Ireland is a place of spectacular beauty and Sligo is certainly in the top 3 or 4 counties for having stunning scenery, wildlife and an endless amount of outdoor activities right on its doorstep. Lakes, rivers, the atlantic ocean, beaches, forests, breathtaking mountains all within 30 minutes drive or each other.
Sligo Kayak tours embodies all that is great and pure about the outdoors in Sligo. Barry's ethos is to share the county with people and have them share it with him.
We took a kayak trip on Lough Gill on a sunny Sunday morning. Paddling out of Half Moon Bay in the famed Hazelwood with the Ballygawley hills as a backdrop. We rounded the headland and headed west towards the Garavogue River. Herons, cormorants and some long distance swimmers were our companions on the lake that morn. Pulling in at a sheltered island edge, Barry told us the story of Beezy, a hardy old woman that lived alone on Beezie's island in an Ireland of the past. Wind and rain whipped up the surface of the lake but it doesn't matter, Sligo Kayak tours are so well kitted out that you stay completely dry. The rain stopped, sun was back out and we headed on through a jungle of bull rushes towards a small shore patch at the forests edge. Coffee break!! Barry is so well organised, he had tea, proper ground plunger coffee and cookies for 10 of us! After the break we headed back out of the river and into the lake towards Hazelwood. It was a fantastic trip and my first real kayak trip. I felt safe and relaxed at all times.
He is a certified life guard and surf instructor. The team are well equipped safety wise with life jackets as standard. He carries whistles, first aid kits and a water-sealed mobile phone around his neck and there were experienced kayak instructors accompanying us also that morning.
Sligo Kayak tours also do trips to the seal colony and sand bars as well as other coastal trip to other great spots.
Beginner or enthusiast, these tours are special and I highly recommend them. read more