Over the last few years Canoe Ni have created a number of canoe trails
Pablo and I paddled the Lower Bann trail in 2009
We offloaded the yaks at the lock Keepers Cottage at Toome , the intention was then to drive both cars to Coleraine ,leave Pablos car there and then drive back in mine , however Pablo’s son ( Sam) offered to collect us in Coleraine and transport us and our gear back to Toome to our own cars
From Toome we paddled the short distance to Lough Beg past the now discussed eel traps , Eel fishing has been prohibited since April 2009 as the stocks were close to collapse .
Just past the eel traps is the new road bridge that was constructed as part of the much needed Toome By Pass
Lough Beg is only a mile upriver , it can get very windy on it and conditions can turn quite nasty very quickly . the lough is very shallow so the waves tend to be more of a chop than a rolling wave ,
When we arrived at the entrance to the lough it was quite blustery , white crests were starting to form on the waves Pablo put his sail up and took off
Sails are of course classed as cheating , however given his age he needs a bit of a helping hand 
It took us a good hour to cross Lough Beg and as the mouth of the river drew nearer the wind dropped off and the sun came out
You can see the mouth of the Bann where the white and red Navigation markers are
Soon we were passing New ferry and making good progress towards Portglenone
Be aware the Bann is a very popular venue for water skiing and the majority of the boat s do not slow down for you ( It is one of the rules , but few pay any attention to it ) Some of the wakes can be quite dangerous and if in doubt turn your boat into it and go over it head on rather than letting the wake hit you broadside
As we approached Portgleone we started to look for a suitable campsite for the night , if you need supplies stop and get them here, because there is no where else until you get to Coleraine ,
After talking to a helpful local, we were directed to a camping spot a few miles upriver Thats another point to make , the only official campsite along the trail is Drumaheglis marina which is approx 40k from Toome , according to the Canoe NI map there are only eight pitches for tents ,so you nay have to book n advance ,
In my opinion there should be a campsite at the halfway mark, even a corner of a field fenced off to allow kayakers to pitch a tent for the night
We camped here on the first night
which is approx a mile upstream from Portglenone
Its part of a public path through a forest, as we were leaving the next morning a dog walker did stumble upon us ut no big deal,
People have used this before as a campsite , there was the remnants of a campfire , however we did not light one as we were in a public forest ,
We set off at around 09:00 the next day
it wasn’t long before we came upon our first set of locks at Portna
There is a fee for using the locks or you can portage your kayaks around them , we opted to go through them for the experience , its no big deal just hold on to the chains on the wall as you go down or up. The lock keeper rang ahead and informed the other lock keepers that we were coming we were able to pay in advance . I cant remember exactly how much it was but it was only a few pounds each
One thing to keep in mind is the lock opening times , these vary throughout the season , so you arrive late you may have to portage over
Paddling on from Portna our next stop was at Monvangher locks , theres a huge fish farm here that supplies the DCAL angling estate with its stocked fish
The lorry in the photo should be familiar to anyone who fishers DCAL waters
Pablo negotiating the swing bridge
After navigating the locks we paddled on to Portneal lodge . we did try and get a meal but they weren’t serving , along the trail at the various egress points there are maps showing your location and any POI’s ( points of interest )
A mile or so downstream of Portneal lodge is the Carnroe locks .allegedly some of the most expensive salmon fishing in Ireland . the lock keeper mentioned 3k a year for one day a week . I’m not sure on this Salmon fishing Isn’t my thing
From Carnroe our next stop was Drumaheglis marine , this is the only official campsite , theres were a lot of ski boats about this area , and not too many of them slowed down for us.
Pablo and I aren’t really into the family campsite thing , we prefer wild camping . Coleraine wasn’t too far away at this stage so we decided to keep going
Unfortunately time wasn’t on our side and by the time we got to the last set of locks at the Cutts . they were closed for the night rather than empty the kayaks and portage the yaks and kit we decided to look for a suitable campsite .
This proved rather difficult , however just as light was fading I saw a small stream flowing in and decided to go for a closer look , after a quick scout about we decided it was suitable and set up camp for the night
Ciamohe my dog decided to pull it all down again 
After a good nights rest we paddled the remaining few miles through the Cutts locks and into Coleraine
Pablo cheating again ;roll:
Our journey ended at Coleraine Marina
Some usefull links
Inland Waterways Ireland click
Canoe NI click
Note
Since I wrote this article , Canoe Ni have provided a rough camping spot at Portna Locks , this is an ideal location at the approx half way mark on the trail . well done Canoe NI
A rod license is required to fish any water in NI for game fish or coarse species
License details here
In addition a Bann systems permit is required to fish the Bann
Permit details here
