A New Walk for the New Year, this Sunday, 6th of January we will be following the new Newry- Greenway from the town to Victoria Lock before taking to the hills above Fathom.
For those who don’t know the history of Newry Canal, construction began around 1730 and took almost eleven years to complete at a cost of £1,000,000 (around £19 billion in today’s money!) It was undoubtedly a great piece of engineering and resulted in Newry becoming one of the most important ports in Ireland during the eighteenth century, beginning three miles south of Newry it runs parallel to the Newry – Omeath road, and it is this section that we will be following on Sunday. Northwards it continues for another 18 miles to the upper Bann River.
In 1750 the Albert Basin at Newry and Victoria Lock were completed. The lock is 205 ft by 50 ft. With the exception of the iron sheeted outer gates installed in the 1930’s, it has changed little since it was completed to Sir John Rennie’s design. Carlingford limestone was used for the walls and the original gates had English oak frames. Intrigued???
If you are intrigued and would like to see for yourself why not come along and join us? We meet at the Gap O’ the North Pub, Jonesborough at 10 am for registration, before car pooling and driving to our starting point. You will need walking boots, a waterproof jacket and a packed lunch. Whilst this walk starts out on the flat, please note there is a steep pull up into the hills at Fathom, so a reasonable level of fitness is needed, you can check out our website FAQ Page for more information on fitness and kit recommended.