Renting a boat, canoes on Lough Corrib.

Fozzydog3

Hey folks so I'm toying with the idea of doing a multi day boat/canoe around Lough Corrib so I've two questions for ye.

Can anyone recommend a place where I could rent a boat for 3 to 4 people ? I'd prefer a rowboat or canadian canoes. Renting the boat seems easy but I'd say the overnight part would rule a few places out.

Also are all the islands privately owned ? I'd love to camp on one.

John_Rambo

Kayakmor is a fantastic local owned business ran by one of the best paddlers the country has produced. Intimate local knowledge of wildlife, and the islands of the lough and coast. I'm an experienced paddler and this guy will show you things I didn't know existed regarding skills and the waterways in Galway. An amazing, safe way to explore with lessons and he's clued in to canoe and kayak sales. Jim will source suitable craft (Canadian or Kayaks) for you if you like it.

Can't recommend them enough. As experienced as I am, I'd shell out a few Euro to do trips with Kayakmor every time I'm in Galway. Everything supplied!!! So no roof racks and sore backs.

http://www.kayakmor.ie/

Nothing will go wrong, but if you think it will you've got the best trained river rescue people in the country at your side.

Zzippy

Many of the islands are privately owned, the larger ones even have houses on them, and you should obtain permission to camp, but to be honest as long as you're not annoying livestock or leaving litter you shouldn't have much problem except maybe Inishanbo, the one with the big house near Oughterard. Inchagoill is owned by Coillte and you should have no problem there, although you are less likely to have solitude there.

Sycamore Tree

Zzippy wrote: »

Many of the islands are privately owned, the larger ones even have houses on them, and you should obtain permission to camp, but to be honest as long as you're not annoying livestock or leaving litter you shouldn't have much problem except maybe Inishanbo, the one with the big house near Oughterard. Inchagoill is owned by Coillte and you should have no problem there, although you are less likely to have solitude there.

Good advice.

I do a fair bit of solo kayaking on Lough Corrib. I would advise picking one of the numerous small islands that definitely don't have livestock. I came across a bull on an island near Kilbeg once and I was lucky he didn't charge. It's tricky to find a comfortable camping spot on the smaller rocky islands but there is always loads of firewood. The smaller islands and shallower waters are in the central/southern half of the lake but they say there are 365 islands.

Fozzydog3

Zzippy wrote: »

Many of the islands are privately owned, the larger ones even have houses on them, and you should obtain permission to camp, but to be honest as long as you're not annoying livestock or leaving litter you shouldn't have much problem except maybe Inishanbo, the one with the big house near Oughterard. Inchagoill is owned by Coillte and you should have no problem there, although you are less likely to have solitude there.

Well there goes my plans ....

Ah good old Coillte, say what you want about them but they're always handy for a camping spot.

inisboffin

Zzippy wrote: »

Many of the islands are privately owned, the larger ones even have houses on them, and you should obtain permission to camp, but to be honest as long as you're not annoying livestock or leaving litter you shouldn't have much problem except maybe Inishanbo, the one with the big house near Oughterard. Inchagoill is owned by Coillte and you should have no problem there, although you are less likely to have solitude there.

Is Inchagoill not plagued with rats? I asked a local friend about camping there once and that's what he said. Could have been at closing time though

Sycamore Tree

inisboffin wrote: »

Is Inchagoill not plagued with rats? I asked a local friend about camping there once and that's what he said. Could have been at closing time though

Never heard that before. The island is frequented often by tourists, fishermen and OPW folks. Not much for the rats to eat out there either.
There was a mink problem on some of the Corrib islands in recent years but I don't see them too often now. The mink got out and ate the birds and bird's eggs on many islands. They were not used to predators. They went from being very 'noisy' islands to dead quiet, it was weird.

JohnCleary

Zzippy wrote: »

Many of the islands are privately owned, the larger ones even have houses on them, and you should obtain permission to camp, but to be honest as long as you're not annoying livestock or leaving litter you shouldn't have much problem except maybe Inishanbo, the one with the big house near Oughterard. Inchagoill is owned by Coillte and you should have no problem there, although you are less likely to have solitude there.

Inchagoill was owned by the State (handed to the state by the Guinness family) and the forestry maintained by Coillte (unless the ownership has changed in the past while). As far as i'm aware, island still owned by the State, and is one of only a handful of islands owned by the State.

Apart from the few privately owned islands, the rest belong to "the people of Ireland"

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Good advice.

I do a fair bit of solo kayaking on Lough Corrib. I would advise picking one of the numerous small islands that definitely don't have livestock. I came across a bull on an island near Kilbeg once and I was lucky he didn't charge. It's tricky to find a comfortable camping spot on the smaller rocky islands but there is always loads of firewood. The smaller islands and shallower waters are in the central/southern half of the lake but they say there are 365 islands.

From my surveying, there's actually approx. 1700 islands, depending on time of year (water level). We considered an island to be anything big enough to pitch a tent on.

inisboffin wrote: »

Is Inchagoill not plagued with rats? I asked a local friend about camping there once and that's what he said. Could have been at closing time though

Plauged? No. Is there a presence of them there? Yes.

Why? Mainly inconsiderate campers leaving food etc. behind them. The mink population helped to cull the rat population, but with the mink introduction came other issues (eating other wildlife). As of last summer, there was a sparse population of both rats and mink. Ideally, it would be great to have neither on the island. But, for as long as people keep leaving food / rubbish / etc. behind, the rats will come... with the rats come mink... and the vicious circle continues.

Another issue on Inchagoill this summer was a huge amount of horse-flies. I asked a local professor, and in basic English, he said that Sh1t = Horseflies. This made total sense, as there was a huge amount of campers on the island this year. People have to empty themselves, that's natural. However, these people need to learn how to dig a hole, otherwise the island will turn, quite literally, into a sh1thole. (I have been told that some advocates will be in touch with Coillte to try and make this information more widely known to future campers).