Story: Anna Howard
Photos: Mícheál Howard
Being one of the lakes that are closest to our home place, Lough Derg has always been one of our most frequent paddling spots. Be it for a quick mid-week evening get away after work or a last-minute weekend wild camping trip, it has never failed us. However, the opportunity to paddle the length of the lake had so far eluded us. Situated on the Shannon River, which is the longest river in the Ireland, the lake stretches from the small town of Portumna all the way down to the ‘twin towns’ of Killaloe and Ballina, and it borders no less than three counties: Clare, Galway and Tipperary.
Paddling the length of Lough Derg
Last August Bank Holiday weekend, we set it in our sights to paddle the whole length of the Lough Derg. The most direct route comes down to around 37 kilometres which could be paddled in a day under the right conditions. However, we wanted a relaxing long weekend, more of a touring adventure rather than a marathon and, knowing the weather in the area, we decided to rely on our experience and stretch it out over three days. For those of us who possess the luxury of time and show an interest to explore all the lake’s coves, bays and islands, one could expand said distance to roughly 60 kilometres exploring one coastline of the lake alone. As for us, we opted to follow the flow of the river and set off in Portumna on the border of Co. Galway and Co. Tipperary. From there, we would head south-west towards the great unknown and we would finish our paddle in Killaloe, Co. Clare. For those of you familiar with the prevailing winds in Ireland, you can probably imagine that we were setting ourselves a task.
We set off from under the bridge in Portumna, the last crossing point on the River Shannon until our destination in Killaloe at the bottom of the lake. For the first five kilometres, the wind was with us, the sun was shining and we felt like we were somewhere in Spain on a relaxing summer holiday! Exactly what we wanted after a few long weeks of organising our own wedding. It was so nice and quiet that myself and Watson decided to take a little nap in the boat and leave the hard work to Mícheál. What a glorious day we had! The sun in our faces, light breeze playing with our hair, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore… Paddling in such conditions was nice and easy.
inquisitive calves
At lunchtime, we stopped on the eastern bank of the lake, where we managed to find a nice small beach area where the lake first narrows. Unfortunately, this beach was also the watering hole for a herd of inquisitive calves who decided join us for lunch. They were very curious what we were doing and Watson was very interested in who they were and what they wanted from us! Lunch consisted of one of our signature one pot meals: wholemeal egg noodles with barbecue Hodgins sausages, green beans, mushrooms and tomato sauce. Fry the sausages, add the veg; use plenty of butter, pour in a jar of tomato sauce and cook the noodles in the pot with the sauce. It’s bound to be a feast! After a cup of tea, we got back on the water and headed onwards towards the islands near the western bank of the lake where we were hoping to find a spot to set up camp for the night.
Most of the islands on the lake are forest-covered and usually suitable for a spot of wild camping. The few islands that are open and grass-covered are used for grazing livestock, usually wild livestock. These animals are not used to too much human contact, not to mention wild campers and tents, and they are best avoided unless you want a herd of wily heifers trudging through your camp at four in the morning. Finding a camping spot on the set of islands we intended proved more challenging than we’d planned. Impassable reeds surrounded the islands making it almost impossible to get through and heavy undercover on the islands wasn’t exactly appeasing!
We searched unsuccessfully for an hour around the set of islands, but we finally opted for a tiny peninsula on the mainland. It was easy enough to access and had a reasonably open seasoned deciduous forest to set up camp in. A quick glance at the satellite image on Google Maps showed that we were well removed from any houses or tracks, ideal for an undisturbed night of wild camping. There’s no exact position or law in Ireland about wild camping… Technically, it could be viewed as trespassing and you could end up being chased away by an angry farmer, but if you’re in a remote area, you arrive late, leave early and leave no trace, then you should have no trouble.
After hauling the gear and the boat out of the water, we hung up the hammock, set up the tarp and our campsite kitchen, sat down and prepared our supper: chicken noodles, bread and butter. A bit more basic than our lunch earlier on, but it did the trick nonetheless! By the time we finished washing up and cleaning after food, the sun had already set and it was time to head to bed. We hadn’t exactly planned to spend as much time searching for a camp spot so falling asleep didn’t take long. We were, however, hoping for a spectacular sunrise so we set the alarm for 05.15. When we awoke, the cloud coverage was so thick that we quickly gave up on the idea and went back to sleep for a few more hours.
strong winds and big swell
Those clouds at sunrise were only a sign of things to come, and unfortunately, all good things must come to an end – or not, depends on what you prefer – but personally, I’m not too gone on strong winds and big swell… Setting off the next day, it started slowly: a gust of wind here and there, an occasional splash of the water hitting the boat a bit too hard… The landscape in the northern half of the lake is much wilder and the lake is lined with a mixture of forests and agricultural land.
