Vikings, Saints & Chieftains walked this.
All 18 miles of it!
We’re walking from Armagh County Museum on The Mall to the Park, in Dungannon, all 18 miles of it! Not that boring main road but the ancient route used for thousands of years by Saints, settlers, traders, Vikings & Chieftains.
Accessibility
The Big foot walk is open to walkers of all abilities including wheelchair users. This is a challenging walk with occasional steep sloping gradients and uneven surfaces, especially in the first half of the course. The route covers main roads with footpaths, minor roads with no footpaths, country lanes, forest paths and river bank trails. The route may prove challenging for some walkers with ambulant disabilities and wheelchair users (without assistant support). There will be support vehicles, including wheelchair accessible vans, to assist anyone along the route who feel they wish to retire from the event.
Alternative routes, including distances and starting positions, can be signposted and will be available on request.
Registration is at Armagh County Museum, on the Mall from 9am. Pick up your wristband and your High Vis jacket. The official start is 10am. Head out across the mall following the route directions, over the Cathedral Hill, passing the COI Cathedral, established almost 1000 years ago. Pass Armagh Library and down through the Shambles and out the Cathedral Road passing the RC Cathedral.
By McKeever’s bridge turn into Tyra Road. Local debate as to the proper spelling means road signs at each end of the road reads “ Tyra” and the other “ Teeraw”. From here the route goes between the fruit leaden hedgerows and rakes out through the rippling landscape toward Ballytrodden. From the top, look across the Blackwater Valley and see the distinctive red brick of Benburb Priory glow in the distance. We come down over the track and cross the stream into Artasooly.
Tullysaran bell tower is a local landmark. The dressed stone was bought from the Charlemont estate when Roxborough House (Moy) was being demolished. Past the chapel on the left is Edenderry House, set in off the road. We go through the car-park just before Maydown Bridge, along the Blackwater, through the woods and cross the distinctive iron footbridge into County Tyrone. We have reached the halfway stop at Benburb. Lunch and refreshments are available in the Priory building.
Leave Benburb and take the Sustrans Route. Sessiamagerroll Fort outside Benburb, surrounded by seven other raths on nearby hilltops (600-900AD), was used to ‘inaugurate’ or crown Irish chieftains. A wonderful view-point and on a clear day the Mournes, Lough Neagh and Slemish are clearly visible. Curran Lough Crannog, a man made island in the lake to the left, was a defended settlement. On the Syerla Road, before Moygashel, the turrets of Castlehill are visible on the horizon.
Walk into Moygashel & in through the gates into Dungannon Park. One last climb up Nunnery Hill where you can look back to the rolling Armagh Countryside and trace your 18 mile journey back to the start. Drop down the small path to the lakeside and the Bigfoot reception at the finish.
Route research by Armagh County Museum
