1st - 5th September. From Lough Key to Cootehall, Leitrim, and the Shannon Erne Waterway. Sailing on to Keshcarrigan, Kiltybardan and Haughton's Shore.

We spent a couple more days at Lough Key, enjoying the walking and the company there. When we set off on Monday the water of the lough looked very dark behind us.

However the sun came out on Oakport Lough, as we sailed on down the Boyle river, and gleamed on the surface of the lough.

We moored at Cootehall, and were treated to this sunset through the bridge.

"Life's a yawn!", says Shannon, as we rejoin her namesake, the Shannon river. The Iron Mountains can be seen in the background.

While Andy got some diesel at Leitrim, Shannon stalked a duck on the roof of The Puzzler. It is not really very worried at all.

 Moving on through the bridge for water, and some craic on Big Blue, we set off on the Shannon Erne waterway. A young helper controls the bows of The Puzzler.

Shannon came off at each lock to help. There is plenty of time to relax, below the control panel, while the lock is filling.

The weather has improved again, and is warm enough for shorts, here at Lisconor lock.

At Kilclare Middle Lock, the sudden waterfall over the top gates confirm that a boat is coming down the next lock.

Keshcarrigan seems a very lonely mooring, when you are the only boat on the jetty. Admittedly, there were three more boats here last night.

The village at Keshcarrigan nestles among the trees, beyond the long jetty.

There is work going on by the weir above lock 8. This is scheduled to go on for a month, but it is not clear what is being done.

Lock 8 is probably the deepest on the Shannon Erne Waterway.

Kiltybardan is a floating jetty, with no access to land. As we were mooring The Puzzler, Shannon found some fish scales which just asked for a dog to roll in them! Later on she discovered some fish bones, hidden down a crack in the jetty. Having been forbidden both of these treasures, Shannon was not impressed by the mooring. We like it here though!

As a protest, she decided to collapse across the barge pole, and go to sleep on the roof.

On leaving Kiltybardan Lough, Slieve Anierin can be seen again behind Andy.

Church Island is ahead of us on Garadice Lough. Shannon enjoys walking round the top of the roof,and is very surefooted. However, after leaving Haughton's Shore, she turned sharply to look at a horse on the bank, and fell in! Swimming at her full speed, she soon caught up with the boat, and was pulled back on board. She was a little shaken, but was back on the roof in no time.

Haughton's Shore is as peaceful as ever.

Walking along the shoreline back to Garadice Lough from the harbour, the distant woods and fields are a real Irish green.

Meanwhile, out on Garadice Lough, a cruiser approaches in the sunset.

Upper Shannon Meanderings 18th – 26th July.

Monday was wet and windy, but we set off down Lough Key, in order to be at Carrick-on-Shannon in good time. It was a wet crossing with waves over the bows!

At Carrick we took the only free finger mooring. There is room for 29 boats on these moorings, but they are only 28 foot long, so The Puzzler sticks out into the river. Our bows are in as far as they will go, really they are! There is also space along the wall near to the bridge for several more boats. It is busy this week as the Shannon Annual Boat Rally meets here at the weekend, and several boats are already here. Unlike in England, boats here move from harbour to harbour during the rally. The Shannon Rally has over eighty boats attending this year, so they will fill the harbours wherever they stop!

We sailed from Carrick up the Shannon and on to the Boyle River again. The weather was much calmer this time when we reached Lough Key, and we continued on to Boyle, at the far end of the Lough. We visited King House, a magnificently restored Georgian Mansion, built in the early 1700's for Sir Henry King, whose family was one of the most powerful and wealthy in Ireland. The house later became a military barracks for the famous Connaught Rangers, and is now a museum. We each had an audio guide, and there was an immense amount of information to absorb.

We next visited Boyle Abbey which is in the process of restoration. It was founded in the 12th Century as a Cistercian Monastery.

The abbey ruins were very well preserved, as were the visitors!

These donkeys came straight over to see us, and were very friendly.

 Martin enjoyed taking the helm back across Lough Key to the Lough Key Forest Park mooring.Martin is an incredibly experienced sailor, albeit usually out at sea.

We did the Lough Key Experience, which includes a trip underground, through the cellars of Rockingham House. They are the only remaining part of this stately home, which burned to the ground in 1957. There is a lift up to the top of the Moylurg viewing tower, which gives a good view over this part of Lough Key. Jenny is listening to her audio guide, not her mobile phone! After leaving the cellars, the return route is by way of a tree canopy walkway.

