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Upper Shannon: Lanesborough to CarrickShannon–Erne WaterwayBoyle River, Lough Key & Lough Allen

Carrick-on-Shannon to Leitrim and Drumshanbo short break

Three easy nights from Carrick-on-Shannon: Leitrim village, the little Lough Allen Canal past Battlebridge, a night in Drumshanbo and back down to Carrick.

Nights
3
Distance
33 km
Locks
4
Under way
6.4 h
Route
Round trip
Level
EasyShort days on sheltered water: good for a first trip.
Boat
Hire boat
Best months
April to October
Open in the trip planner Show on the big map

Change the dates, nights or stops, and see each day’s locks, bridge openings and sunset.

Planning estimate only. Lines are approximate and may cross shallows, rocks or other hazards.

Navigation and responsibility

Navigate with official charts, the navigation marks and a proper marine navigation device. Jetty Hop accepts no responsibility for navigation. Read the full disclaimer

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Illustration: a cruiser passing a wooded island with a ruined castle on calm Lough Key, framed by oak leaves.

The route

  • Start
  • 1Night stop
  • The route
  1. Carrick-on-Shannon
  2. 1 Leitrim Village
  3. 2 Drumshanbo

Along our planning network, a planning estimate only. Dashed lines are approximate and may cross shallows, rocks or other hazards; no depths are checked. Navigate with official charts, the navigation marks and a marine navigation device. © OpenStreetMap contributors · © Waterways Ireland via EPA (CC BY 4.0, modified)

Estimate, not for navigation · This is a travel guide, not a navigation aid.

A long weekend for first-timers who want a taste of boating without big lakes or long days. You stay on narrow, sheltered water the whole time: up the Shannon from Carrick-on-Shannon to Leitrim Village, then through the small keeper-worked locks of the Lough Allen Canal to Drumshanbo at the foot of Lough Allen. The locks give the crew something to do without being hard work, and each night ends in a village with food and music within a few minutes' walk. It suits couples, families with older children and groups who would like to try handling a boat before committing to a full week.

This is a travel guide, not a navigation aid. Distances come from our OpenStreetMap route network; times are estimates at 7.5 km/h on the river and 5 km/h on the canal, plus 15 minutes for each keeper-worked lock.

Day by day

The status of locks and bridges is for today. Hours change with the season: check them for your dates. Check the Waterways Ireland marine notices · All lock and bridge times

Day 1 Night 1

Carrick-on-Shannon → Leitrim Village

8.1 km No locks 1.1 h under way

An hour or so upstream is all you need on the first evening. On the way you pass the works for the new Hartley Bridge, which last until September 2027: only the centre arch is open, and as you are heading upstream you must give way to boats coming down; keep to 5 km/h within 200 m of the site (Marine Notice 53/2026). Leitrim's public marina has toilets, showers, a laundry and a pump-out, but no shore power. The village gave County Leitrim its name, and the ruins of its O'Rourke castle stand in the centre. The Barge Steakhouse, the Leitrim Inn and MJ O'Connor's are all close to the water.

Leitrim Village: moorings

  • Leitrim Village public marina Public Marina · open to all boats
  • Leitrim Marina Hotel marina Private · not yet checked Private marina · visitor access not yet checked — ask locally before tying up

Leitrim Village: everything ashore

Day 2 Night 2

Leitrim Village → Drumshanbo

8.7 km 2 locks 2.2 h under way

A kilometre or so from the village, Battlebridge Lock takes you off the Shannon into the Lough Allen Canal. The canal's three locks share one lock-keeper phone line, so ring ahead (+353 86 812 7522 or +353 71 964 1552) and remember the 13:00–14:00 break. Beirne's of Battlebridge, a family pub that reopened in July 2026, does bar food from Thursday to Sunday and music at weekends. Above Drumleague Lock the canal opens into Acres Lake at Drumshanbo. Moor at the Waterways Ireland marina, which has toilets, showers, a laundry, a pump-out and shore power, or at the jetty by the floating boardwalk on Acres Lake.

Lock and bridge times on the way 2 locks

Notice (Battlebridge Lock): Worked by the Lough Allen Canal lock-keeper in lock hours, not 13:00–14:00: +353 86 812 7522 or +353 71 964 1552 (the same keeper works Drumleague and Drumshanbo). 2 Smart Card units or €1.50 a passage, paid to the keeper. Lifejackets must be worn at the lock (Marine Notice 35/2026).

