Events 2017

 

Please note the following:

  • All walks and cycles will have a designated leader as well as a steward to take up the rear to help anyone who needs it.
  • Unless otherwise stated all walks and cycles have been designed as loops starting and ending at our festival base in Beirnes of Battlebridge.
  • Any participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  • The programme may be subject to change so please check for updates.
  • Everyone is responsible for their own equipment.
  • We want everyone to enjoy each hike + bike. To help us achieve this please be ready to leave at the designated time, read our safety advice, dress appropriately and bring snacks + water.
  • We ask that you follow the ‘leave no trace’ principles.
  • And most importantly we ask that you enjoy the journey.

Saturday 30th September 2017

Dawn Walk + Dawn Cycle – Registration at 7am – €5**

**Unfortunately due to increased insurance costs we have had to introduce a fee for the Dawn Walk + Dawn Cycle event.

Dawn Cycle – approx 16km/10miles loop – led by Ciaran Hussey, Crank & Cog

Dawn Walk – approx 6.7km/4miles loop – led by Matt Warren

Watch the autumnal sun rise as you enjoy a leisurely walk or cycle along the canal. Leaving just before dawn, we will follow the canal path to Drumleague Lock, walkers then continue on quiet roads to the village while the cyclists continue on the canal to Acres Lake via the floating boardwalk and back.

Optional breakfast stop in Drumshanbo for those on two pedals. Please note the additional route taken for the breakfast stop is at your own risk and will not be stewarded.

Family walks + cycles – all day – FREE

Take this opportunity to walk + cycle the canal paths with your little ones at your own pace and as far as those little legs will take you. About 1km from Beirnes, just past a bend in the River Shannon, is a little footbridge and picnic bench – a perfect spot for a snack before heading back or maybe refueling before you continue on your journey.

*Please note these walks and cycles will not be led or stewarded.

Shanballybawn Stroll – Registration at 10am – FREE

Approx 9.2km/5.7miles loop – led by Stephen Wrynn, Way to Go Adventures

Enjoy the hills, boreens, secret Shannon footbridge, cottage ruins and views of Slieve an Iarainn on a stroll through the hidden tracks around the waterways.

*Please note the following

  • this route includes off-road sections so wear suitable footwear to avoid soggy feet.
  • this route includes a short section on the R284

Historical Cycle – Registration at 10.30am

Meeting point: Electric Bike Trails, Leitrim Village

€10/tour with own bike; €20/tour + regular bike hire; €30/tour + electric bike hire

Approx 30km/18miles loop – led by Seamus Gibbons, Electric Bike Trails

Take in the sights and historical sites en route to the beautiful village of Drumsna where you will be met with cups of tea and biscuits. What more could you ask for! Tweed and other traditional dress optional.

*Please note the following
  • This cycle tour starts from Electric Bike Trails premises in Leitrim Village.
  • Pre-booking required prior to event by emailing info@electricbiketrails.com or phone: 087 7386439. Minimum number of 10 participants for tour to go ahead.
  • Minimum age 16.
  • Approx 30 km round trip with tour lasting approx 3 hours to 3.5 hours.
  • Route is on mainly quiet country roads with stops at various historical points of interest. This is a guided tour with information being provided en route.
  • Sweeper van will take up the rear.

Hike + Bike Hijinks – 2pm til 4.30pm – FREE

An afternoon of face painting, cycle training, bike decorating with Hullabaloo and festival fun. You can check out locally crafted bamboo bikes, meet the dogs from our official charity partner, the Leitrim Animal Welfare Centre, who can teach us all how to enjoy our tootles + pootles, find out about cycling and walking groups and much more!

Talks + Workshops – 2pm til 4.30pm – FREE

Listen to tales of those who have hiked and biked their way across countries, enjoying the scenery and people as they go; be inspired by the power of community groups with the vision to create a greenway;  learn more about local trails and routes in the pipeline and what we can do to make more happen.

Check out our Talks + Workshops page for more info.

Slow Bicycle Race – 5pm – FREE

How slow can you go?!

BBQ – 6pm – €10/adult – pre-booking required

Refuel after a day of hiking, biking + hijinks with a feast at Beirnes.

