This trip guide deals with the River Lagan from Lambeg to Drumbeg.
Journey time — 1 hour approx. (continue on to Shaw's Bridge c. 2 hours 30 mins)
Paddling ability — Beginner upwards
Wildlife to took out for — Squirrels; Kingfishers; Herons; Fish jumping; Eels
The paddle down the Lagan from Lambeg to Drumbeg is an easy one, although it can be a little shallow at times of low water. It is basically a touring paddle, punctuated occasionally by wiers which are readily run — although inspection is recommended beforehand to check for debris, usually trees, blocking sections of the weirs.
Unless the flow is abnormally high, inspection can easily be performed from your kayak/canoe.
It's worth putting in a word on water quality. The River Lagan from Lambeg to Shaw's Bridge has been consistently (1996-2006) graded as GCA class C (Fairly Good) on a scale of A–F. Ideal quality would be A/B. The water quality deteriorates rapidly to E (Poor) above Lambeg, and below Stranmillis Weir in Belfast the river is positively dangerous. In 1996 less than 20% of Water Treatment Works were compliant with appropriate standards. By 2006, this figure had risen to over 80%. However improvement plans are not due to deliver A/B ratings until 2015 at the earliest. Source: DOE NI EHS — Get Involved!
It's also worth saying that, as with all rivers, a day's rain can change the level dramatically, so you have to watch for this, but the check is fairly simple and can be performed either at Shaw's Bridge or Drumbeg before you go to Lambeg, simply by looking at the decking at the riverside.
Lambeg J279662 (A) to Drumbeg J305670 (D)
Features: Church Hill Weir J285668 (B); Seymour Hill Weir J292674 (C)
Journey Time: 1 hour approx
If you have run this trip before, it's an hour's journey on subsequent runs. A high-water introductory paddle with bank inspection, playing, coaching and a few swims will at least double this time.
A Little Local History
Lambeg (from the Irish Lann Bheag meaning "little church") is a small village 6.5 miles southwest of Belfast and one mile from the centre of the city of Lisburn. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 60 people. An early English language approximation of the Irish name for the area used the spelling "Landebege."
The Lambeg drum is named after Lambeg village.
Lambeg is also a region name for the suburb of Lisburn closest to the village.
The village itself is located at Wolfenden's Bridge, named after Richard Wolfenden (1723–1775) a Dutchman, of Harmony Hill, Lambeg, head of one of the earliest linen trade families in Ulster, who ran a bleaching green and paper mill at Lambeg.
Wolfenden built Lambeg House at the bridge (it was a ford at that time) and later called it Harmony Hill, a name that lives on in the Lambeg area of Lisburn to this day. Harmony Hill was then bought by Richard Niven, an Englishman, who brought over his use of bichromates for the fixing of colours in the textile printing process. Niven renamed the house Chrome Hill to commemorate that discovery.
It has the additional claims to fame that both King William and John Wesley stayed there.
Lambeg contains a significant number of Listed buildings — Lambeg Parish Church, with associated mausoleums, Wolfenden Tomb and Barbour Tomb, also dwellings at 27 and 29 Church Hill, and Chrome Hill House and its setting.
The River Lagan flows through Lambeg Village and it was because of the river and the damp climate of the Lagan Valley, that flax was first grown there. The earliest documentary evidence records the setting up of a bleach green in 1626.
The Lambeg Bleach Works was set up here because of the deep underground aquifer which supplies large amounts of clean fresh water. It is now the site of the Coca-Cola factory which bottles Deep River Rock from the same aquifer.
Increased industrialization required better infrastructure, and the Lagan Navigation brought a navigable waterway from Belfast Lough to Lough Neagh. Sections of canal run alongside the river.
The Lagan Navigation (the Lagan Canal) was created by an Act of Parliament in 1753 to form a navigable waterway from the Irish Sea right through the Lagan Valley to Lough Neagh. The initial cost of the construction was defrayed by a local tax on beer and spirits.
It was 43km long, with 27 locks once overseen by 18 lock-keepers. It imported coal for the mills and exported linen, corn, flour, timber, vegetables, potatoes and hay for 5 shillings/ton.
