Article Summary
What this article covers: Toome Canal, the short stretch of the Lower River Bann linking Lough Neagh to Toomebridge, covering the walk, its history, its fishing and its role as Old Valyria in Game of Thrones.
Who this is for: Walkers, anglers and screen-tourism visitors planning a stop in County Antrim, plus anyone with family roots around Lough Neagh.
Key takeaway: Toome Canal packs a flat two-kilometre walk, working DAERA angling water and a genuine HBO filming location into one short stop on the Lough Neagh shore.
Expert insight: “Toome is one of those places where you can stand in one spot and touch four different stories at once: the eel weirs, the 1798 rebellion, the drainage works that reshaped the lough, and a dragon flying over Tyrion’s head. Not many two-kilometre walks manage that.” — Ciaran Connolly, Founder of ConnollyCove.
Quick Facts
- Toome takes its name from the Irish Tuaim, meaning a burial mound or tumulus.
- The canal was reshaped by the McMahon drainage scheme of the 1840s and 1850s, which lowered Lough Neagh and made the Lower Bann navigable.
- The stretch doubled as the Old Valyrian Canal in Game of Thrones Season 5, Episode 5.
Toome Canal runs for around two kilometres between Lough Neagh and the village of Toomebridge, where the Lower River Bann leaves the lough on the border of County Antrim and County Londonderry. It’s a short, flat walk, but it carries an unusual amount of history for its length: a Bronze Age burial reference in its name, a 19th-century engineering scheme that changed the shape of Ulster’s biggest lake, a rebel’s execution ballad, and one of the more memorable detours in Game of Thrones.
If you’re weighing up whether Toome Canal is worth a stop on a Lough Neagh loop, this guide covers the walk itself, the fishing rules if you’re bringing a rod, the heritage worth knowing before you go, and the Game of Thrones scene that first put it on the map for a lot of visitors.
Table of Contents
Walking Toome Canal: Route and Access
The Toome Canal walk is a flat, out-and-back path along the towpath from the village to the shore of Lough Neagh, roughly 1.2 miles (2 km) each way on paved and gravel surfaces. Parking sits near the Lock-Keeper’s Cottage on Railway Road in Toomebridge, just off the A6, and the walk itself needs no permit or entry fee.
From the car park, the path follows the canal bank south, passing beneath the stone piers of a former railway crossing before opening onto the Lough Neagh shoreline, where you get a wide, flat view across the largest lake in Britain and Ireland. The surface is level enough for prams, wheelchairs and bicycles for most of its length, though it’s worth checking conditions after heavy rain, since the towpath can hold puddles where it dips close to the water. Dogs are welcome on a lead. Anyone extending the visit can carry on to Lough Neagh’s own Game of Thrones history at the shoreline, where the lake itself played a separate role in the series.
Toome Canal in Game of Thrones: Filming Old Valyria
Toome Canal stood in for the Old Valyrian Canal in Game of Thrones Season 5, Episode 5, “Kill the Boy”, where Jorah Mormont rows a captive Tyrion Lannister through the ruined city of Valyria. It’s the scene where the pair are distracted by a distant, dragon-shaped shadow overhead, only to be ambushed by the diseased Stone Men, one of whom drags Tyrion into the water before Jorah fights him off, at the cost of his own infection with greyscale.
The production filmed the water scenes practically on the canal, then blended in the ruined bas-relief cliffs of Valyria digitally in post-production, so what you see on the towpath today is the plain, working canal rather than a dressed set. The wider village of Toome and neighbouring Moneyglass also carried substantial Winterfell exteriors across several seasons, and the production returned to the area for battle scenes filmed over dozens of nights during the final season. For the rest of Northern Ireland’s Game of Thrones map, from Ballintoy Harbour to the Dark Hedges, ConnollyCove’s guide to the Game of Thrones filming locations across Northern Ireland covers the wider trail.
Fishing at Toome Canal: Species and DAERA Rules
Toome Canal is DAERA public angling water for coarse fishing, and anglers need a current DAERA rod licence and angling permit before casting a line. The canal and the adjoining stretch of the Lower Bann hold pike, perch, roach and bream, and Toome itself sits at the heart of Lough Neagh’s much larger wild eel fishery.
| Species | What To Expect | Licence Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Pike | Present year-round; bag limits apply | DAERA coarse rod licence and permit |
| Perch and roach | Common in the canal and near the sluice gates | DAERA coarse rod licence and permit |
| Bream | Found in slower, deeper stretches | DAERA coarse rod licence and permit |
| Wild eel | Commercially fished under separate licence, not for casual angling | Not open to recreational rod fishing |
Exact bag limits and seasonal dates change from year to year, so check DAERA’s current angling byelaws before you travel rather than relying on last season’s figures.