Please note the following:

  • pre-booking is required – details to follow.
  • this event will be held subject to adequate numbers.

Fire, music and ‘dancing at the crossroads’ – 8pm – FREE

What better way to spend the evening than with a traditional dancing at the crossroads led by the hugely talented teachers from Sean Nos ar an tSionnan dance school. Whether you join in the jigging or just enjoy the spectacle this promises to be a wonderful evening!

Sunday 1st October 2017

Wanderers Yoga – 10am – Leitrim Gaels Club – €8/person

A lazy-Sunday-morning-feel-good class with poses for walkers and cyclists.

15yrs+, mats supplied – please book in advance – afkepieterse@gmail.com/0879505211

Follow link for directions to Leitrim Gaels Club.

Family Flora + Fauna Ramble – Registration at 10.30am – FREE

Learn the wonders of our local biodiversity with Lazlo from Knockvicar Organic Garden.

Sheemore Sunday Saunter – Registration at 12 noon – FREE

Meeting point: Lock 16, Ballinamore Canal

Approx 8km/5miles loop – led by Deirdre Cunningham, North West Adventure

Follow the Ballinamore Canal from Lock 16 outside the village past the little waterfall at Lock 15 and Crossycarwill Bridge. At Lock 14 you will join the road to the base of the hill and then stretch those legs with a hike up Sheemore for spectacular views of the locality. Bring some deliciousness for a festival finale feast to enjoy on the top.

*Please note the following

  • this walk starts from Lock 16, Ballinamore Canal – follow link to map of location or follow signs from bridge in Leitrim Village. There are limited parking spaces so please make your way there on foot, on bike or car share.
  • this route includes off-road sections so wear suitable footwear to avoid soggy feet.
  • this route includes a short section on the R209

The Shorter Sheemore Sunday Saunter – Registration at 12.30pm – FREE

Meeting point: Lock 14, Ballinamore Canal

Approx 3.2km/2miles loop

For those with shorter legs or short on time there is an option of meeting at Lock 14 and joining the walkers for the last stretch up the hill. Bring goodies for a festival finale feast to enjoy on the top!

*Please note the following

  • this walk starts from Lock 14, Ballinamore Canal – follow link to map of location or follow signs from bridge in Leitrim Village.. There are limited parking spaces so please car share where possible.
  • this route includes off-road sections so wear suitable footwear to avoid soggy feet.
  • this route includes a short section on the R209

Live Music – Donnellan’s Pub – FREE

Finish the weekend with live music in Donnellan’s Pub in the village.

 

Talks and Workshops:

Could Leitrim become the cycling capital of Ireland?

Could Leitrim become the cycling capital of Ireland? – this is the question being discussed on Saturday 30th September at the Leisurely Hike + Bike Festival Leitrim. Come and join us for a series of talks and workshops looking at this ambitious vision for the county.

The speakers at the event include:

  • Eileen Gibbons, a member of the Leitrim Recreation Forum, the group who were involved in bringing about the ‘dream project’ – the link between Drumshanbo and Carrick-on-Shannon, which includes the recently opened floating boardwalk on Acres Lake;
  • Rob Doyle, one of the leading members of two successful community groups – SLNCR, which developed the Dromahair Demonstration Greenway and Love Leitrim, which was instrumental in bringing about an on-shore fracking ban in Ireland;
  • Brian Smyth from the Leitrim Development Company to talk about future funding opportunities; and
  • Wayne Frankham, a regular electric bike commuter and Seamus Gibbons, owner of Electric Bike Trails.

Following the talks there will be workshops looking at the potential to build on what Leitrim already has – capitalising on its boreens, quiet roads and existing cycle paths to create a comprehensive network that could enable more people to cycle more often.

There will also be two speakers with tales of epic adventures – the story of a Leitrim couple’s leisurely cycle adventure from Mongolia to Leitrim (https://crankandcog.net/), followed  by Breifne Earley, local author, speaker and adventurer who walked in the footsteps of O’Sullivan Beare from Beara in Cork to Breifne in Leitrim (https://www.breifneearley.com/).

These talks + workshops are all taking place between 2 and 4.30pm on Saturday 30th September in Beirnes of Battlebridge.