Why a jaunt along this quiet, scenic river could be the best way to explore Ireland

Ratty almost got it right. “There is nothing - absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”  Only The Wind in the Willows’ rodent really should have added “in Ireland’s sunny south east.”

Since devouring that book at the age of seven, all I’ve ever looked for in a boat is a floating rationale to “mess about.” Forget speed, sweat or fitness; there are plenty more prosaic, pulse-ridden, eyes-to-the-ground pursuits for that. No, nothing I have found in my 35 years since reading those wise lines has proved as worthy, rewarding or restoratory as propeller-less hours spent floating down stately, winding rivers.

Roll on the Barrow. Rising in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, the Barrow’s 119 miles links the south coast port of Waterford to the Grand Canal in the Midlands. Its non-tidal river navigation, however, flows from the town of Athy in County Kildare to the charming village of St Mullins in County Carlow – a distance of 39 miles, covering 23 locks. This artery cuts north to south through the sunny south east, which (the clue being in the name) enjoys the Emerald Isle’s highest number of sunshine hours and mildest temperatures.

Although it’s tucked neatly below Dublin - the West Coast’s tourist-throng axis - rarely will the influx of visitors invade its quaint villages, once-proud demesnes and period piles, rolling pastoral patchwork or thickly-wooded vales.

Having persuaded my wife of the area’s charms, we jump in a Canadian canoe to paddle down Ireland’s second-longest river. We ease off from the village of Leighlinbridge, and the living is easy. As the joy of such slow travel in such peaceful countyside pervades, the gratitude comes pouring forth.

But for what? For the chorus of birdsong trumpeting us past the wooded banks. For the squadron of swans landing by our canoe, the herons balancing by the bank like avian mime artists, and the quizzical stares of horses and cattle coming down to drink as we pass. For the snug array of lock keeper’s cottages, where a boater works the 18th Century lock, bantering away to us like a long lost cousin. For it’s merciful, screen-free serenity.

But also for the warm sunsets on the water as we freedom camp, enjoying views of the mighty Barrow whispering past our open tent door each morning, and for stone-bridged villages, crowned with crumbling castle ruins, where we pull in for a quiet pint each evening with smiley-eyed locals.

Then there’s the trickle of walkers, joggers and cyclists ploughing the Barrow Way, which aligns the river’s towpath for 74 miles north and south. When things get a little cramped and crabby on the boat, it’s there as a respite to walk or jog between locks.

We stop in the village of Goresbridge for the first night, a particularly peaceful little village about five hours easy paddling from Leighlinbridge, but our stop-off for night two, Graignamanagh, steals the show. The petite Kilkenny town (five hours leisurely floating from Goresbridge) offers some decent dining and drinking options, but its true splendour is its riverside setting, back-dropped by an arched stone bridge, woods and gentle hills.

Adolescents fling themselves from diving boards while rowers, kayakers and swimmers angle further out, and an audience of moored, multi-coloured houseboats look on. The place is magnetic, fuelled by generations basking in the early evening sun in a pure celebration of community.

From Graiguenamanagh it’s a gentle four hours down to St Mullins, established by St. Moling in the 7th century. It’s Anglo-Norman motte is set alongside an expansive hilltop graveyard, where five decomposing churches lineup alongside one another as if for a mugshot. Back by the Barrow’s edge, there’s a festive feel on the riverbank outside the Mullichain café.

Here at the end of our journey in the dappled shade, mature couples swing and step dance to the musicians as we gorge on coffee and croissants, casting our eyes out across the river, where children giggle and yelp and splash in the sunshine; simply messing about in boats.

Essentials

Based just 90 minutes from Dublin city centre, Go With The Flow (gowiththeflow.ie) offers seven different river trails that vary from three-men-in-a boat jobs, to family safaris and romantic getaways, ranging from three hours to three days (€35/￡29 per person per day, which includes 70 litre dry barrels, large dry bags, tent, buoyancy jackets and helmets. B&B options also available).