There are only a handful of harbour villages and, as a result, there were only a handful of cruiser boats out on the water, who would usually stick to the middle of the lake, making a beeline for Portumna. Lough Derg and the whole of River Shannon is a popular motor boating destination for many people during the summer months. Although there are so many motor boats on the lake, most stick to the main touring routes between the few harbour villages and rarely venture beyond, thus leaving the vast majority of the water free for those looking for a bit of solitude.
We decided to make for the harbour in Garrykennedy for lunch, 10 kilometres south of where we had camped. It turned out to be a serene harbour with freshly cut grass, a proper slipway, toilet facilities and lovely lunch spots. It was time to cook our second signature camping dish: chorizo rice! We sliced six small chorizos and fried them up on a dollop of butter. Then we added long grain rice and a stock cube and covered it all with water. Finally, we added some corn, beans and green pepper on top and left it to simmer for 15 minutes. When the rice was cooked, we mixed some cheddar cheese into the sauce, let it melt and then dished out our delicious dinner! Topped with more cheddar cheese once on the plates, of course.
The sun was shining again, the skies were blue and the birch trees waved their branches when the wind blew… Once again, life was perfect. Until, of course, it was time to get back on the water and we realised that the speed of the wind was after increasing significantly and now coming from the west. Perfect timing? Unfortunately not, as west was exactly where we needed to head! We stayed close to the shore and we fought against the wind and the swell, taking breaks whenever we needed by beaching ourselves in the reeds so that we wouldn’t be blown backwards and lose ground.
However, once we started heading into the more familiar part of the lake, there was less reeds and more forest with an easily accessible shore. The first thing I thought was, “No reeds means less problems finding a spot for camping for the night!” The shoreline was quite impressive, too. We passed plenty of hidden private harbours, people sitting out on their rocky jetties reading books – it was quite a fascinating sight! Inis Cealtra came into view over to the west in Scariff Bay, a historical monastery site with a round tower that the monks used to use to hide from roaming vikings.
Definitely worth a visit, but having been there a few times ourselves, we had no intention of battling the winds for five additional kilometres to go there again. Instead, we had our eyes fixed on somewhere much closer: Scilly Island, a place where we have camped before. Not having to spend time searching for a campsite was also a welcome thought in the current conditions. Crossing a wide body of water can be challenging enough in good weather; it becomes even harder when the conditions are more demanding. It was probably not the worst we have ever experienced but it was definitely the longest paddle in tough conditions that we’ve have ever had to do. Relief is the only word I would use to describe reaching the island. Our relaxing tour weekend down the lake had turned into a ‘slogfest’.
This was the second night we decided to sleep in the hammock and again, we were lucky enough that it didn’t rain that night. Before calling it a night, however, we checked the weather for our last day and it seemed like the wind was going to be 4 m/s heading in the south-west direction and slowly dying down from around lunchtime. As you can imagine, the local weather is quite unpredictable and when we woke up in the morning, nothing was as we’d hoped.
Howling wind
On our third day on Lough Derg, the wind was howling, dark clouds were hanging above our heads and we could see the rain in the distance. We had a quick breakfast made up of pesto and chorizo sandwiches, gathered all our gear, tied it safely in the boat and we set our course for Killaloe. We had 10 kilometres to go and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. The wind was blowing right against us, the swell was huge and the waves were crashing against the boat. Suffice to say, I got soaked in the front! But boy, did we have fun.
Watson was on high alert with the noises and smells around him, I was on edge because my muscles were already tired and there was no stopping with the wind… To tell you the truth, when the conditions are like that, even if one of us stops paddling for a few short moments, it doesn’t take much for the wind to turn the boat off course and put us broadside to the chop. Thankfully, we established a good communication system and we stormed through the waves like we were on fire! Even though we would have loved it if the lake was calm, the views that came with the stormy weather were spectacular. The mist and the clouds were still hanging low when we set out… We slowly watched them ascend towards the sky revealing more and more of what lay ahead of us.
The last section of the lake narrows between two mountains, Moylussa on the Clare side and Tountinna on the Tipperary side. By the time we got to the Two Mile Gate, we could see the mountains in the background and all the detail in the fields. It was well into the afternoon before we entered Killaloe and paddled under the bridge in the town. The wind slowed down by then and the rain turned into an occasional drizzle. All seemed so peaceful, a fitting end to our journey
Blueways Ireland
Once we passed the bridge, we quickly spotted the canoe racks where we were planning on leaving our boat and gear while we collected our car from the top of the lake in Portumna. As part of an initiative to promote and encourage paddlesports in the area, Blueways Ireland, an organisation responsible for maintaining our national waterways, installed canoe storage racks at certain harbour villages along the lake. They can be used for shuttles or if you want to lock up your canoe and gear securely and go for lunch in one of the harbour villages or even spend the night in a B&B.
All in all, we had a fantastic weekend! Lough Derg is definitely one to recommend. Easy to navigate with plenty of towns and villages to point you in the right direction, as well as many islands to provide shelter when you need one. We will be back again, Lough Derg, and hopefully next time, we might meet someone else canoeing out there!
