Lough Charrig River

Brief Description

A long and scenic walk in to a river that is not well known. The river its self is a meandering small river in the middle of nowhere in Connemara.
The river flows from Lough Aclogher to Lough Charrig and then exit that lough and flows to Lough Formoyle.

River Description

The river needs quite a bit of time and water to run properly, but it can be paddled on much lower levels because it is lake fed. It has four main rapids, where the level of the river drops rapidly. These rapids are mainly bolder choked. The main character of this river is the adventure. The walk in will take you on a forestry track to a lake, back to a forestry track and then across another lake and this is just to get to the mouth of the river.
The total length from the mouth of the river at Lough Aclogher to the get out is just over 4Km. 2.7Km to the next lake, paddle through that lake. The last section of river has some small boney rapids, with a fairly continuous but not steep gradient.

Safety & Access

Hazards

Pins on the boulders and the fact it is so remote. Invest in a O.S. map (sheet 45)

Access Issues

Again it hasn't been run enough to tell, best just to keep a low profile.

Water Level Information

It hasn't been paddled enough to get a good idea of the level indicators.

Directions to Put-in

The river can be gotten to by going on the back road, known as the Seanafeastín road, that goes between Ougterard and Rossaveel.

-10.1Km from Ougterard and 8.3km as the crow flies.
-16Km by road from the cross roads at Rossaveel (Where the R336 and R372 meet) and 13.5km as the crow flies. There is a place to park your car on the opposite site of the road from the river.

The put in car park can be recognised by the a lay by/car park at the entrance to two forest trails (that have barriers across them) each one of the trail s at opposite sides of the road.
Then the 3km walk in, that can be broken up by paddling the lake that runs parallel to the forestry road. Then there is almost 1km of a paddle across the other lake (Lough Aclogher) to get to the mouth of the river.

Directions to Take-out

The take out is located at a bridge on a road that is just of the Seanafeastín road North of Lough Fermoyle. This take out is 4.5km by road from the put in and 11.5km by road North from the Rossaveel cross roads and about 8.7km as the crow flies.
This bridge is only section of road that crosses the river and the only main intersection on the Seanafeastín road.