History and Heritage: From the Drainage Scheme to the Eel Fishery
“Standing at the lock here, it’s easy to forget that the flat water in front of you is entirely engineered. The lough used to sit several feet higher, and Toome was reshaped to make that change happen,” says Ciaran Connolly, Founder of ConnollyCove.
The canal’s modern form dates from the McMahon drainage scheme, carried out between the 1840s and 1850s under engineer John McMahon, which lowered Lough Neagh and built a series of locks, including the one at Toome, to make the Lower Bann navigable. Long before that engineering work, the place-name itself points to something older: Toome comes from the Irish Tuaim, a pagan burial mound, referenced in the earlier name Fearsaid Thuama, “the sandbank ford of Toome”, describing the crossing point that once stood here.
Toome also carries a harder history. In 1800, Roddy McCorley, a young United Irishman from nearby Duneane, was hanged near the bridge of Toome for his part in the 1798 rebellion, an event remembered in the ballad “Roddy McCorley”, recorded over the years by The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners and The Pogues. Today, the same stretch of water still supports the Lough Neagh wild eel fishery based at Toome, which became the first food product in Northern Ireland to receive European Protected Geographical Indication status in 2011.
Current Conditions and Seasonal Information
Toome Canal is walkable year-round, but the best conditions for a relaxed visit run from spring through early autumn, when the towpath is driest and Lough Neagh’s birdlife, including herons and kingfishers, is most active along the banks. Winter brings quieter paths and good conditions for pike anglers, though shorter daylight hours and Lough Neagh’s exposed winds mean it’s worth layering up.
Lough Neagh has faced well-publicised water quality problems in recent summers, including blue-green algae blooms, which can affect dogs that go into the water and anglers handling fish near the shore. Check the current status through official sources such as DAERA or the Loughs Agency before a summer visit, and keep dogs out of the water if algae warnings are in place. For real-time path and access conditions, the complete guide to County Antrim is a useful jumping-off point for planning a wider trip around the county.
Planning Your Visit: Parking, Amenities and Nearby Attractions
Free parking is available near the Lock-Keeper’s Cottage on Railway Road, Toomebridge, just off the A6 between Antrim and Castledawson, with Translink bus services also stopping in the village. The cottage itself operates as a small local amenity point rather than a full visitor centre, so it’s worth bringing your own refreshments if you’re planning a longer stop.
County Antrim rewards a longer visit around Toome. Antrim Castle Gardens sits a short drive away, and Carrickfergus Castle makes a good half-day addition if you’re heading towards Belfast. Travellers exploring this region often combine Toome with a longer North Coast loop; ConnollyCove’s guide to the Giant’s Causeway and the Bushmills travel guide cover the drive further north. For a literary detour, Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy is roughly a fifteen-minute drive, and pairs naturally with a morning at the canal. If scenic routes are more your interest, ConnollyCove’s guide to Northern Ireland’s best scenic drives includes Shane’s Castle and the wider Lough Neagh shoreline.
Based on our visits, the quietest time to walk the towpath is a weekday morning, well before the coach parties that head straight for the Causeway coast further north.
FAQs
A few quick answers to the questions visitors ask most often before a trip to Toome Canal.
Where is Toome Canal?
Toome Canal sits at Toomebridge in County Antrim, on the northwest shore of Lough Neagh, just off the A6. It marks the point where the Lower River Bann leaves the lough.
What does the name Toome mean?
Toome comes from the Irish Tuaim, meaning a burial mound or tumulus. The exact site of the mound has never been identified.
How long is the Toome Canal walk?
It’s about 1.2 miles (2 km) each way, flat and paved, making it suitable for most fitness levels, prams and wheelchairs.
What scene from Game of Thrones was filmed at Toome Canal?
The canal doubled as the Old Valyrian Canal in Season 5, Episode 5, where Jorah Mormont and Tyrion Lannister are attacked by the Stone Men.
