The Shannon Blueway with Leitrim Surf Company:
“Its like the Amazon along here,” Lee says, as we push off from a stone-arched bridge and begin paddling towards the Lake. The trees lean in, the still water reflects like a mirror, and we have the canals to ourselves – apart from the odd kingfisher. Leitrim has one of the shortest coastlines in the country, but with inland rivers, canals and lakes like these, who needs the ocean?
“The beauty of SUP is that it’s so easy,” Lee says. And he’s right. The odd wobble aside (and with no waves or wind to battle), I soon have the hang of balancing on what is basically a suppressed surfboard. It’s like Kayaking without the confinement of a canoe, and you can get right in close to the riverbank. It’s gloriously peaceful. I’m amazed at the adventures hiding away in Roscommon and Leitrim. Who knew?’
