Self Guided Canoe Trail, Kildare, Ireland

The Barrow river is definitely one of the most underrated gems in western Europe. I have paddled this fascinating and interesting river from close to source to sea on many occasions over the last 20 years. Always something different each time you return. Castles and ring forts, ancient dolmens, big old mills from a bygone era.

Pubs, little grocery stores, the occasional passing walker on the tow path once used by the draft horses to pull the small barges full of curiosities up and down the country. The river itself is a living memory of the navigation and trade route it once was and you are reminded of this each time you pass or shoot one of the 26 Weirs.

Note: There are some section of whitewater along the course of the river. All of which are very manageable in normal conditions. All whitewater sections can be bypassed via a slip canal system.