Castle Island was our next stop. This folly was built in the 19th Century from the ruins of the old castle.

It was a very short mooring here, with The Puzzler resting on the rocky shore. We created a minor problem for visiting canoes!

It was possible to scramble right round the island and also to climb up to the ramparts.







Next stop was The Zipit Experience, also at Lough Key Forest Park. Sally and Martin were strapped into their harnesses, ready to go, while Andy was photographer-in-chief !

There are four levels of difficulty at Zipit. This shows one of the early obstacles on the White course, which was also one of the most difficult obstacles, due to the height being climbed up the seemingly level steps.

This one was much easier!

Martin strolled across the ropes with ease!

These pallet type platforms tended to swing apart as we stepped between them.

The zipwires themselves were the best bit!

As we only had time to complete two of the four courses, we had to forego riding a BMX bike along a wire from treetop to treetop. Maybe next time!

Jenny steered back down Lough Key to the Boyle river. The weather has been kinder than it was on Monday, when the waves were coming over our bows.

This gypsy horse and caravan were in Leitrim.

From Leitrim we cruised up the first six locks on the Shannon-Erne Waterway, to moor above Kilclare Lower lock. We played Petanque on the newly mown grass beside The Puzzler, before going to the local hostelry to sample the Guiness there.

We continued up the last two locks to the summit level. Passing Keshcarrigan, we went down one lock, before turning off into Kiltybardan Lough. The mooring in the middle of the lough was a perfect place for a swim, followed by some sunbathing on a glorious afternoon.

On our return down to Leitrim next morning, Martin and Jenny nearly had an unexpected shower, as the lock above us was emptied by a following boat. As the pound between the two locks was already full, the excess came over the gate of Kilclare Lower lock. There was nowhere to run!

Well, you could go and work the locks instead!

We had a very pleasant meal at The Barge in Leitrim, before rejoining the Shannon to continue southwards.

This young foal was having a drink as we sailed past on the river.

We moored at the end of the Jamestown Canal. It is a lovely place, with our own lawn, which had been freshly cut. The weather is still being kind to us, so we had our second game of Petanque here. It was closely fought, but this time Martin and Sally were victorious, so it is honours even!

Catkin has been coping very well with these high wall moorings

We made an early start through Albert Lock before continuing on through Lough Tap, Lough Boderg and Lough Bofin to reach Dromod Harbour in good time. Dromod is a beautifully kept village. Martin and Jenny left us by bus. We have had a great week together.

We spent the evening on our new neighbours' boat. There were 23 boats in harbour, one of which was a small cruiser tied alongside us.

Ballinamore to Castlefore Lock 1st - 4th July

We stayed in Ballinamore to drain The Puzzler's water tank, and remove the cover. There was not as much rust inside as we had feared. It did not take too long to scrape it off and clean the tank thoroughly, leaving it overnight to dry. On Friday we painted inside the tank with potable bitumen, Sally doing the athletic squeeze into the tank, to do all the tricky corners. Well, after all, Andy had done most of the cleaning!

There were cattle in the field opposite the mooring. This one was admiring herself in the water.

We saw footpath signs so set off to find the walk. However, this is as good as it gets! Walking like the man in the picture does give you backache though!




As the water tank is to be left empty for a few days, we filled all our water containers, before leaving the handy water tap, which was right beside the boat.

We set off, going through Ballyduff lock with a cruiser, before turning off the main channel to go into Kiltybardan Lough. The jetty, at the far end of the lough, is not connected to land at all.

Here are the evening reflections over Kiltybardan Lough.

A Swiss family on a peniche arrived to join us, but we had to leave at 10pm as Catkin could not cope with the lack of grass! We returned to the mouth of the lough to moor at a works jetty, which Andy had spotted earlier. It was the shortest mooring we had ever had!

Moving on, we came to Castlefore lock, which must be the deepest lock on this waterway. It reminded us of Tuel Lane lock on the Rochdale Canal.

The paddles let the water in quite fast, but by using just one paddle, as shown here, we do not need to use any ropes. The water keeps us pinned to our side of the lock chamber.

We moored on the offside of the waterway, immediately above the lock. This is the first time we have moored on stakes for a long time.