Canoeing the River Barrow
A short account, basically my notes for a future trip, of a two-day canoeing trip down the River Barrow from Goresbridge to St. Mullins.
I had promised my son a canoeing trip down the River Barrow over Easter, but had neglected to make any concrete plans, so with only a few days of the holidays left I called Charlie at Go with the Flow on Tueday. He could help us out and given the forecast we decided to leave the next morning. Charlie is very helpful and I would 100% recommend him if you are interested in a trip down the Barrow.
We met Charlie at Goresbridge on Wednesday morning and after dropping my car in Graignamanagh we were back at the canoe and ready to set off.
I paddled the Barrow years ago and did another trip on Lough Erne so have about 8 days of canoeing experience, but that was a good few years ago, so I was a little unsure if it would come back to me. But after a few seconds in the boat it all clicked into place.
(Usually, the person in the front of the canoe provides most of the power and the person at the back steers, this is done by the rear paddler using a modified stroke called a j-stroke. There is a bit of a knack to it, but after an hour it becomes pretty instinctive. This is a better approach then frequently changing which side you paddle on.)
The river was running fast after last week’s rain and we probably moved at close to 10kmph in the main flow. Charlie had warned us not to run any of the 10 weirs along the route and we happily followed his sound advice.
Bypassing a weir via a section of canal
The last weir on the river just upstream of St. Mullins
It was an overcast day, but very still, and it was very peaceful as we made our way down the river. As we weren’t running the weirs we took the manmade canal sections that ran parallel to the river, which always ended in a lock.
To bypass each lock involved a bit of work – unloading the boat, pulling it out of the water, carrying it past the lock and loading it up again.
We were travelling light as we had left our camping gear in the car in Graiguenamanagh so it wasn’t too bad. Each lock took maybe 5 mins and served as a good opportunity to take a break.
Arriving into GraiguenamanaghÂ
After about three hours (and 14km) we arrived into Graiguenamanagh. A lovely little town, it’s the ideal place to stop overnight with a riverside campsite, pubs, shops, a takeaway and an Aldi. We went for a drink, pitched the tent, got a pizza and wandered around the town.
The next morning, after a good night’s rest, we set off for the final stretch. The 8km to St. Mullins is probably the most scenic section, with steep wooded slopes on both sides.
The view upstream from Graiguenamanagh with Brandon Hill on the skyline
The flow had calmed down a little overnight, but it was still decent, however, there was a light headwind which slowed our progress quite a bit. You wouldn’t really want to paddle the river against a strong southerly wind.
Below the last weir, which is very dangerous apparently), the river becomes tidal and a short while later we pulled into the little hamlet of St. Mullins. It’s a great spot to finish and very atmospheric. There is a really nice cafe in the old grain store with some fascinating photos of the older days of the navigation.
We got a taxi back to Graiguenamanagh, packed the car and hit the road very satisfied with our trip and full of plans for a longer journey down the river in the summer.
Looking south over the 12th century motte and bailey and the graveyard with the grain store beside the river
Some Practical Points
- Suitable for 12 years and older
- While the boats can fit a lot of stuff travel light.
- Following on from the previous point – plan your route so that you can stock up on food in the villages you pass through
- Avoid paddling against a headwind if possible
- It can get chilly in the boat so layer up, and wear waterproof trousers as your lower half will get splashed
- Work gloves or similar might be useful to help prevent soft hands getting blisters
- Talk to Charlie. He gave us some great advice.
- Don’t take on too much, enjoy the process and don’t be in a rush
