Kayaking along the river Lee: from Gougane Barra to Cork

JikoKanri

Hello, my name is Tomas and I'm new to this forum. I want to do this expedition from Gougane Barra to Cork next year, and I'm currently in the research phase. I would like to contact experienced kayakers to gather information on permit requirements, mandatory safety gear, camping possibilities, etc.

My main concern is the legal aspect of kayaking a river and camping in Ireland, about which I am totally ignorant. Is it ok to contact Garda to inquire about this, or there's a specific government entity/department I could call?

My second concern is obstacles along the way (e.g. Inniscarra Hydro Station, white waters, etc), so if anyone has experience with this specific route, I'd like to hear about that.

For context, I am a touring kayaker with experience in my country, but in Ireland it would be my first tour. I would not do this alone, but with a group of friends. We don't plan to angle along the way, and we don't plan to do anything that's not legal.

Thanks for reading.

Cheers.

WildWater

I'm not from that part of the country but I would suggest contacting these folks:

http://www.phoenixkayakclub.com

FishOnABike

I guess this is on hold until travel gets back to normal but Gougane Barra to Cork has been done before.

https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-40156202.html

https://outsider.ie/ireland/city-sea-kayaking/

cork kayaker

Hi

This is an old thread but it caught my attention. I have kayaked various sections of the river and can give some info on it. The bit by Lough Allua is very scenic

Dave2022

Hi there,

I was thinking of trying this in the next month, is the section from Lough allua to Gearagh easy to do?

I assume the section from Guggane Barra to Lough Allua would be the hardest part.