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When the Carlingford Lough Greenway opens fully, hopefully in early 2025, going for a bicycle spin from Carlingford or Omeath to Newry will be so much easier, not to mention safer. The question is - Is Newry ready!
Currently work is continuing on the final link between the border and Victoria Lock. The boardwalk structure will mean that cyclists will no longer need to take their bikes on to the Omeath road and taking your children with you northbound on a bike spin to Newry or beyond will be a much more attractive proposition.
With that in mind Newry.ie met up in Newry last week with Richard Lewis from On Yer Bike - Carlingford Greenway Bike Hire to cycle round the city and check out some of the places to visit and venues to stop for a coffee or food. Richard is based at Carlingford Marina, directly on the Greenway and as well as hiring E-Bikes and standard bikes it is a perfect place for advice on potential trips and tourism information.
The fact that Newry Canal which runs the length of the city is the oldest canal in Ireland should be a good enough reason to visit our city. Stopping for a coffee at Grounded on Merchants Quay at the side of the canal, it was the perfect place to have a brief rest and watch the world go by.
On Yer Bike organise tours and two things they are always looking out for are places to park the bicycles and a facility where e-bikes can be charged. Currently Newry's only bike park is located on Catherine Street, unfortunately not somewhere convenient. Local businesses could certainly encourage visits from cyclists by providing a plug where bikes could be charged from or directing cyclists to a safe convenient place to put their bike.
With coffee on board we took a spin to check out two of Newry's most iconic buildings, Sands' Mill designed by William Watson in and Riverside Church designed by William Barre in 1865. See storymaps.arcgis.com for an online guided tour around some of Newry's best architecture. The present car park at Basin Quay was formerly a canal basin where barges could turn around and head back towards Portadown.
Finishing off we visited Ireland's first Protestant church, St Patrick's on Church Street and a dander into Heather Park and a look at the locked entrance to the Gallows Hill tunnel which was used to take prisoners up to the Gallows there in the 18th century. Lindsay Hill also got a glance, recalling the story of Lord Haw Haw the infamous WW2 German propaganda announcer, who apparently could tell the exact number of steps on the Newry walk.
Time for a delicious lunch at Synge and Byrne and then it was back on the Greenway Carlingford bound. It is certain that 2025 will see many more visitors cycling through and around the city. The new Newry Inner City Greenway mentioned last week, 14 November by Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd that hopefully will link the Carlingford Lough Greenway to the Newry Canal Towpath cannot happen soon enough while the new park at Albert Basin that is expected to open in 2027 will also be a massive added draw.
Check out www.onyerbike.ie