It's the Belfast to Lisburn stretch that interests us. It was engineered by a Dutchman called Thomas Omer, and work commenced in 1756. It was offically closed and abandoned in 1958, ending 200 years of history and has since been allowed to fall completely into disrepair. Sections of canal still exist today running alongside the river.
The Belfast Telegraph reported in October 2009 that more than half a million people have used the Lagan towpath over the last couple of years — more than use the Giant’s Causeway — and local councils say that restoration of the Lagan Navigation could open up the now disused canals for walking, running, cycling, horse-riding and watersports, while reviving settlements that first grew up round the waterways.
The River Lagan then flows past Seymour Hill to the next crossing at Drumbeg, The Drum Bridge at Drum House, on to Edenderry and to Shaw's Bridge.
Drumbeg is the location of Drum House, "the dwelling of James Hamilton Maxwell Esq. standing on a small rising hill in view of the river which here meanders down to Drum Bridge on the road from Belfast to Lisburn. The place is adorned by goodly plantations." (Harris)
Hamilton Maxwell of Drumbeg was given a grant of £40 a year for three years by the Linen Trustees in 1725 "to build a bleach yard and a buckhouse and to bring over a Dutch bleacher, who shall bleach after the best manner used at Harlem, to train apprentices on his lands." (Stevenson)
The Lisburn Blues, 1782
Drum House has also been the site of fierce battles in which a large quantity of blank ammunition was discharged.
First, the Lisburn Blues and the Lambeg Volunteers attempted to wrest control of the Drum Bridge and the weir from the Drumbridge Volunteers who were ably supported by the Purdysburn Volunteers and the Ballylesson Royals on November 14th, 1780 as they practiced defending themselves from the maurading French who had landed at Carrickfergus 20 years earlier.
Then, one and a half centuries later, the house and out-buildings were the station of the Home Guard during WWII as history repeated itself when they practiced defending this 'key position' from the 'German paratroopers'.
Seymour Hill was bought by William Charley who owned 400 acres on both sides of the river, and established one of the finest bleaching greens in the country here. Incidently it is also the site credited with the discovery of Chlorine as a bleaching agent.
There was a bleaching green at Edenderry from the late 1700's through the early 1800's.
In 1830 John Russell converted it to a water powered flour mill.
After 1860 it became a much more prominent cotton flax mill and weavers known as St Ellen's Works, run by John Shaw Brown and the village of Edenderry grew as a result of the mill's development.
St Ellen's Works
Edenderry Mill, 2007
Despite Edenderry having a BMAP Settlement Development Limit, and it being in the Lagan Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and it being designated a Site of Local Nature Conservation Importance, and an Area of Village Character, and St. Ellen's Works being specifically singled out as a "key area feature", the mill has now been demolished and several rows of town-houses built at the rivers edge on it's site. (Can you tell this makes me a little cross?)
Although the mill has now gone, the mill dam (Edenderry Weir) and mill race are still visible. The old canal lock remains can easily be seen here. The mill dam continues to deteriorate.
This five-arched stone bridge was built in 1709 with stones most likely taken from the ruins of a nearby fort. It was originally an oak bridge built by Captain Shaw in 1655 to allow Oliver Cromwell's gunners to cross the River Lagan.
Shaw's Bridge and Rapids
The lock-keepers cottage at Shaw's Bridge has been recently re-furbished, and re-opened as a coffee-shop.
River Access and Launching/Recovery
To get to Drumbeg (the get-out) from Belfast, take the Upper Malone Road from the roundabout at the House Of Sport on the A55 Ring Road. Continue past Lady Dixon Park, and across The Drum Bridge where the road bends sharply to the right. Drum House, currently a nursery / garden centre, is on the left. Drumbeg parish church is straight ahead, and Lagan Valley Regional Park Drumbeg is on the right.
There is plenty of car parking at Drumbeg. You can meet here to leave some cars and dry gear etc before taking the necessary vehicles to Lambeg. There are excellent access steps and two decking platforms here at the river's edge.
