Moate Hill Road

I was examining my map, looking for interesting walks in and around Moate. I noticed Moate Hill Road, which was not immediately on my list, but it did go south and all of my previous walks had been on the north side of the city. Upon studying the map further, I had difficulty determining where the road actually was. According to my map, the road started directly across from my hotel (Grand Hotel, Moate); however, at first glance, I did not see it. This, in fact, sparked my interest and it turned out to be one of my favorite walks of the trip. The road was, indeed, right in front of the hotel, situated between two buildings. To an American set of eyes it looked to be a private drive. As I traced the route, I thought it was also interesting that the road crossed the M6, the major highway between Dublin and Galway.

The beginning of Moate Hill Road

Moate Hill Road starts between two buildings in the center of Moate, Walshs clothing store and a currently disused building that was being worked on during my exploration. Within a few hundred feet, the city center traffic was left far behind and the Irish countryside was at hand. On the road, there are a few scattered houses and only one business (other than farms): Riverpark Kennels & Cattery. Walking through the countryside and beautiful trees there was a sense of solitude. My only company was a curious white horse and a few cows. Of course, there were plenty of birds as well.

The road gently winds and begins to become a bit less travelled as you move away from Moate. Eventually, it briefly turns to gravel. As I approached the M6, however, it was a little intimidating because Moate Hill Road turned from a gravel road to a wide, paved road with a stripe down the middle in a matter of a few feet. I assumed that this meant that there would be a lot more traffic. Yet, after the road crosses the M6 it narrows again. It is almost as if the bridge across the road were completed so that if Moate Hill ever needed to be widened, it would not affect M6. The chances of this happening in the foreseeable future seems remote.

The final portion of the road

About 700 feet after crossing the highway the road, once again, has grass growing down the middle. There is a single occupied house on the south side of the M6. Then, slowly, the road narrows, becomes overgrown with grass, and the pavement turns to mud. A few yards later, the road ends at a derelict farm. The farm buildings look as if they have not been used in a couple of decades and the house, without doors, has been partially overtaken by trees and bushes.

The derelict farmhouse

I liked the walk so much that in the afternoon I repeated it. The total length of the road is 1.1 miles. I remained respectful of the derelict property, but there was a temptation to explore the farmhouse. I am still unclear as to where the hill, in Moate Hill Road, is/was. During both walks, I only encountered one automobile, driven by an elderly man. On my afternoon walk, I met a father and two young daughters (aged 6 and 8?) riding their bikes over the M6. Both little girls were struggling to get their small bikes to the top of the bridge. The walk was one of the great experiences exploring on a whim, not always rewarded but something to experience. 

On the return trip, entering Moate