Suck Valley Way | |
---|---|
Length | 105 kilometres (65 miles) [1] |
Location | Counties Roscommon & Galway, Ireland |
Designation | National Waymarked Trail [1] |
Trailheads | Castlerea |
Use | Hiking |
Elevation gain/loss | 580 m (1,903 ft) [1] |
Difficulty | Moderate [1] |
Season | Any |
Website | https://www.discoversuckvalleyway.ie/ |
The Suck Valley Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is a 105-kilometre (65-mile) long circular route that begins and ends in Castlerea, County Roscommon. It is typically completed in five days. [1] It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Roscommon County Council, Roscommon Integrated Development Company and the Suck Valley Committee. [2]
The Way was devised by the River Suck Valley Development Cooperative, which was formed in 1991 to develop tourism in the region. [3] It took three years to develop, at a cost of IEP £80,000, £46,000 of which was grant-aided by Bord Fáilte. [4] It was officially opened in May 1997 by Enda Kenny, who was at that time Minister for Tourism and Trade. [3]
The trail circles the countryside around the valley of the River Suck south of Castlerea, which straddles the border between Counties Roscommon and Galway, taking in the "Nine Friendly Villages" of Ballintober, Dunamon, Castlecoote, Athleague, Mount Talbot, Ballygar, Creggs, Glinsk and Ballymoe. [1]
The section of the Suck Valley Way from Ballygar to Ballymoe forms part of the Beara-Breifne Way, a walking and cycling route under development, intended to run from the Beara Peninsula, County Cork to Breifne, County Leitrim, following the line of Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare's march in the aftermath of the Battle of Kinsale in 1603. [3]
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the 11th largest Irish county by area and 26th most populous. Its county town and largest town is Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 69,995 as of the 2022 census.
These are lists of long-distance trails in the Republic of Ireland, and include recognised and maintained walking trails, pilgrim trails, cycling greenways, boardwalk-mountain trails, and interconnected national and international trail systems.
Castlerea is the third largest town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located in the west of the county and had a population of 1,992 at the 2016 census. Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea is generally thought to mean 'brindled castle'. An alternative translation is 'castle of the king'. The town is built on the banks of the River Suck and the River Francis, both of which are tributaries of the River Shannon.
The Wicklow Way is a 131-kilometre (81-mile) long-distance trail that crosses the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. It runs from Marlay Park in the southern suburbs of Dublin through County Wicklow and ends in the village of Clonegal in County Carlow. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the Irish Sports Council and is waymarked by posts with a yellow "walking man" symbol and a directional arrow. Typically completed in 5–7 days, it is one of the busiest of Ireland's National Waymarked Trails, with up to 24,000 people a year walking the most popular sections. The Way is also used regularly by a number of mountain running competitions.
The Western Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is 179 kilometres long and begins in Oughterard, County Galway and ends in Ballycastle, County Mayo. It is typically completed in seven days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Coillte, Galway County Council, Mayo County Council, South Mayo Development Company and Mayo North & East Development Company.
The River Suck is a river within the Shannon River Basin in Ireland, 133 km (82.5 mi) in length. It is the main tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge.
The Kerry Way is a long-distance trail in County Kerry, Ireland. It is a 214-kilometre (133-mile) long circular trail that begins and ends in Killarney and is typically broken into nine stages. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Kerry County Council, South Kerry Development Partnership and the Kerry Way Committee. The Way circles the Iveragh Peninsula and forms a walkers' version of the Ring of Kerry road tour. It is the longest of Ireland's National Waymarked Trails.
The Beara Way is a long-distance trail in the southwest of Ireland. It is a 206-kilometre (128-mile) long circular trail around the Beara Peninsula that begins and ends in Glengarriff, County Cork, also passing through parts of County Kerry. It is typically completed in nine days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by the Beara Tourism and Development Association.
The N60 road is a national secondary road in Ireland, linking Castlebar, County Mayo to Roscommon town via Claremorris, Ballyhaunis and Castlerea. The busiest section of the N60 is between Castlebar and Claremorris, as this is one of the main links from County Mayo to the Irish motorway network at Tuam. This section of the route carries more than 7,000 vehicles daily.
