Our Waterways
The Garavogue River itself is approximately 3.4km long and is only navigable as far as the Riverside and not all the way to the sea due to the presence of two weirs in Sligo town. The lake is surrounded by woodlands, such as Slish Wood, Dooney Rock, and Hazelwood all of which contain popular nature trails and viewing points along the lake. The wooded hills of Slieve Killery and Slieve Daean dominate the south shore.
The river itself is an ideal stretch of water for rowing in that it is sheltered and both long and wide enough to cater for sprint regattas & head of the river events. It also has the added advantages of being non-tidal; it does not flood to a significant extent in times of heavy rain and has very light boat traffic. The river is also scenic with the nearby Ox mountains clearly visible and the surrounding amenities including riverside walks along the entire bank of the river allowing spectators to easily view and follow the rowing proceedings on the water.
The Garavogue River
A Video of the Head of the River Course
Lough Gill which is located mainly in county Sligo but also partly in Leitrim is approximately 8 km or 5 miles long and 2 km or 1 mile wide. The Lough Gill system consists of the river Bonet that flows into the eastern end of the lake and the river Garavogue which drains the lake to the sea west of Lough Gill near Sligo Town.