Walk Northern Ireland - Mountaineering Ireland

Above left: Moneypenny’s Lock, Portadown
Above right: Mouth of Newry Canal, looking toward
Warrenpoint and the Mournes
canal in the British Isles.
The canal was officially opened
in 1742, and it thrived for over 150
years. Wooden horse-drawn barges
made up the bulk of the traffic.
Alongside the barges were dredgers
engaged in both the commercial
extraction of sand from Lough
Neagh, and helping to keep the
waterway free of silt.
Almost every town and village
along the route was shaped by the
canal trade. Portadown, the start of
the trail thrived during the canal
era, and linen mills, a brewery and
distillery sprang up thanks to the
volume of passing coal, timber and
grain.
A short distance outside
Portadown the path brings you to
the Point of Whitecoat, where the
Rivers Bann and Cusher merge.
Cross the canal here and continue
along the gravel towpath to
Monneypenny Lock. The adjacent
lock-keeper’s house dates from the
early 1800s and now contains a
small museum.
The placid waters of the canal
offer a perfect habitat for waterloving
fauna and flora. Since the
closure of the navigation channel in
1947, the waterway has been
preserved as a haven for wildlife.
Floating plants include water lilies,
Canadian pondweed and
walk… Newry Canal
amphibious bistort. You’ll also see
yellow flag iris and purple
loosestrife in the early summer.
Water birds are regular companions
too, with ducks, swans and herons
all feeding off the plethora of small
insects and fish that abound in the
area.
John Wesley, founder of
Methodism, stayed at the
Terryhoogan Lock House in the
mid eighteenth century and was so
impressed he remained a vocal
advocate of the canal. In the
village of Scarva, you might be
tempted to take a break in the
visitor centre café. Scarva owes its
very existence to the canal. A
Bridge was constructed here in
1744, and the settlement soon
sprang up. Acton Lake, also known
as Lough Shark was enlarged
during the construction period, and
a sluice was added to ensure
consistent water levels in the canal.
This marks the halfway point of
the walk.
Poyntzpass boomed at the time
of the canal, but was not as hard
hit by the canal’s subsequent
closure. The development of the
railway which saw the demise of
the canal was ironically built
adjacent to the course of the old
canal. Today the train station lies
just a short distance from an old
canal lock, which still stands some
250 years after it was constructed.
As you get closer to Newry the
landscape changes as you draw near
to the Mournes. Beside the trail
you’ll notice Canal Wood, part of
the Millennium Woodland Scheme,
which aims to restore Ireland’s
native forests. Just a few more locks
now separate you from Newry and
the Canal Quay Bridge, at the
official end of the route.
The Newry Canal E4–E5
Starting Point: Portadown
Distance: 32km
Maps & Books: ‘Newry Canal Way:
An illustrated guide to walking the Newry
Canal Way’
OSNI sheet: 20/29
www.waymarkedways.com
Facilities: Toilets: Public houses en route
discovernorthernireland.com
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