Old Rail Trail Greenway

The greenway starts beside Athlone Castle and Luan Gallery at the Athlone Greenway Bridge. The bridge includes an inlaid bronze plaque showing River Shannon and the border between the provinces of Connacht and Leinster. Cross the bridge and turn left along the Athlone Marina, you will pass by a Franciscan Abbey and Graveyard– this section is primarily on quiet low trafficked roads. You will pass under the active railway line before joining a segregated route that will take out of the town past access points at Whitegates and Garrycastle. On the outskirts of the town, you will reach Crosswood Bog (marked by a slightly rougher surface) – this is a raised bog and a Special Area of Conservation. After approximately 15 kilometres, you will reach Moate.

As you approach Moate, the Dún na Sí Amenity and Heritage Park offers an ideal stop offering playgrounds, a wetland reserve, refreshments, sculptures and cultural heritage such as old farm machinery and traditional houses. The park is located c. 400 meters from the greenway and can be accessed by turning left on to a local road on the approach into Moate. Rejoining the greenway, you will shortly reach Moate Station (car parking can be found directly adjacent to the station). The station featured in the ‘The Great Train Robbery’, a 1978 film starring Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland with scenes filmed along the entire Old Rail Trail route. The old station house as well as the platform remain intact – the town of Moate can be accessed by turning right and following the road for c. 350 meters. As you continue your journey, you will enter open countryside once again passing two more railway stations at Streamstown and Castletown. A café (Jack’s Stop) at Streamstown occupies the old station building.

If you opt to leave the greenway, there is a shared space cycle route (c. 10km) from Streamstown to Kilbeggan – this route includes road markings and traffic signs to alert motorists to the presence of cyclists including bicycle signs printed on the road surface, typically after every access point to another road. The local road is narrow in some section with large vegetation growth on either side and an abundance of access points due to junctions with other roads or farming and residential access.

At Castletown Station, you can turn right and travel 2.5 kilometres on-road for the village of Castletown-Geoghegan. Alternatively, you can head left on-road for 5 kilometres for the Hill of Uisneach, an ancient ceremonial site and sacred centre of Ireland (with a special festival of fire held to celebrate the Celtic festival of Bealtaine in May. As you continue on the greenway, you will reach Ballinea after 7 kilometres which marks the meeting point of the Old Rail Trail and the Royal Canal Greenway. The two routes then continue in parallel as you approach Mullingar with the surroundings becoming more urban, there are multiple access points within the town. Mullingar is a large town with plentiful accommodation and refreshment options as well as excellent public transport links.