St. Declan’s Way – The Gathering 2013 Walk
The first organised full-length walk of St. Declan’s Way all the way from Cashel to Ardmore took place from July 24th to 28th 2013. 110 walkers from around the world participated in the event which was support by the Gathering initiative. This followed on from a very successful walk from Ardfinnan to Ardmore in 2012. The walk is being organised part of the nationwide celebration of The Gathering Ireland 2013 so we are encouraging participation from all corners of the globe.
St. Declan’s Way is a well known Christian pilgrimage route in the south-east of Ireland linking Cashel in Co. Tipperary and Ardmore in Co. Waterford. This particular walk is being organised to coincide with St. Declan’s Feast Day in Ardmore with participants walking an average of 20km per day over five days. The walk will depart Cashel and visit Cahir on Wednesday July 24th. Day two (July 25th) takes a relatively short route to Ardfinnan on what is predominantly a flat route. From here on Friday July 26th the walk will ascend the Knockmealdown Mountains at Goatenbridge, passing over Bottleneck Pass (500m) at Goatenbridge to Lismore – this is the most difficult walk on the route. From Lismore the walk is back on flat terrain on Saturday July 27th with a pleasant amble to Aglish. Finally, on Sunday July 28th the walkers will stroll through the tranquil countryside and villages of West Waterford, reaching Ardmore on the coast on what is, very fittingly, the end of the Ardmore Pattern Festival. The walk is being organised in conjunction with our friends in the Knockmealdown Forum on the Waterford side of the Knockmealdown Mountains and is a part of the Gathering Ireland 2013 festival.
This was the first organised full-length walk of the route in many years. It appealed to walking enthusiasts but also to visitors who have a connection with one of the many towns and villages along the route. There is a strong traditional link between St. Declan and emigrants who have left West Waterford in particular. Walkers had the option of joining the walk for portions of the route if they wished.
Accommodation
Should you wish to walk St. Declan’s Way yourself, below you’ll find a list of accommodation at the various stop points which was used for the 2013 walk.
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You’ll find details of the St. Declan’s Way Gathering 2013 Walk initiative at the following two links on the Gathering Ireland 2013 website: Tipperary & Waterford.
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Bus Travel from Dublin Airport:
Note: If you can’t see the bus timetable below you may need to download the most recent version of Adobe Reader – it is available for free from Adobe. Reload this page once you’ve downloaded the reader and you should be able to view the content. There is also a download link underneath to save it to your own computer.
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