Carrick-on-Shannon to Athlone and Lough Ree

A short first evening, downstream and with no locks. Jamestown was laid out in the 1620s as a walled plantation town; the old gate, its top long gone, still straddles the road, and the ruins of a Franciscan friary of 1642 lie just beyond it. Moor at the public village quay above the weir: below the village the river is not navigable for cruisers, which is why tomorrow you take the canal. The village is small, with two pubs, but The Cottage Restaurant was the overall winner for County Leitrim in the 2026 Irish restaurant awards, so book a table before you leave home if you can.

The Jamestown Canal and Albert Lock take you past the weir; the keeper is on +353 71 963 7715 and stops for lunch from 13:00 to 14:00. Below the lock the river opens into Lough Boderg and Lough Bofin, small lakes that still get choppy in a strong wind: stay inside the channel markers. At Roosky the road bridge lifts, but only when the lock-keeper sees you or you call (+353 71 963 8018): there is no timetable, and with the span down there is about 3.0 m of headroom at ordinary summer level. The public harbour beside the bridge gets busy on summer evenings. Roosky has pubs, a supermarket and a flat 1.4 km trail to the lock.

Through Roosky Lock, 700 m below the quay, and across Lough Forbes, choppy in a strong wind. At Corlehan Point the Camlin River branches off to the south. If Tarmonbarry Bridge has reopened, carry straight on to Tarmonbarry Lock (+353 87 922 2020). If it is still closed and your boat is cleared for the Camlin route, take the river to Clondra, where the narrower Cloondara Lock, 5.75 m wide and worked by the same keeper, lets you back onto the Shannon below Tarmonbarry. By our estimate this way round adds about 2 km, or half an hour. Then follow 12 quiet kilometres of river to Lanesborough & Ballyleague. The public harbour is on the Ballyleague bank, with toilets and showers across the bridge. Clarke's has music three nights a week in summer.

Today you cross Lough Ree from end to end, about 28 km of open water. Read the Met Éireann lake forecast and the warnings before casting off: waves build quickly in a strong wind, so keep to the marked channel, and wait for a calmer morning if it is blowing. Portrunny on the west shore and Hodson Bay near the southern end are sheltered places to break the crossing. Inchcleraun's bell-towered church, Teampall Clogas, can be seen from the water. In Athlone, moor above the weir at the council marina (about 60 berths, €15 a night, paid on arrival) or at the free public jetty on the west bank. Sean's Bar is a few steps from the castle quay.

Spend the morning in Athlone. The castle has been closed for redevelopment since October 2025, so check whether it has reopened, or visit the Luan Gallery on the riverbank. Then head back up the lake, with lunch at Hodson Bay, behind its breakwater next to the hotel, or at Portrunny's floating jetty. The same weather rule applies, and there is no spare day: if wind is forecast, cross early while it is calmer, and if the lake stays rough, call your base for advice rather than pushing on. Back in Lanesborough, the Lough Ree Distillery on Main Street runs tours and tastings, and the Commons Woodland Trail starts close to the harbour.

The longest day, with two locks and the Tarmonbarry question again, so start when the locks open at 09:30. Take the same route past Tarmonbarry as on day 3, then cross Lough Forbes (choppy in a strong wind), go up through Roosky Lock and wait for the lifting bridge if your boat needs it. Keep an eye on the clock around the 13:00–14:00 break. Lough Bofin brings you to Dromod, where the harbour has a Waterways Ireland service block with toilets, showers and a pump-out. The Brandywell and Cox's Steakhouse are a short walk away, and the station on the Dublin–Sligo line makes this one of the easiest places on the route to change crew.

A steady last day. Cross Lough Boderg, keeping inside the channel markers (in a strong wind, wait for a calmer spell), then go up through Albert Lock and the Jamestown Canal. Drumsna is a short detour up the river loop just before the canal: its quay faces the Doon of Drumsna, an Iron Age rampart up to 6 m high. Then it is a quiet stretch of river back to Carrick, where hire crews return to their base for the night. If you have an evening in town, The Dock arts centre in the old courthouse has a theatre and galleries, and The Oarsman on Bridge Street is one of the county's award-winning places to eat.