Lagan Valley Regional Park, Drumbeg, Car Park
The path to the river from the car park
The access platforms onto the river
The access platforms at Drumbeg are both usually visible. After a heavy spell of rain, when the water drains into the river from the catchement area, the river can rise here by several feet, putting the upper deck up to a foot under water. Checking this is important because if the upper deck is a foot under water, there will be a meaty stopper at Church Hill Weir, and the line you take will be very different.
To get to Lambeg, continue on out the road from the Lagan Valley Regional Park car park, now called Ballyskeagh Road. Continue on over the M1, and on past the Dog Track / Lisburn Distillery FC to the Ballyskeagh High Bridge over the Lagan Canal. This bridge, contructed by Thomas Omer in 1760 and now Listed, cannot pass two vehicles side-by-side so you must wait for oncoming vehicles to clear the bridge before crossing.
Ballyskeagh High Bridge, Lagan Canal, 1760
Continue on past Lambeg Mills to Lambeg Village across Wolfenden's Bridge, taking the opportunity to look left for a glimpse of Church Hill Weir. If this weir is dry, go home again, or be prepared for some walking on the journey downstream.
Once you get through Lambeg Village, continue on through the wooded section, then take the first turn (immediately) on the left down to Lambeg Bridge which spans both the river and the canal, and pull in at the open space in front of the factory gates. This bridge is also only able to pass one vehicle at a time. Parking can be arranged with the Coca-Cola factory security guards, or just on the curb on the opposite side of the road.
Put–in
There are two ways to launch in.
(1) If you are in a kayak, you can launch into the canal about 100 yards along the towpath towards Lisburn (upstream). This section of the canal is right at one of the overflow weirs which joins the canal and the river, so take a moment to acclimatise yourself to the river on the canal before heading over the overflow (duck as you go through) and down onto the river proper.
Seal launch from the towpath into the canal
The overflow weir from the canal down to the river
You can play for a minute or two in the stopper at the bottom of the overflow weir if the water level is high enough. It's usually a bump-and-scrape slide down, and a safe stopper (if any).
Again, take the opportunity to check water levels by evaluating the stopper at the bottom of this weir. It will not be a dangerous stopper, but following the principle that whatever you see here will be bigger at Church Hill Weir, it's an indication of what's to come.
Lambeg Weir is just above the overflow weir, i.e. upstream, towards Lisburn. Under no circumstances paddle upstream towards this weir. It is dangerous. This is the worst type of weir you can find on a river, a low head dam running straight across the river. The water recirculates beneath this weir and there is no wash-through — further, the sides of the hydraulic are blocked by man made walls making it impossible to slip out. Fortunately the next weir of this type is at Stranmillis in Belfast, and we don't go that far on either of these trips.
If you choose to warm up with a quick paddle up the canal from the put-in, be careful not to divert onto the river above Lambeg Weir by accident. Again, a check on the river level can be made at this point. If there is much of a current flowing down the canal, then the river is higher than normal, and you should think carefully about Church Hill Weir.
(2) If the overflow is dry, or you have a canoe, you can launch into the river directly from the strip of land between the canal and the river downstream from the bridge. There is a gate in the middle of the bridge allowing access. This allows you to skip both the canal, the overflow weir and the run under the bridge.
Alternate put-in, directly into the river
The Journey
Lambeg Bridge To Church Hill Weir
After the put-in you paddle down the river along the side of the factory and the tow-path. At the end of this stretch, straight-on takes you into another canal section. The river itself turns left over a small weir which is usually completely submerged and runs for 200 yards or so down to Church Hill Weir. At times of high water, there can be a small surfable wave at this bend. The purpose of the small submerged weir is to maintain the water level in the canal.
The first big river feature you meet after the put-in, as you drop down from Lambeg, is Church Hill Weir. The face of Church Hill weir is split with a sloping face on river left, which extends across two-thirds of the length of the weir, and a drop with a shorter steeper slope on river right, separated by a set of enclosed fish steps.
There is usually a heron beneath the weir.
In low water, the normal situation, you can safely inspect this weir from above without getting out of your craft. You should aim to shoot the weir down the gentle slope (the main face of the weir) where the flow usually washes out. Debris usually collects around the fish steps, often blocking the right hand half of the weir (river right). See if you can spot the tree blocking part of the weir in the larger view of the weir below.
