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Ballyconnell Canal Walk

3.73 miles (6 km)

Open Streetmap This circular walk takes you along the canalised section of the Woodford River in the town of Ballyconnell in County Cavan.
The waymarked trail starts off from the Ballyconnell Bridge car park and takes you along the canal to Annagh Lough Woods. You can follow some peaceful woodland trails towards the pretty Annagh Lough in this area before returning to the canal and the town centre.
For more canalside walking head to nearby Ballinamore where you can pick up the Ballinamore Canal Walk and enjoy a stroll along the Shannon Erne Waterway.

Ballyconnell Canal Walk Open Street Map Open Streetmap - Mobile GPS Map with Location tracking

Further Information and Other Local Ideas

To continue your walking in the area head north west into Northern Ireland to climb Cuilcagh Mountain in the Breifne Mountains. You can also pick up the Cavan Way near here.

Photos

Sailing on the Woodford canal - geograph.org.uk - 2914068

Sailing on the Woodford canal. Ballyconnell is situated along the Woodford River (Irish: Sruth Gráinne, meaning "the Gravelly Stream" or "the Gravelly River"), which forms part of the Shannon–Erne Waterway, a boating route that was reopened in 1993. The river is also referred to in English as the River Gráinne or the Graine River. A section of the Woodford River at Ballyconnell has been canalised, known as the Woodford Canal. The town lies at the foot of Slieve Rushen mountain and is approximately one mile from the border between County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland and County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. This geographical positioning underscores Ballyconnell's historical significance as a crossing point and a connector between regions.

Bridge across the Woodford canal - geograph.org.uk - 2914074

Bridge across the Woodford canal

Ballyconnell main street

Ballyconnell main street. Ballyconnell is an anglicisation of the Irish name Béal Átha Conaill, which translates to "the entrance to Conall's ford." This ford was a shallow crossing over the River Gráinne, now known as the Woodford River, and historically served as a border crossing for travellers moving between Ulster and Connacht. The ford's formation was due to silt and gravel deposits washed down from the nearby Slieve Rushen mountain by the Tanyard Stream, which flows into the Gráinne about 20 yards upriver from Ballyconnell Bridge on the western edge of the town.

Annagh

Annagh Lough

Video

GPS Files

GPX File

Ballyconnell Canal Walk.gpx (On Desktop:Right Click>Save As. On Ipad/Iphone:Click and hold>Download Linked File)