CONOR POWERrediscovers part of his own heritage on a 30km trek from the Co Waterford town
FROM THE heritage town of Lismore I set out one beautifully still warm June morning with my 14-year-old son to rediscover a part of my own heritage that had somehow passed me by completely – a place I had often seen but never looked at.
Leaving Lismore, you cross the bridge following a footpath that will allow you to safely indulge in the irresistible urge to look over your shoulder at the stunning pile of Lismore Castle. Turn right adjacent to a canal that was built for the express purpose of transporting building material from the Blackwater to the castle construction site.
Leaving the grazing swans behind you, the meandering River Blackwater opens up to regularly flooded area known as the Ballyrafter Flats. At Cappoquin, turn south, mimicking the dramatic right-angle run of the Blackwater towards the ocean.
The landscape is rather flat and the roads quiet until you reach Killahaly bridge four kilometres on. Leading from the large turning area in front of you, a well-defined path to the right takes you on a rewarding zig-zagging route up the hill known as Bawnagappul to a height of about 130m.
As you climb higher, you catch tantalising magical glimpses through the mature natural woodland of the broad Blackwater, more appropriately named An Abhainn Mhór. If you look northwards, the expanse of rich, flat land of the Tourin Demesne (whose entrance you will have passed en route) is spread out before you while, on the opposite bank, the brooding presence of Dromona House (as children, the unfounded rumour among us was that it was haunted) stands out from the mature dense green foliage that covers the steep banks of the Blackwater at this point. I puffed on, keeping pace with a younger, faster person and wishing his mother had come along to enjoy the view.
Making sure not to follow the easternmost path that ends suddenly by a steep precipice, but the one adjacent, your feet take you onto a battered-looking roadway that leads back onto the public road. Continuing south, the lane to the left immediately before Camphire Bridge is worth a diversion to a cobbled slipway. Opposite is the quay at the exquisite time-trap of the village of Villierstown (a place which is mysteriously missing from my satnav).
Strancally Castle is one of the most impressive residences on this river of many historical and impressive homes – arguably second only to Lismore Castle. You’ll have to limit yourself to tantalising glimpses of it from this side of the river but the old quay road – which has become close to impassable to regular vehicular traffic – takes you on a beautiful trek down its steep deeply rutted surface, under leafy canopies past a pretty thatched lodge to an overgrown slipway. There are a couple of picnic tables here, so it’s an ideal place to stop and snack, watched over by a refurbished stone watchtower.
Retracing your steps over Camphire Bridge, take the next left along a quiet roadway that climbs over the following two kilometres. Five hundred metres after crossing the Owbeg River, turn right, in past rusting green gates. This track runs almost dead north for one and a half kilometres. It’s an easy hike across a broad open sweep of landscape. The cluster of old farm buildings to your left halfway along lends an air of Olde England. The ruins of an old estate wall are visible off at a distance to your right and the Knockmealdown Mountains form a dramatic backdrop before you.
After crossing the public road, the path soon turns sharp left, blending into a minor public road, past the site of an old Motte and Bailey castle before leading back into Lismore town on a road that descends past the site of the ancient cathedral and back to where you started.
Lismore, Co Waterford
Start and finishTown car park on former castle grounds next to playground and public park in Lismore.
How to get thereLismore is on the N72 route midway between Fermoy and Dungarvan.
Time6hrs 20mins.
Distance30km.
Total ascent130m.
MapOrdnance Survey Discovery Series sheet 81.
SuitabilityAn ideal family walk with no steep slopes. A good deal of public road walking, either on quiet roads or one main road section (Lismore to Cappoquin) with a public footpath. Rain gear, comfortable walking boots and a packed lunch recommended.
Food and accommodation
Lismore or Cappoquin.