Belmont Lock

The 33rd Lock, known as Belmont Lock, is the only double lock on the canal in County Offaly: two chambers in a row, with a single-arch limestone bridge of about 1800 carrying the Belmont road over the lower one. Work it carefully, one chamber at a time, with your own lock key, and call the water patroller for locks 32–34 (+353 87 245 6609) if anything sticks. The village of Belmont lies just north of the canal, about 5 km west of Ferbane, with a shop and a pub. Belmont Mill, bought by the Perry family in 1859, ground flour and oats until the late 20th century and now houses an artist’s studio. In the early 1900s the village also had a canal port, a railway and a small hydro-electric plant at the mill. Shannon Harbour is about 5 km further on.