Go Walk: A riverside meander through Newcastle Woods, Co Longford

This woodland area is bisected by the River Inny, a tributary of the Shannon and thought to be the cleanest river in Ireland. It is called after the mythical Princess Eithne, who drowned in it. The path along its banks makes a pleasant start to the mixed woodland that extends along both sides of the Inny.

The river was dredged in the 1960s and the spoil heaps left on the banks have developed into a profusion of shrub and plant species, especially masses of wild clematis.

The Inny has sufficient volume at this stage to slip along silently, when not in the turmoil of a flood. To add interest to the walk, the rear of Newcastle House dominates the far bank. At the end of the riverside path, it used be possible to cross the river via a white latticework iron bridge. It was disassembled in 1963 to facilitate drainage works, with a promise that it would be reinstated. You won’t be too surprised that this hasn’t happened, so to get to the other side you can take the paths through Clonkeen Woods or return the way you came, which is by far the more pleasant option.

A 300 metre walk down the road will bring you to Jack’s Gate, which gives access to the larger block of the forest. This is named after Jack Cleary who undertook his duties as gate keeper with an over zealousness which no one dared challenge. You will quickly come to a crossroads of paths. To the right is the Long Church walk which leads down to St Munis’s Church.

On the left, you will get a view of the fine frontage of Newcastle House, which was the home of the King-Harman family for hundreds of years. The last of them died in 1947.

Empty for many years, it was restored as a hotel by a New York fireman who was on duty in 9/11. Ironically, planning permission was granted on the same day. He and his wife, a local woman, spent four years restoring it. Unfortunately the downturn ruined the dream and he was forced to sell. It is now a private house once more.

I decided to go straight on to reach the Wandering Walk, which held more promise of a greater variety of trees. The forest has a broad range of species of different ages and includes beech, ash, oak, and a range of conifers, with smaller coppices of alder, willow, cherry and holly. This creates an ideal walking experience.

While every season in woodlands has its own particular charm, I have lately begun to appreciate winter walks in them. The skeletal patterns of the bare canopy etched against a blue sky are constantly diverting. An unkind friend opined that this interest is due to the fact that I am approaching the skeletal state myself.

I returned via the church path, where an impressive kilometre-long avenue frames Newcastle House.