Exploring Galway on Foot

The city of Galway is very walkable.  It is a compact city with lots of walking paths and pedestrian only area.  A few of the places I explored on foot included the Eglington Canal, the Spanish Arch, and the Salthill promenade.  

The canal is bordered by paths which take you through residential areas, parks, and eventually down to the quay.  The quay includes a large outdoor sports area, walking paths right on the coast, and lots of green space.  The quay area is actually a re-greened space that was previously used as a garbage dump, so it was interesting to see the area’s new life and to find so much open space inside the city.

The Spanish Arch is located just outside of the Galway City Museum and is on the left bank of the
Corrib river.  The Arch was built in 1584 and is a portion of the city walls which once enclosed Galway.

Similar to the Spanish Arch, Eyre Square is home to the Browne Door.  Which is the original door from the Browne family homestead in Galway.  The door has been relocated to the Square from Abbeygate street.  Both the Arch and the door have a disembodied feel to them, they are portions of much larger structures and give a brief glimpse into Galway’s past.

The Salthill promenade runs alongside Galway Bay and is a well maintained walking route.  It was
pouring rain for portions of my walk along the promenade, but the view of the bay and seeing parts of Galway that are less tourist and student centric was well worth a bit of rain. 

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