The Ballyhoura Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. The trail is 89 kilometres long; it begins at St John's Bridge, near Kanturk, County Cork and ends at Limerick Junction, County Tipperary, and is typically completed in four days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Ballyhoura Fáilte. The trail was opened in April 1994 by President Mary Robinson.
The Blackwater Way is a long-distance trail that follows the valley of the River Blackwater in Ireland. It is 168 kilometres long and begins in Clogheen, County Tipperary and ends in Shrone, County Kerry. It is typically completed in ten days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Avondhu Tourism and IRD Duhallow. It consists of two trails – the Avondhu Way between Clogheen and Bweeng, County Cork and the Duhallow Way between Bweeng and Shrone – which have been combined to form the Blackwater Way.
The Cavan Way is a long-distance trail in County Cavan, Ireland. It is 22 kilometres long and begins in Blacklion and ends in Dowra. It is typically completed in one day. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Cavan County Council. The trail was devised by a local man, Harold Johnston, and set up by the Blacklion Community Council and the Cavan County Development Team between 1984 and 1985.
The Hymany Way is a long-distance trail in County Galway, Ireland. It is 50 kilometres long and begins in Portumna and ends in Aughrim. It is typically completed in two days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by the Aughrim Development Company Limited. The trail was developed with funding assistance from the NTR Foundation, a philanthropic organisation of NTR plc. It was officially opened on 24 September 2010 by Councillor Jimmy McClearn, Mayor of County Galway. It is planned to extend the trail from Aughrim to Ballygar where it will join with the Suck Valley Way.
The South Leinster Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is 104 kilometres long and begins in Kildavin, County Carlow and runs through County Kilkenny before ending in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary. It is typically completed in five days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is jointly managed by Carlow County Council, Kilkenny County Council, Tipperary County Council, Carlow Local Sports Partnership, Kilkenny Trails and Coillte. It was opened on 30 November 1985 by Donal Creed, Minister of State for Sport.
The Táin Way is a long-distance trail around the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth, Ireland. It is a 40-kilometre (25-mile) long circular route that begins and ends in Carlingford. It is typically completed in two days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Louth County Council, Coillte and the Walks Partnership Group.
The Miners' Way and Historical Trail is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is a 118-kilometre (73-mile) long circular route that begins and ends in Arigna, County Roscommon. It is typically completed in five days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Roscommon Integrated Development Company, Roscommon County Council, Leitrim County Council and Sligo County Council. The trail was developed to encourage tourism in the area in the wake of the closure of the Arigna mines in 1990. The route was originally conceived by a local priest, Father Sean Tynan, and built with funding from the European Regional Development Fund. The trail was opened by broadcaster Donncha Ó Dúlaing in July 2000.
The Multeen Way is a long-distance trail in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is 23 kilometres long and begins in Tipperary Town and ends in Upperchurch. It is typically completed in one day. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council.
The Beara-Breifne Way is a long-distance walking and cycling trail being developed from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland, to Blacklion in the area of Breifne in County Cavan. The trail follows closely the line of the historical march of O’Sullivan Beare.
The Ireland Way is Ireland's longest coast-to-coast walking and cycling trail that joins the newly developed Beara-Breifne Way to the Ulster Way on the island of Ireland. The trail goes from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Republic of Ireland to Ballycastle, County Antrim in Northern Ireland. The Beara-Breifne Way trail follows closely the line of the historical march of O’Sullivan Beare. One of the first people to walk the Ireland Way in one go was a Canadian woman named Maysen Forbes in 2017.
The Lung Lough Gara Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is a 58-kilometre (36-mile) hiking trail that begins in Castlerea, County Roscommon. It is typically completed in three days. It forms part of the Beara-Breifne Way and shares part of its route with the Suck Valley Way. The trail follows quiet local roads, pasture and bog land to link in with the Miners Way. It has received funding for its development from the Irish government.