Poolbeg Lighthouse Walk – 14 May 2019

Ten of the members met outside the Bord Gáis Theatre on Grand Canal Dock on one of the best days of the year so far, one member joined us at the half way stage.

The start of the walk was though urban landscapes, crossing the Grand Canal and then the Dodder to reach Ringsend and Irishtown. Minor diversions were taken to pass through Ringsend Park and Sean Moore Park before we reached the sea at Sandymount.

Just back from the sea and sheltered from the industrial area is Irishtown Nature Park, a haven of peace and wilderness lying on reclaimed land from the rubbish of Dublin’s past. It is a remarkable complement to those who had the foresight to turn a rubbish dump into a nature park.

On the north side, the scenery was transformed into the necessities of urban life: the incinerator, the sewage plant, the electricity generation plant and the remains of the Pigeon House. At this stage we walked along the sandy beach to the Sluice House at the landward end of the wall, following Captain Blythe’s wall down to the Poolbeg Lighthouse.

The return journey was more or less on the same route and we terminated the walk in Sandymount village.

The walk was 12.3Km and took around 3:15 at a relatively leisurely pace.  See photos in the Gallery.

 

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