Short and very sweet
Carlingford Marina To Omeath
The 6.3km stretch of greenway linking Carlingford Marina to Omeath was the first section of the Carlingford Lough Greenway to open in 2014.
Originally a compacted gravel to dust surface, this section was massively improved towards the end of 2023 when it became a tarmac surface for the entire distance. It is now accessible to everyone, young and old, from kids on balance bikes or small bikes with stabilisers, through to wheelchair and mobility scooter users.
The track is almost flat. There are a couple of minor gradual inclines, but nothing very challenging. It was constructed on the track bed of the Victorian era Dundalk, Newry & Greenore railway with this particular section being built in 1876.
The 360° views are truly magnificent as you cycle along this section of the Carlingford Lough Greenway.
Heading towards Omeath, you look across Carlingford Lough to the majestic Mourne Mountains of County Down, recognised globally an area of huge geological significance. Mourne-Cooley-Gullion was awarded UNESCO Global Geopark status in May 2023.
To your left, the stunning Cooley Mountains of County Louth, geologically connected to the Mourne Mountains and formed around 50 to 60 million years ago during the Paleogene period.
At the end of the last ice age, a glacier moving from the west of Scotland, carved out Carlingford Lough, a sunken glacial valley. Carlingford Lough, generally a shallow sea lough with an average depth of between 2 and 10 meters, has a narrow central channel, typically around 25 meters deep but with a maximum depth that reaches 36 meters.
On any given day, you are likely see large ships travelling up the lough to the Port of Warrenpoint. On occasions, you may even spot a cruise ship.
Technically by the way, Carlingford Lough is not a fjord, although the Viking Carlinn must have thought it was when it was named it in Old Norse ‘Kerlingfjǫrðr,’ ‘narrow sea-inlet of the hag’. A fjord is deeper than the sea into which it empties – Carlingford Lough isn’t, and the only true fjord in Ireland is Killary Harbour, Connemara.
If you have sharp eyes, or ideally binoculars (!), across the lough you may spy ‘An Chloch Mhór (Cloughmore), a huge 50 ton granite boulder perched 300m high on the mountain side above Rostrevor in Kilbroney Park. A glacial erratic, thought to be from Strathclyde Bay, was pushed here by the glacier that formed Carlingford Lough around 10,000 years ago. When the Narrow Water Bridge opens in 2027, you will be easily able to cycle across it and visit Warrenpoint, Rostrevor and Kilbroney Park.
In Irish mythology, An Chloch Mhór was thrown across the lough from Slieve Foye by the giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) during a fight with his Scottish rival giant, Roscaire, slaying him. Exhausted from the battle, Finn McCool fell asleep, never to wake again. Over the years, his body turned to stone and his outline can be seen on the top of the Cooley mountains to this day.
What is known for certain is that there is archaeological evidence that people lived along the shoreline of Carlingford Lough during the Mesolithic period, over 6,000 years ago.
There are many places to stop along the way – you should do, you must do. Go down to the shore or find a nice patch of grass, have a picnic, enjoy the views and spend time with your loved ones, family and friends.
Fauna and flora are all around you as you cycle leisurely along. Carlingford Lough is a haven for a wide variety of birds and all along the Greenway you will see sheep, lambs, horses, cows, butterflies, and many other types of creatures enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the Lough as you bask in the abundant foliage along the route.
For any enthusiast of industrial history, there are many points of interest along the track, with many relics of the old Dundalk, Newry & Greenore railway – the level crossing piers, culverts and railway buildings such as the Station House in Omeath.
It is always a treat to pause at Greer’s Quay, Ballyoonan, built in the 1840s by Robert Walker Greer, a local landowner, to help develop Carlingford Lough’s fishing industry. There are fishing boats there to this day. Greer’s Quay itself is a very scenic spot with views up and down the lough. There’s a lovely grassy bank there, and seating along the pier wall, a perfect place for a picnic.
Greer also built Ballyoonan House nearby which, amongst other things, became St. Michael’s College, later the Tain Holiday Village and is now in the grounds of Baile Beag. Baile Beag is a coastal retirement village, located literally on the Carlingford Lough Greenway, just along from Greer’s Quay.
Opened in 2024, An Táin Café Bar at Baile Beag has become a ‘go to location’ for cyclists, walkers and joggers enjoying the Greenway, and is an ideal destination, around 4.5km from Carlingford Marina, if you have small children. It’s also ideal for anyone that wants a pit stop at this fabulous café on their Greenway ride.
From An Táin Café Bar, you pass by The Calvary at Omeath, located on the shore of Carlingford Lough. The location is a major Irish pilgrimage site, featuring the Shrine of St. Jude – the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes – the Stations of the Cross, a Lourdes Grotto, and the Father Gentili Crypt. The Greenway actually runs through the Garden of Remembrance, a place of prayer and peace.
A short distance further on, you reach the Ryland River (sometimes referred to as the Essmore River), a small river that rises in the Cooley Mountains between Carnavaddy and Slieve Foye and flows into Carlingford Lough. Before the Dundalk, Newry & Greenore Railway closed on 31st December 1951 to be disbanded and pulled up in 1957, there was a fine bridge here – the Essmore Bridge – and you can see its remains. The water is invariably ‘gin clear’, you often see small trout in the deeper pools, and it is a lovely place to pause.
Just past the Ryland River, the Carlingford Lough Greenway joins on to a short stretch of road for just 300 metres. There is traffic calming in place and there is a pavement, albeit quite narrow in parts, on the side of the oncoming traffic. We recommend that families with young children, particularly if you are towing one of our child trailers, actually walk this stretch on the pavement if they feel nervous about being on the road, albeit for a short distance.
Rejoining the Greenway, you return to cycling along the shores of the lough, and via the shore road, soon you will reach the village of Omeath. Historically, Omeath was a very popular place for day trippers and holiday makers, and back in the mid 20th century, far more so than Carlingford.
After decades of decline, recent substantial investments in the public realm have meant that the village is again, very much ‘on the up’. It is, in fact, a lovely village with many fine amenities, and just a short 6.3km ride along the Carlingford Lough Greenway.
In 2025, Omeath Pier was rejuvenated as part of the broader Omeath Village Regeneration Project, a project aimed at enhancing the village as a Carlingford Lough Greenway destination, improving accessibility, and boosting local, sustainable economic growth. It was officially opened by Minister Dara Calleary on 22nd July 2025.
Whether you have booked for just two hours, or longer, Omeath is a destination where you will want to linger longer. You deserve a treat!
In Omeath there are cafés, take-aways, pubs, the famous Mena’s Chipper on Omeath Pier, Mulligan’s Store, two petrol stations and a homemade ice-cream cart. There are public toilets, a children’s playground, a bit of a beach at lowe tide and, as mentioned, a fantastic pier with splendid views across to Warrenpoint, to the Mourne Mountains and up Carlingford Lough towards the Newry River.
Many of our guests choose our two hour rental option which allows you a 40 minute ride to Omeath at a leisurely pace, 40 minutes stop in Omeath and 40 minutes cycle back to Carlingford Marina. If you wish to stop for lunch at Café Rosa or the Granvue for example, three hours is probably a better option.
Omeath of course could be a stop along the way of a longer ride if you wish to cycle for example to Victoria Lock, at the start of the Newry Ship Canal, to the City of Newry itself, or even onwards all the way to Portadown and on to Lough Neagh.
That’s one of the big attractions of the Carlingford Lough Greenway – you can plan a route that suits the time you have available and the distance you wish to cycle.
We’re here to help, and if you are keen on a longer ride, read about other options in our routes section.