When the water is high, i.e. the day after heavy rain, inspection from below is a good idea, because the stopper at the bottom of the main face of the weir can be very sticky. Inspection from below is not trivial. You have to get out on the bank well above the weir on river left and cross the field to get to below the weir. The field is fenced in with barbed-wire. If the water is high enough to form a meaty stopper, the line is river right (labelled Flood line below), and you should send someone competent down first to set up bank safety below the weir.
Once down safely, at normal water levels, Church Hill Weir is an excellent play spot with a safe wave below the steeper slope on river right, and slightly more testing stoppers at the bottom of the longer, gentle slope on river left. Expect to spend a little time here having fun!
There are a number of 'tiers' below the weir, small rapids. Depending on water levels, swimmers can get washed down over these, as far as Wolfenden's Bridge before they can be put back into their boats. Church Hill Weir is however very safe for all levels of paddler. Swimming is rare — from personal experience we have seen more swims playing on the wave at the bend before the weir where the canal section begins, than at the weir itself.
Just past Wolfenden's Bridge, as the river bends around Lambeg Mills on the right, you catch a glimpse of Chrome Hill House (see the history section above) on your left.
The river meanders on through Ballyskeagh to Seymour Hill. There are a couple of kingfishers in this section which flash wonderful blue sparkles as they dance away at your approach.
Seymour Hill Weir
Seymour Hill Weir is split into two faces, and the river splits into two channels here, one channel running from each face. These two channels join up a little distance downstream, effectively forming an island in the middle of the river. It's possible that one of the channels was a lock, though only an oblique reference to this can be found.
Martyn playing at Seymour Hill (river left channel)
The channel on river left is slightly more technically difficult, but more fun. In most levels of water there is a grippy stopper in here that will hold your average playboat with enough force to make you need someone to come and pull you back out. There is also a nice flow which is good for cartwheeling and tail squirting.
The channel on river right is straightforward to run. In high water, it's best to run this one.
After Seymour Hill Weir, the river continues it's winding journey on past another canal overflow spillway, nicknamed Martyn's Weir. This is a lot of fun in high water, and runs with enough force to cut right across the river proper. Most of the time it's dry, and when the river is in flood it's quite disconcerting to see white water coursing across the river where no white water should be, until you realize why. Swims here can be "interesting" because the narrow breadth of the river at this point combined with high banks and its twisting and turning make a swim fairly long in search for somewhere to empty and put back in.
The Derriaghy River (a stream, really) joins the River Lagan at this point too.
The next feature is one that indicates it's time to avoid swimming for a while, Dunmurry WTW. Keep upright until you pass under the M1 at least.
To the get-out
At this point you are nearly at the get-out, and all that remains is a gentle paddle along the bottom of Lady Dixon Park to Lagan Valley Regional Park, Drumbeg. Try to get in another flat water cartwheel to bring you back, and then it's time to get out.
Optional — Continue on to Shaw's Bridge J324691 (H)
Drumbeg Weir J310668 (E)
Edenderry Weir (also known as Eel Weir) J320674 (F)
Minnowburn Car Park, on Minnow Burn / Purdy's Burn J325686 (G)
Shaw's Bridge Car Park J324691
(H)
Shaw's Bridge Rapids / Slalom Course J326692 (I)
Additional time — 1 hour 30 minutes (2 hours 30 mins total)
Edenderry Weir (eel weir) must be inspected from the bank. It's character changes significantly with the water level, from this low level to a wash-out. A nasty stopper can form here, and you need to check visually before you run it. It also frequently traps trees in the flow.
Edenderry Weir (eel weir)
There are two get-outs available after Drumbeg. Minnowburn and Shaw's Bridge. On the basis that it's in for a penny, in for a pound, if you are continuing on, seeing as how you have just shot 4 or 5 weirs on the way here, you should probably shoot the rapids after Shaw's Bridge and get out there, unless it's good weather and then parking at Minnowburn might be easier than at Shaw's.
