Newry Greenway – Long Walk

Friday 19th July 2019

LEADER: Robert McDowell, Telephone No 028 93373084 (land line)

                                                                            07711 706022 (mobile)

LONG WALK – 6 miles plus a half mile each way to/from Newry Bus station.  The walk itself will take approx 2.5 hours, plus a short break at Victoria Lock.

MEETING POINT/TIME: Meet at 11.15 am at Caffe Nero, ground floor, The Quays Shopping Centre, Bridge Street, Newry for coffee (this is a 15 minute walk from Newry Bus Station). The walk will start at approx 11.30 am.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT:

Outward Journey:

Train – Dep Whitehead 8.45 am, dep Carrickfergus 8.54 am, arr Great Victoria Street 9.30 am. 

Bus – Dep Great Victoria Street 9.45 am, arr Newry Bus Station 10.58 am.  

Return Journey:

Bus/Train –

• For those who do not wish to stop for lunch:

Dep Newry Bus Station 2.45 pm, arr Gt Victoria Street Station 3.55 pm.

Dep Gt Victoria St Railway Station 4.15 pm, arr C’fergus 4.50 pm (terminus). Dep C’fergus 4.59 pm, arr Whitehead 5.10 pm. 

• For those who wish to stop for lunch:

Dep Newry Bus Station 3.45 pm, arr Gt Victoria Street Station 4.55 pm.

Dep Gt Victoria St Railway Station 5.06 pm, no stops before Carrickfergus – arr C’fergus 5.31 pm, arr Whitehead 5.42 pm.

BY CAR:

As Newry is c40 miles from Belfast City Centre, you should leave yourself one and a quarter hours for travel and parking.  Take the M5/M2 motorway southbound and then take the Westlink and M1.  Come off the M1 at Junction 7 (Lisburn/Sprucefield).  Follow the A1 dual carriageway signposted Hillsborough/Newry/the South/Dublin, staying on the A1. About 3 miles before Newry, turn onto the A28 and carry straight on to Newry, following the signs for Dublin (A1).  Go over the Dublin Bridge at Newry Canal and turn immediately left signposted “The Quays”. The canal will be on your left and The Quays Shopping Centre will be on your right.  Immediately past the back of Sainsbury’s, turn right into The Quays car park.  Park on the left opposite Sainsbury’s. The main entrance to The Quays Shopping Centre is opposite “Next”.  On entering the shopping centre, turn left and Caffe Nero is on the right.  Car parking charges are £1 per hour for up to 3 hours and £3 per hour thereafter. (If you buy goods for £10 or more from Sainsbury’s, you can get the first two hours’ parking free of charge).  

THE WALK:

We will exit the back of the shopping centre onto the Albert Basin and cross Newry Canal (Dublin Bridge).  From there we will walk the Newry Greenway to Victoria Lock, returning by the same route. The walk is scenic, flat and well surfaced, having opened two years ago.

LUNCH:

We will have lunch in The Quays Shopping Centre (it has a number of food outlets) before walking back to Newry Bus Station.  There are toilets at Great Victoria Street Belfast, at Newry Bus Station and at the Quays Shopping Centre. There are no toilets along the walk or at Victoria Lock.