Tourism \ Activities \ Walking \ The Newry Link

From Portadown to Newry, the old Newry canal is a wildlife corridor through an area largely given over to agriculture.

1. Start - leave bridge street in Portadown and follow the riverside path called the Upper Bann Boulevard. On the edge of town continue along a path lined with attractive poplars, with views across level fields to the distant Slieve Gullion and Camlough Mountain, rising beyond Newry. Cross the tubular Whitecoat Bridge, spanning the confluence of the River Bann and Newry Canal.

2. 1¼ miles / 2 km - alder and willow flank the towpath, along with reeds and rushes. A gateway leads the towpath onto a track passing Moneypenny's Lock.. The buildings beside the lock are preserved as a museum complex featuring the lock house, stables and bothy. The tree lined track continues to Knock Bridge, where you cross over a busy road.

3. 3 miles / 4.8 km - follow a track lined with trees beside the canal. Cross a stile by a gate and walk along the top of an embankment between the canal and the Cusher River. Later, cross a footbridge at a link between the canal and river channels. The next part is rougher and can be overgrown with vegetation, following another embankment between the two channels. Cross a stile later to reach a lower embankment, and go through a gate as hedges close in on both sides. Pass more gates and cross a busy road, noting old warehouses.

4. 5 miles / 8 km - the towpath continues along a low grassy embankment. Cross a stile and walk along a broad strip of grassland, rather like a long field. The canal is on the left, while a swampy channel lies off to the right. A track later runs past a heap of wood and scrap metal to join a road at Terryhoogan. Keep left to follow the road beside the canal to reach Campbell's Lock.

5. 6¼ miles / 10.8 km - a track and path lead to Scarva, passing an old railway viaduct and the Cusher River Aqueduct. The Scarva Visitor Centre can be seen by an old basin on the opposite bank of the canal. The centre features the history of the canal, but Scarva is also famous for King William's visit on his way to the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. A `Sham Fight' takes place here in July.

6. 7½ miles / 12.1 km - the towpath leads away from the village, passing canal buildings. A sign explains about an earthwork known as the Dane's Cast, or Black Pig's Race, dating from 350AD. When you reach Acton Lake, there's a Visitor Centre in an old sluice-keeper's cottage, featuring the wildlife of the area. The canal was watered from the Acton Lake, and this is its summit level at only 78ft (24m). Look out for herons, ducks and geese.

7. 9¼ Miles / 14.8 km - the towpath continues as a fine track until it reaches a gateway at Poyntzpass. This was once Fenwick's Pass, but the land was given to Lieutenant Charles Poyntz, after he fought a battle here in 1603. Poyntzpass is halfway between Portadown and Newry.

Approximate time: 5 hours