Carlingford walking delights

Walking in Carlingford, Co Louth and in the Cooley Peninsula is a wonderful way to discover an ancient landscape and stunning scenery, with walks for all abilities and ages

Carlingford is a town that has kept a lot of its old charm, and has friendly natives too! It is the trailhead for any number of loop walks, with more starting in nearby Grange, Omeath, Ravensdale, Rockmarshall and Whitestown. A longer looped walk, e Táin Way, can start in Ravensdale Woods, Ballymakellet, Omeath or Carlingford.

All the loop walks o er an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular surroundings, natural beauty and heritage of the Coooley Peninsula. It is a place steeped in history and mythology – a walker’s delight.

e looped walks starting in Carlingford are designed to suit people of all ages and average tness levels. ey are well serviced, catering for the occasional and leisure walker.

e new Greenway between Carlingford and Omeath is a welcome addition to the many other walking attractions. is 6.2km walking and cycling path follows the route of the old DN&G Railway line between Carlingford Marina and Grier’s Quay, continuing on to the village of Omeath. is new Greenway is a safe track and has lovely views along the scenic coast of the Lough.

King John’s Castle, also known as Carlingford Castle, is a stunning historical landmark located on the southern shores of Carlingford Lough and well worth a visit, e Castle is just a short stroll from the centre of the village and dates from the 12th Century. Built by Hugh de Lacy, this dramatic fortress o ers stunning views across the Lough towards the Mourne Mountains and legend has it that King John stayed here for three days in 1210.

Just recently, I enjoyed a delightful few hours walking and talking in Carlingford with Clodagh Mckevitt, owner of Anam Tours, a company o ering a wide range of guided walks.

As we walked, Clodagh told me a little about her life and her passion for the place she calls home.

“I have loved the Cooley Peninsula all my life,” she said. “I trained as a tour guide at the Holy Trinity Heritae Centre in Carlingford and worked there for a while, guiding tours. en I went from there and life took over. I’ve done a wide variety of jobs throughout my life, but it was when my brother Vincent died suddenly in 2018 that I hit the pause button and started to take stock of what I was working at and to gure out what actually makes me happy.

“I had a good job at the time, but I felt that it was not giving me much joy. It took my brother’s death to prompt me to stop and think about what I really wanted to do. I was used to walking the hills above Carlingford every day, so I decided that was what I really loved doing and it was what I would like to make my living doing, so I set up Anam Tours. e hills and mountains are my happy place and I like to share that joy with the people of all ages who sign up for my tours. e word ‘anam’ is Irish for ‘soul’ and I like to put heart, soul and spirit into the tours that I guide.”

Clodagh exudes the joy of living and love of her native place. Her tour menu is creative. Here are just some of her upcoming ones: April 16 – Easter Saturday Sunrise Walk, Sunset & Full Moon Walk; April 17 –Cross to Cross for Easter Sunday.

e Cross to Cross Walk takes walkers to the crosses at Barnavave and Ballyoonan at opposite ends of a looped trail that will also take in the summit of Sliabh Foy and along the ridge, with fabulous views on all sides. e walk takes about six hours and embraces beauty, history, heritage, myths and legends.

Another addition to the Anam Tours’ everexpanding list of walks are Hen Hikes. On the weekend I visited Carlingford, Clodagh had guided a group of 12 women from Dublin on a Saturday Hike and Picnic on the Barnavave Loop, a walk of close to 9km. “Carlingford is a favourite place for hen parties and I am nding that my Hen Hikes are becoming very popular with women who want to experience a little more than just a weekend tour of pubs,” Clodagh said. Two evenings a week, Clodagh also leads hikes for children aged between 5 and 12 who come from local schools and some from further a eld. “Once they get a taste of the great outdoors, the children love coming back to join in these weekly hour and a half walks,” she said. Find out more about Anam Tours at anamtours.ie

For a well-researched and beautifully produced OPW collection of Cooley Walks maps, visit the Tourist Information O ce, Carlingford, carlingford.ie