Stop under the railway bridge at the Moira end and look at the iron guard rail at its foot: it’s grooved with deep notches, worn there by the tow ropes of the barges that once worked this canal. The bridge dates from 1833 and is built with an unusual ‘skew’ brickwork to take the strain of the line crossing the water at an angle. That small detail is the best of Broad Water in miniature – a quiet, re-wilded canal that still wears the marks of its working life.
This is a 3-mile (4.8km) towpath along the old Lagan Canal, from the car park at Moira railway station to the village of Aghalee, passing Soldierstown and the broad lagoon that gives the place its name. The whole thing is flat and tarmac the entire way, which is the real reason to recommend it: it’s genuinely wheelchair-, buggy- and scooter-friendly, with no steps or climbs, so it’s the walk to bring legs of any age or ability along.
Canal history and the water
The Lagan Canal once linked Belfast with Lough Neagh; the Broad Water itself is man-made, the valley dammed to hold a deep enough head of water for boats to navigate. The canal was officially abandoned in 1954, and since then the banks have grown over into a thin belt of mature woodland, shrubs and wildflowers. Watch for the Soldierstown churchyard up on the left, where Richard Owen – the engineer behind the Lisburn-to-Lough Neagh section of the canal – was buried in 1830. Near the top of the Broad Water you’ll pass the former bank-ranger’s house, the man who once kept the water levels and towpath; it’s a private home now.
The lagoon is the wildlife draw, with breeding and wintering wildfowl including mallard, teal and mute swans. It’s an easy, low-effort spot for birdwatching, since the flat path lets you stop as often as you like and the open water gives clear sightlines. One honest caveat: the Broad Water can get choked with algae in warm spells, and it’s at its best when the path and water are well kept – so it’s more rewarding on a clear day than a stagnant one.
Getting there and the catch
Moira station is on the NI Railways Belfast–Newry line, and the towpath starts right from its car park, which is free; there’s also parking at Soldierstown, where picnic tables overlook the water. There’s no café or toilet on the path itself, so use the facilities at the station before you set off.
The one thing to plan for is that this is a linear walk, not a loop. The simplest day is to walk out to Aghalee and take the train back from Moira. If you want more, from Aghalee you can follow quiet back roads south to rejoin the Lagan Valley Regional Park towpath at Union Locks near Lisburn – turning a gentle hour’s walk into a proper day on foot.