Irish spring breaks: Outdoor adventures for all the family
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Loading... - Hannele Kivi
- 01 Feb 2023
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From kayaking down the river Blackwater, to stargazing in the Sperrin Mountains, there’s lots to explore around this island
Kayaking on the Blackwater river
“The shores of this Irish Rhine are so lovely that the sail on a sunny day is one of unequalled charm,” wrote Kate Douglas Wiggin of the river Blackwater in the 1901 Penelope’s Irish Experiences. “Behind us the mountains ranged themselves in a mysterious melancholy background; ahead the river winded its way southward, in and out, through rocky cliffs and well-wooded shores.”
I’m delighted to find that 122 years later, little has changed. Paddling down the final quarter of this majestic 170km-long river, from Ballyduff, past Lismore and Cappoquin, to its mouth at Youghal is, bizarrely, one of Munster’s lesser-known gems, and makes for one of the most memorable weekends my wife and I have spent exploring this island.
It’s thanks to Blackwater Eco Tours, a community-owned not-for-profit based in Villierstown, who not only drop-off and collect the kayaks each day, but also offer glamping pods, guided river tours and self-drive boats. Launching at the petite, sneeze-and-you’ll-miss-it village of Ballyduff, day one takes us to Cappoquin over the course of a soothing three-hour gentle paddle. Here the river is wide yet the riverbank is still “at reach”, arcing between woodland and fields of cattle who come down to drink, knee-deep, beside us.
Then comes the big gun: flowing beneath the magisterial splendour of Lismore Castle as it peers down upon the river like a medieval eagle on her eyrie. Originally built in 1185, it’s 1860s refit is owned by the Duke of Devonshire, having been owned by Sir Walter Raleigh and Richard Boyle, among others, in centuries past. Read More…
