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Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival 2020

Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival takes place this year from 13th-15th March 2020. The entry is €20 a day or €50 over the 3 days. It is a great opportunity to see the amazing scenery of Mayo. Starting points are:

10th March – Car park across from Ballintubber Abbey

11th March – Aughagower Community Centre

15th March – Murrish Carpark (Base of Croagh Patrick)

Full details below and find out more at http://www.croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com or email info@croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com

Also take a look at our post on Croagh Patrick itself here.

Day 1: Friday 13th March 2020 17km

0830 hrs sharp Meeting Point at car park across from Ballintubber Abbey. Transport provided to starting point.

0900 hrs Registration Balla Community Centre. Tea/Coffee Refreshments provided.
0930 hrs Commence Walk from Balla to Ballintubber (17km)
Refreshment stop – Clogher Community Centre – Tea / Coffee sandwiches provided.
1500 to 1700 hrs Finish Day 1 in Ballintubber.

Day 2: Saturday 14th March 2020 27km
0830 hrs sharp Meeting Point at Aghagower Community Centre. Transport to starting point.
0900 hrs Registration at Aghagower Community Centre before walkers take a free bus to Ballintubber to start the walk. Tea/Coffee Refreshments provided.
0930 hrs Commence Walk from Ballintubber to Aghagower (27km)
Refreshment Stop – Killawalla -Tea / Coffee sandwiches provided.
1600 to 1800 hrs Arrive at Aghagower Village.

Day 3: Sunday 15th March 2020 19km
0830 hrs sharp Meeting Point in Murrisk – Car park at the base of Croagh Patrick. Transport to starting point.
0900 hrs Registration Aghagower Community Centre. Tea/Coffee Refreshments provided.
0930 hrs Commence Walk from Aghagower to Murrisk (19 km)
Refreshment Stop – Brackloon – Tea / Coffee sandwiches provided
1600 to 1800 hrs Arrive at Murrisk.

Derrybawn Mountain, Wicklow Mountains – Guest Post

Thanks to Caitriona and Tara from Scenic Irish Walks for offering this as a guest post. They are planning a hike every Sunday in 2019 and you can follow them at https://scenicirishwalks.home.blog/.

Enjoy the post below on Derrybawn mountain, Wicklow.

Difficulty – Moderate to Hard.

Time – 3 hr.

Equipment needed – Rain gear, hiking boots, hat, scarf, gloves, sunglasses, water, snacks.

Families: Not suitable for buggies or young children.

Rating – 5 stars.

This is our favourite walk of 2019 so far. There were beautiful views all along the way. We parked in the first Glendalough carpark to start this walk. We followed way markers for the initial part of the walk and then went off the trail to climb Derrybawn. Although it was very busy at the carpark, we were the only people on Derrybawn – awesome. This was a real adventure. We had to navigate using OSI maps and google maps. It was a challenging walk heading up to the summit, but doable at the same time. If we were to do this walk again, we’d do it in reverse – we did a fair bit of unnecessary meandering at the beginning.

The route we actually did wasn’t the best one

Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival 2019

Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival takes place this year from 8th-10th March 2019

Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival takes place this year from 8th-10th March 2019. The entry is €20 a day or €50 over the 3 days. It is a great opportunity to see the amazing scenery of Mayo. Walks start each day at 8:30am sharp. Starting points are:

8th March – Corleys Pub Ballintubber

9th March – Aughagower Village

10th March – Murrish Carpark (Base of Croagh Patrick)

Full details below and find out more at http://www.croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com or email info@croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com

Also take a look at our post on Croagh Patrick itself here.

See below exciting footage from last year’s Heritage Trail.

Route & Distance:

Friday 8th March – Balla to Ballintubber (18km)

8.30am Sharp – Meeting point at car park outside Corleys Pub Ballintubber across from The Abbey.

9am Registration Balla Community Centre. Tea/coffee refreshments provided.

9.30am Commence walk from Balla to Ballintubber (18km).

Refreshment stop – Tuffys Pub – Tea/coffee and sandwiches provided.

3pm – 5pm Finish day 1 in Corleys Pub Ballintubber.

Saturday 9th March – Ballintubber to Aghagower (27km)

8.30am Sharp – Meeting point Aughagower Village (rear of church). Transport to start.

9am Registration Corleys Pub Ballintubber. Tea/coffee refreshments provided.

9.30am Commence walk from Ballintubber to Aghagower (27km).

Refreshment stop – Killawalla – Tea/coffee and sandwiches provided.

3pm – 6pm Finish day 2 at Aughagower Village.

Sunday 10th March – Aghagower -Murrisk (19km)

8.30am Sharp – Meeting point Murrisk – Car park at base of Croagh Patrick. Transport to start.

9am Registration Aughagower Community Centre. Tea/coffee refreshments provided.

9.30am Commence walk from Aghagower -Murrisk (19km).

Refreshment stop – Brackloon – Tea/coffee and sandwiches provided.

3pm – 6pm Finish day 3 at Murrisk.

Refreshments provided each day.

Transport will be provided each morning to ferry walkers from the Meeting point to the Starting point. This means that your personal transport will be at the end of your destination on arrival each day. Register online. For more details call 094 9030687 or email info@croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com. You can also visit www.croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com for information.

Laois Walks Festival (Guest Post)

Guest post by Peter Maher. Thanks, Peter.

