County Louth is setting out its stall as a must-visit home holiday destination, with the launch of a brand-new scenic seafood trail called ‘sea louth.’
The new trail, officially launching today by Louth County Council, captures what’s best about County Louth’s 70km+ coastline, the spectacular scenery and the finest local seafood.
Sea louth covers the entire 70km Louth coast, from Drogheda to Omeath, highlighting the stunning scenery and the finest local seafood along the way.
It will feature produce such as world-class Carlingford and Cooley Peninsula oysters; Dunany Crab, caught fresh daily using traditional crab pot methods; lobsters caught in Dundalk Bay and Carlingford Lough; razor clams, unique to Ireland’s east coast; the purest Oriel Sea Salt; and fresh fish and langoustines in Clogherhead, straight off the boat and onto the plate.
The trail is designed to attract visitors to the area and encourage locals to explore and enjoy all that the coast of Louth has to offer; local producers and restauranteurs are expected to benefit from an increase in footfall, as a result.
“The trail has been designed to take visitors on a journey along the road less travelled, where they will meet local characters and breathe in the salty sea air” said Colette Moss, senior executive officer, Louth County Council.
“Our tagline ‘see, eat, admire’ perfectly captures the essence of sea louth – see where our proud seafood producers land their catch, eat fresh local dishes by the coast and admire the spectacular views. See, eat and admire Louth, and expect to create memories that will last a lifetime,”
Boyne Valley food development officer, Grainne McKeown, adds: “The launch of the sea louth scenic seafood trail has been timed to support the hospitality industry as they prepare to reopen for indoor dining on the 5th July following an extremely tough year.
“This new initiative provides a great platform for locals and visitors alike to support local seafood producers and the tourism and hospitality sector across county Louth.
“Food plays a leading role in the visitor experience and this new seafood trail tells the stories behind the local seafood producers, see where they land their catch and taste the local seafood in participating restaurants. Through it, we are inviting people to see Louth in a new way!”
The sea louth project was funded by Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) for the North East Region.
Chair of FLAG North East, Garret O’Brien, said: “For us, the sea louth project is both timely and very welcome, as it creates a fantastic shop window to showcase all the very best that Louth has to offer – seafood direct from the purest of waters and the friendliest of welcomes.”
Dr. John and Dr. Sally McKenna are proud to serve as ambassadors for the new sea louth trail: “Sally and I were amazed by what we discovered when we explored the sea louth trail. You need only make the merest detour from the M1, and suddenly you are in a pristine coastal ecotone where gifted people produce stunning seafood, and a whole lot more. County Louth has the talent on the ground, which means it has all it needs to be an east coast food destination. Navigating sea louth is the perfect daytrip, the perfect weekend, the perfect getaway,” said John McKenna.
Sea Louth Passport
Pick up a free sea louth passport from any of the county’s three tourist offices in Drogheda, Dundalk or Carlingford, and follow the trail to 14 scenic locations. Each scenic viewpoint has a unique, illustrated stamp for visitors to collect from specified shops and outlets along the trail. In order to complete the passport, visitors must also collect two restaurant stamps – choose from over 40 participating restaurants and enjoy a delicious fresh local seafood dish from their menu to receive a stamp.
Once completed, the passport can be taken back to a Louth tourist office, where it can be exchanged for an exclusive sea louth memento. There is no expiry date, visitors can collect stamps and exchange their completed passports at their leisure.
To view the trail map, see points of interest along the way and browse participating restaurants, visit sealouth.ie.
Follow @sea_louth on Instagram and Twitter, and like @sealouth on Facebook for all the latest news and Louth travel inspiration. Tag #sealouth and #scenicseafoodtrail to share you adventures along the new trail.
