, it was developed for navigation in the 18th century and now forms one of Europe’s finest waterways. It is the most popular centre in the country for cabin cruisers, providing variety in its lakes, locks and river channel and passing through innumerable towns and villages which offer good food and drink, tourist information and craft shops: everything a visitor could wish for.
The Shannon is flanked by reed beds and water meadows - called ‘callows’ and of the greatest interest to botanists. Famous for their wildfowl, they are one of the last resorts in the land for breeding corncrake, a bird which is now carefully protected. The Shannon lakes are full of interest, from the great expanse of Lough Ree, with islands and distant horizons, to smaller and more intimate lakes, surrounded by woodland and pasture.
The Shannon is joined by two of the three canals, the Royal and the Grand, both of them extending all the way to Dublin and providing endless opportunities for those who prefer canal-cruising to rivers. The Barrow Canal is an offshoot of the Grand and runs to the south coast, through beautiful countryside. All three are flanked by towpaths, carefully maintained to provide delightful trails for long-distance walkers. The canals are popular place for fishing for pike, bream and roach.
The River Boyne, which flows eastwards to enter the sea through the old port of Drogheda, is celebrated in ancient lore and legend. Sacred to the gods of old, it was inhabited in the stone age by craftsmen who built the fantastic monuments of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth within a bend of the river. Thousands of years after their time Christians built monasteries in its valley and warlords place magnificent castles to control strategic points.
To this day the Boyne is one of the finest salmon rivers in Ireland. In the centre of the Region, around the town of Mullingar, is a wonderful cluster of lakes. Ennell and Owel offer abundant trout to anglers, as well as having bathing beaches and popular parks. Farther north is Lough Derravaragh, famous as the dwelling place of the enchanted Children of Lir in an ancient Celtic myth.
These and the other midland lakes yield trout and pike, bream, roach and tench and provide excellent sport for the angler. The natural lakes of County Wicklow in the east of the region are small water bodies in mountain valleys, all beautiful, some visible from the road, others hidden away and known only to hill-walkers.
The Blessington Lakes were created by a dam built in 1940 and provide a safe haven for sailing, wind-surfing and canoeing. Provision of car-parking and fishing stands has made for easy access to nearly all the lakes in the Region. Popularity amongst generations of anglers has led to their being well-supplied with convenient accommodation.
+353 (0)44 9342650
eastandmidlandsinfo@failteireland.ie
Endowed with a wealth of water, the East Coast and Midlands Region is a Mecca for boating enthusiasts of all kinds, for anglers and swimmers and divers and for plain people who just like to sit and gaze at distant horizons while their children play in safety in the sand. The sea forms the eastern boundary of the Region, the River Shannon with its lakes marks the western extent. And in between are sparkling hill streams, lazy meandering rivers, dark lakes in the mountains and bright lakes in the lowlands. And, for good measure, there are no fewer than three canals.
Sandy beaches abound from north to south. Popular bathing beaches include Laytown and Bettystown in Co. Meath, Bray, Greystones and Brittas Bay to the south. A special feature at Laytown is an annual horse-racing event on the strand. Templetown in Carlingford, Clogher Head and Brittas Bay hold the Blue Flag award for outstanding beaches. Carlingford and Bray are major centres for yachting, canoeing and board-sailing.
The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and its tributaries extends over a large part of the Region. Deep and slow-flowing, it was developed for navigation in the 18th century and now forms one of Europe’s finest waterways. It is the most popular centre in the country for cabin cruisers, providing variety in its lakes, locks and river channel and passing through innumerable towns and villages which offer good food and drink, tourist information and craft shops: everything a visitor could wish for.
The Shannon is flanked by reed beds and water meadows - called ‘callows’ and of the greatest interest to botanists. Famous for their wildfowl, they are one of the last resorts in the land for breeding corncrake, a bird which is now carefully protected. The Shannon lakes are full of interest, from the great expanse of Lough Ree, with islands and distant horizons, to smaller and more intimate lakes, surrounded by woodland and pasture.
The Shannon is joined by two of the three canals, the Royal and the Grand, both of them extending all the way to Dublin and providing endless opportunities for those who prefer canal-cruising to rivers. The Barrow Canal is an offshoot of the Grand and runs to the south coast, through beautiful countryside. All three are flanked by towpaths, carefully maintained to provide delightful trails for long-distance walkers. The canals are popular place for fishing for pike, bream and roach.
The River Boyne, which flows eastwards to enter the sea through the old port of Drogheda, is celebrated in ancient lore and legend. Sacred to the gods of old, it was inhabited in the stone age by craftsmen who built the fantastic monuments of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth within a bend of the river. Thousands of years after their time Christians built monasteries in its valley and warlords place magnificent castles to control strategic points.
To this day the Boyne is one of the finest salmon rivers in Ireland. In the centre of the Region, around the town of Mullingar, is a wonderful cluster of lakes. Ennell and Owel offer abundant trout to anglers, as well as having bathing beaches and popular parks. Farther north is Lough Derravaragh, famous as the dwelling place of the enchanted Children of Lir in an ancient Celtic myth.
These and the other midland lakes yield trout and pike, bream, roach and tench and provide excellent sport for the angler. The natural lakes of County Wicklow in the east of the region are small water bodies in mountain valleys, all beautiful, some visible from the road, others hidden away and known only to hill-walkers.
The Blessington Lakes were created by a dam built in 1940 and provide a safe haven for sailing, wind-surfing and canoeing. Provision of car-parking and fishing stands has made for easy access to nearly all the lakes in the Region. Popularity amongst generations of anglers has led to their being well-supplied with convenient accommodation.
