Over the boardwalk
The Border To Victoria Lock
With the Carlingford Lough Greenway having reached the Border by June 2024, the short section to complete of the route from Carlingford to Newry – from the Border to Victoria Lock - was becoming tantalisingly close.
The 5.7km section of the Carlingford Lough Greenway from Victoria Lock to Albert Basin, running between the Newry Ship Canal and the Newry River had opened in May 2018 but the ‘gap’ meant that anyone wishing to reach Newry would have to divert on to a busy, fast public road. The question on everyone’s mins was how long would the final piece of the jigsaw needed to finish the cross border Carlingford Lough Greenway from Carlingford Marina to Newry take to do?
In the original plan, this section was to cross the B79 diagonally (the same road as the R173 in the Republic) and then route through Fathom Forest, where the original trainline was located, and then cross back over the road.
In early 2023, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) in Northern Ireland refused to agree to traffic speed reductions on the B79 Fathom Line, reduced speed limits that would allow for two uncontrolled crossing points, critical to the plan for the Carlingford Lough Greenway to cross the road at the Border and back again at Victoria Lock.
This was a significant setback to the project, and indeed, a lot of work had already taken place to prepare the route in Fathom Forest.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council consequently had to amend their planning application to remove the contested crossings, and put forward the idea of a boardwalk that would run alongside the road on the side of the Newry River, hence removing the need to cross the road at all.
This revised plan was approved in November 2023 but for obvious reasons, additional funding was required because now, instead of simply upgrading a path through a forest and a couple of pedestrian crossings, a boardwalk had to be constructed.
We are not privy to exact costs, but the budget for the section from the Border to Victoria Lock was stated to be £2.4 million, of which the Shared Island Fund of the Republic of Ireland contributed €1.5 million, matched by Department for Infrastructure (Dfi), fund the completion of Carlingford Lough Greenway on the Northern Ireland side. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council are reported to have allocated £40,000 from its capital budget for the project.
It was an extremely interesting project to observe the 1.6km elevated structure – the Newry River Boardwalk – being built. There was a lot of piling, utilising (as I understand it), ‘conductor pipes’ (aka cassion pipes) recycled from North Sea oil and gas exploration. On top of this was welded a steel frame, and then the frame was planked. The planning documents suggest that the planks are treated timber, although they give the appearance of being some form of composite material.
In July 2025, the boardwalk (unofficially) opened. OnYerBike CEO, Richard Lewis, was one of the very first cyclists to experience the boardwalk on the evening of the day it opened. Fantastic in every respect.
Whilst some people commented that it was a very ‘industrial looking’ structure in an otherwise beautiful riverside / marine location, empathetic planting of wild flowers and the inevitable onslaught of Mother Nature, has already softened the appearance.
It is reported (BBC, 15th September 2025) that the cost of the Carlingford Lough Greenway from Carlingford to Newry has totalled €5.14m (which seems ‘light’ to me), but if correct, suggests that this short section accounted for around half of the total.
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kwj8k8l3po)
With stunning views along the Newry River, and of the Mourne Mountains and Slieve Foye, and with historic sights to see such as the Narrow Water Keep, this section of the Carlingford Lough Greenway is truly spectacular.
From the initial land based section, you look across the ‘luby’ and espy the ‘Red Shed’, just north of Ferry Wood. The ‘luby’ is a man made bay, engineered by the Newry Navigation Company to act as a silt trap and to help manage deposits of silt in the river. Today, it is home to marine birds, cormorants for example, fishing for their food and to old boats left to rot!
Then you reach the first boardwalk section, and if you look back (or forward as you return), you’ll have fabulous views of Narrow Water Keep. After the first section, you cross Rough Island before reaching the second stretch of boardwalk that takes you to Victoria Lock.
On the approach to Victoria Lock, you will see at least one derelict vessel that has probably been there for fifty years or more, abandoned when the Port of Newry closed and the Newry Ship Canal was no longer used by commercial merchant vessels.
We are going to cover the history of the Newry Ship Canal in our Route ‘Victoria Lock to Albert Basin’ but just quickly, Victoria Lock is a sea-lock at the end of the Newry Ship Canal that enabled arriving ships to complete their journey into the centre of the City of Newry, and outbound ships to enter the Newry River, voyage along Carlingford Lough and then into the Irish Sea, and onwards to their destinations far afield.
Victoria Lock is listed on the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as being of architectural and technical interest. It opened on 15th April 1850, over 175 years ago.
For many of our clients, Victoria Lock is their destination. It is an awesome spot, with places to have a picnic and spectacular views down Carlingford Lough to Slieve Foye.
One note of caution. As things stand, there are no facilities of any type between Omeath and Newry, including Victoria Lock. So the last loos, the last coffee stop, the last place you can get any provisions, is Omeath Village. Why an entrepreneurial trader with a coffee van and a Portaloo has not been allowed to set up at Victoria Lock is a mystery…
The same, incidentally, is true of Albert Basin, although there are cafes, pubs, shops and loos in Newry.
As regards this section of the Greenway – Was it worth it ? Absolutely is the answer !
What has been created through a magnificent feat of engineering, is an amazing facility for all to enjoy.
The two boardwalk sections, each around 1/2 kilometre long alongside and above the main road offer stunning views along the Newry River and Slieve Foye, and with historic sights to see such as the Narrow Water Keep, this boardwalk section of the Carlingford Lough Greenway is truly spectacular.
In our next Route – Victoria Lock to Newry Albert Basin – we’ll show you what to expect and explain some of the history.