Notice (Drumleague Lock): Worked by the Lough Allen Canal lock-keeper in lock hours, not 13:00–14:00: +353 86 812 7522 or +353 71 964 1552 (the same keeper works Battlebridge and Drumshanbo). 2 Smart Card units or €1.50 a passage, paid to the keeper. Lifejackets must be worn at the lock (Marine Notice 35/2026).

Drumshanbo: moorings

  • Drumshanbo marina Public Marina · open to all boats
  • Acres Lake jetty Public Public jetty · open to all boats

Drumshanbo: everything ashore

Day 3 Night 3

Drumshanbo → Carrick-on-Shannon

16 km 2 locks 3.1 h under way

Take the morning ashore. The 600 m boardwalk over Acres Lake starts the Shannon Blueway trail, the Shed Distillery offers tours with tastings, and a short walk to Drumshanbo Lock at Blackrock gives you a view over Lough Allen, a reservoir whose level can change by more than a metre. Then retrace your route through Drumleague and Battlebridge locks and down the Shannon to Carrick, about three hours with the locks. Plan the canal around the lunch break. This time you come downstream through the Hartley Bridge works and have right of way, but still keep to the centre arch. Hire crews spend the last night at their base.

Lock and bridge times on the way 2 locks

Notice (Drumleague Lock): Worked by the Lough Allen Canal lock-keeper in lock hours, not 13:00–14:00: +353 86 812 7522 or +353 71 964 1552 (the same keeper works Battlebridge and Drumshanbo). 2 Smart Card units or €1.50 a passage, paid to the keeper. Lifejackets must be worn at the lock (Marine Notice 35/2026).

Notice (Battlebridge Lock): Worked by the Lough Allen Canal lock-keeper in lock hours, not 13:00–14:00: +353 86 812 7522 or +353 71 964 1552 (the same keeper works Drumleague and Drumshanbo). 2 Smart Card units or €1.50 a passage, paid to the keeper. Lifejackets must be worn at the lock (Marine Notice 35/2026).

Carrick-on-Shannon: moorings

  • Carrick-on-Shannon town quay Public Quay wall · open to all boats
  • Riverside boardwalk moorings Public Floating jetty · open to all boats
  • Le Boat Carrick-on-Shannon base Hire fleet only Private marina · hire fleet only
  • Carrickcraft Carrick-on-Shannon marina Hire fleet only Private marina · hire fleet only

Carrick-on-Shannon: everything ashore

Before you go

  • Check that your boat fits. The Lough Allen Canal locks are 19.5 m long and 4 m wide, and as a guide the canal takes 1.2 m draft and 3 m air draft. Mention the canal when you book.
  • Lock hours. In 2026 the keeper-worked locks open 09:30–19:30 Monday to Saturday and 09:30–18:00 on Sundays from April to September, and until 18:30 (Sundays 18:00) in late March and October, closed 13:00–14:00; €1.50 or 2 Smart Card units a lock (Waterways Ireland). Between 1 November and 17 March, ask Waterways Ireland whether the canal is open. See lock and bridge times.
  • Lifejackets in locks. Everyone handling ropes in or beside a lock wears a lifejacket or buoyancy aid (Marine Notice 35/2026).
  • Smart Card. Buy one at the base for showers, pump-outs and shore power at the service blocks (WI shop).
  • Late briefing. If your handover briefing is only given on the morning after arrival, as Le Boat warns can happen, run straight through to Drumshanbo on day 2: about 3 hours with two locks.
  • Daylight and notices. Hire boats may not cruise after dark. Read the marine notices before you set off; for 2027 the Hartley Bridge works are the one that affects this route.
  • July. The Joe Mooney Summer School fills Drumshanbo with traditional music for a week every July, so the moorings are busier then.

Hire companies

Each has a base where this trip starts (Carrick-on-Shannon). Book with the company directly: boats, prices and dates are theirs to confirm.

Weather and timing

Distances and times are estimates for planning, not for navigation. On the big lakes the wind matters more than the distance: read the forecast every morning and stay in harbour when it blows. Lock and bridge hours change with the season.

Today’s warnings and lake forecasts Met Éireann inland lakes forecast Lock & bridge times

This is a travel guide, not a navigation aid. Always use official charts and Waterways Ireland marine notices.

Updated 23 Oct 2026

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