The nature trail starts at the Ferry car park next to the playground at the bottom of Chapel Hill. It is a popular walk and known for the many swans, geese and ducks that gather on this stretch of river all year round. There are fourteen Points of Interest along the trail, indicated by wooden posts, each one giving information on the trees, flowers, fish and wildlife in the area. It can be completed in under an hour.
Please be aware that the trail can be muddy in the winter months and is not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies.
Start by walking downstream from the playground, past the outdoor gym and the wooden footbridge. If the water is low and you’re brave enough, step across the ancient stepping stones for a spectacular view upstream and down.
Take the higher walkway through the wooded area, past the colourful fairy houses and the bat boxes high above. Soon you will come across a large stone at the edge of the path, bearing an impression of what is said to be a man’s footprints with a snake alongside. Local folklore has it that these are the footprints of St Patrick and it is from here that he banished the serpent across the water to County Clare.
Just past the concrete steps leading up to the rear of the Castle Oaks House Hotel, you will find the newest addition to the nature trail. An impressive owl sculpture, commissioned by the Castleconnell Tidy Towns group, which stands proudly surveying the river.
Once you reach the meadow, look towards the river and you may be lucky enough to glimpse an otter or the majestic kingfisher flying low across the water.
Cross the meadow and continue along the riverside, winding your way along the path until you come to ‘Tuohys Lane’. Ahead of you is an old stone stile with a grand archway. This is known locally as Massy’s Stile and leads into the estate that once housed Hermitage, a magnificent mansion owned by the Massy family. You are now at Stop 14 and have completed the Nature Trail.
To return to the village, go left up Tuohy’s Lane to the main road, turning left at the top. Continue walking past the ‘village’ green and whitewashed cottages of St Flannan’s Terrace, past All Saints Church and the graveyard, and downhill to the Ferry Car Park. You are now back where you started.
Hand drawn artwork and post design by Vincent Warfield
Post design narratives by Eanna Ni Lamhna