Laois walks festival commenced on Sunday the 1st of July with a walk around the picturesque Derryounce Lakes and bogland in Portarlington. Now in its 17th year, the festival offers the opportunity for walkers to experience all that Laois has to offer with 27 guided walks throughout the county with varying difficulty during the month of July. The festival offers walks that are designed to encourage you to get out and explore the countryside and the Slieve Bloom Mountains. The scenic walks are varied; through woodland, over pastoral lands and along country laneways. For those who are interested in completing a pilgrim passport or a Camino challenge. The month of July will give you a total of 249 Kms of excitement and scenery walking in Co Laois.

Laois Walks Festival Co-Ordinator Susan Lawlor “the festival offers something for everyone” according to Susan.
This festival could not happen without the goodwill and support of several private and state landowners, including Coillte, National Parks and Wildlife Services, Office of Public Works, and Inland Waterways, who provide access to the walkways”, said Susan. “I would also like to acknowledge the support we receive from Laois Partnership Company, Laois Sports Partnership and Laois County Council, which is key to organising such a successful festival”, she continued.

The Festival provides an opportunity to explore some of Laois’s stunning views and countryside in the company of local guides. This year’s packed programme features walks for all abilities, from the enthusiastic well-equipped walker who relishes the challenge on the Slieve Bloom Mountains to the gentle rambler who is out to enjoy a pleasant guided walk. So, whatever type of a walker you are, come to Laois this July where you are assured of a wonderfully warm welcome at our festival.

Further Information:
Copies of festival itinerary €2 per walk or €25 festival tickets, Registration takes place half an hour prior to each walk.
Laois Walks Festival 2018 , please contact:
Laois Partnership on 057 8661900. You can also keep up to date on our Facebook page www.fb.com/laoiswalksfestival or on (www.laoispartnership.ie)
Dominic Hartnett Group Leader, Susan Lawlor Festival Co-Ordinator ✆ 087 2574477 Laois Partnership ✆ 057 866 1900 info@laoispartnership.ie www.laoispartnership.ie/laois-walks-festival Peter Maher | Rural Recreation Officer ✆ 085 1742217 petermaher@laoispartnership.ie

The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland

The National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin is a brilliant place to visit. It is free to enter the gardens and is a great place to go for a walk.

The gardens were founded in 1795 by the Dublin Society (later the Royal Dublin Society) and are today in State ownership through the Office of Public Works. They hold 20,000 living plants and many millions of dried plant specimens. There are several architecturally notable greenhouses (from wiki).

The gardens have a cafe and restaurant on site and plenty to see. Here are some photos from a recent trip.

By the way, it is right next to the Glasnevin Cemetery so you could always combine the two for a days visit!

There is a carpark on site but it can get busy at peak times. Location below.

Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival

Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival takes place this year from 9th-11th March. The entry is €20 a day or €50 over the 3 days. It is a great opportunity to see the amazing scenery of Mayo. Walks start each day at 8:30am sharp. Starting points are:

9th March – Corleys Pub Ballintubber

10th March – Aughagower Village

11th March – Murrish Carpark (Base of Croagh Patrick)

Full details below and find out more at http://www.croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com or email info@croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com

Also take a look at our post on Croagh Patrick itself here.

Connemara National Park – Diamond Hill Walks

The Connemara National Park is 2,957 hectares of scenic mountains, expanses of bogs, heaths, grasslands and woodlands. It has a visitor’s centre located in Letterfrack and from this center you can easily do a number of walking trails of Diamond Hill. This allows you to enjoy the scenery of part of this fantastic national park. Not all the trails are buggy-friendly so ask at the centre.

Along with the Diamond Hill trails, the visitor’s centre also has a children’s playground, picnic areas and a tea room. It is also only about 10 minutes drive from Kylemore Abbey, another fantastic place to visit.

For more information, see http://www.connemaranationalpark.ie

The carpark to the visitor’s centre is in Letterfrack at the location below.

Merrion Square

Merrion Square is a great green space in the centre of the city. The Georgian square is surrounded on three sides by Georgian redbrick houses along with the Natural History Museum and the National Gallery of Ireland (both are free to enter).

It contains the National Memorial to members of the Defence Forces who died in the Service of the State. There are also some sculptures such as the Joker’s Chair in memory Dermot Morgan.

There is also a playground in the square and every Sunday the Open-Air Art Gallery is held on the external railings of the square (www.merrionart.com).

Some photos below. Check it out for yourself some day.

River Dodder Walk: Morton’s to Knocklyon

The river Dodder is 26km long and passes Dublin suburbs of Tallaght and then Firhouse, travels through Rathfarnham, Templeogue, Rathgar, Milltown, Clonskeagh, Donnybrook, and Ballsbridge, and enters the Liffey near Ringsend, along with the Grand Canal, at Grand Canal Dock.

As it goes through these area, there are a range of walkways and green areas to enjoy.

This post focuses on a short but very enjoyable 2km walk from Mortons in Firhouse to Knocklyon. The track is in good condition and is suitable for buggies.

To the west of this section, the walkway also feeds into the River Dodder Linear Park.

While already an enjoyable place to walk through, this area has huge potential and many groups like Dodder Action and Knocklyon Network are pushing to get the local councils to invest is this great amenity to maximise its potential for the local communities.

Walking In Killarney National Park & Muckross

A great place to go for a walk in Killarney is the National Park and the grounds of Muckross House. Great walking tracks suitable for all kinds of walkers & buggies. Below are some photos, the location of a carpark and the link to the park’s website.

Handy car park at these co-ordinates: 52.033254, -9.490905

More info at http://www.killarneynationalpark.ie/