The bad news is that the camera is still missing, so the only photos I have are taken by mobile phone. I was working friday morning and Meara had his French class so it was nearly two pm when we headed from Athboy. We were in the water below the weir at Athlone by 3.30 and were aiming to cover the 22 KM to Shannnonbridge which would allow us to complete the section to Portumna on the next day.
The River here is flowing slowly, but enough to help you along without the effort needed in the still waters of lake or canal. We even met a Kayaker- a man taking his old Kayak out for the first time in 20 years. There are plenty of cruisers on this section, some going far too fast and we needed to turn into bow waves a number of times to avoid shipping water. In general it those renting boats who dont slow down- and those with there own boats who were more considerate and waved greetings. If any cruise companies are listening then please include this in the briefing for holiday makers.
The nicest section here is the loop of the river past Clonmacnoise, and as we passed at about 6pm it was quiet and a fantastic setting in the bend of the river. The banks are mainly reeds or fields with cows that make the bank muddy, and it is quite hard to find a decent place to stop. More often than not it was the islands where the lake split that were the best option.
The River here is flowing slowly, but enough to help you along without the effort needed in the still waters of lake or canal. We even met a Kayaker- a man taking his old Kayak out for the first time in 20 years. There are plenty of cruisers on this section, some going far too fast and we needed to turn into bow waves a number of times to avoid shipping water. In general it those renting boats who dont slow down- and those with there own boats who were more considerate and waved greetings. If any cruise companies are listening then please include this in the briefing for holiday makers.
The nicest section here is the loop of the river past Clonmacnoise, and as we passed at about 6pm it was quiet and a fantastic setting in the bend of the river. The banks are mainly reeds or fields with cows that make the bank muddy, and it is quite hard to find a decent place to stop. More often than not it was the islands where the lake split that were the best option.
Where possible we tried to take the smaller river sections where the river split; for variety but also to avoid the passing cruisers. Unfortunately one bridge marked on the map was a stone path that cut across the river and we had to portage over.
We were pleased with how fast we were going and managed it to Shannonbridge at about 7.30 pm. The landmark of the large ESB powerstation is a shame as the bridge is lovely. We left the boat in a small harbour here and rang for a taxi to take us back to Athlone where we were staying. There was a youth festival on at Clonmacnoise and all the bed and breakfasts in the area were booked up.
Apparently all the bridges along this section have bridges and forts (the one in Shannonbridge is now converted to a restaurant) set up in napoleonic times by the British...
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