Mountains, Glorious Countryside & River Valleys - County Carlow

County Carlow, Ireland

With mountains, glorious countryside and river valleys all close at hand, Carlow offers an array of outdoor activities ranging from horse riding and canoeing to walking and golf.

The Rivers Barrow and Slaney and their many tributaries provide exciting activities for the passive and active water enthusiast. The wares of the Barrows are suitable for canoeing and coarse angling while the track line and woodlands beside the river offer a superb walking environment. The River Barrow is Ireland's second longest river system running for 192 km from its source to the sea. Fringed with reeds and river flowers, and harboring a wealth of wildlife in her banks, the River Barrow bears boats and barges along 68km of navigable waterway past pretty riverside villages and through 23 original locks. The River Slaney in the eastern part of the county is an important recreational waterway for canoeists.

With its rich Celtic past, Co Carlow is steeped in historical and archaeological artefacts from pagan sites such as the Brownshill Dolmen to ecclesiastical settlements at St. Mullins and Conmore. County Carlow could claim the title of the most gentrified county in Ireland. Until the early decades of the 20th century, as many as 60 gentry houses dominated the landscape of the county. While only three of the original families still live in their ancestral homes, a surprisingly high total of 40 hourses remain occupied. The stories surrounding some of these houses are interested and recount a rich variety of personal and historic events, in some cases spanning a period of over 400 years from the 16th century onwards. Princial houses of interest whose grounds or the houses themselves are presently open to the public include Atlamont Gardens, Borris House, Duckett's Grove Historic House and Huntington Castle.

Carlow offers a number of dedicated trails for the visitor to enjoy and explore. The Carlow Garden Trail currently features 16 different gardening attractions including great old gardens that have been lovingly restored and maintained throughout the years, and smaller gardens which are maturing beautifully with time. Award winning garden centers and forest parks complement the joy of a visit here. Ranging from small to very large gardens, garden centers and forest parks and from old to new, there is something to stimulate both the novice and experienced gardener.

Carlow is a county with an exceptionally rich ecclesiastical heritage containing a number of sites of national significance. These include the monastic site at St. Mullins, the Romanesque doorway at Killeshin, the medieval Cathedral at Old Leighlin, the 18th century College and the 19th century Catholic Cathedral in Carlow Town as well as the impresive Adelaide Memorial Chapel at Myshall. Three trails - St. Patrick's in north Carlow, St. Laserian's in Mid-Carlow and St. Moling's in South-Carlow explore the heritage of Carlow's rich ecclesiastical history.

Situated in the south east of Ireland, approximately 90 kms from the ferry and airports of Dublin, Rosslare and Waterford, Carlow is one of Ireland's most charming inland counties. Its central location also offers the perfect base to explore the bordering counties of Wexford, Kilkenny, Wicklow, Kildare and Laois. Start planning your vacation to Ireland with Celtic Tours World Vacations

Walking in Carlow

Walking visitors to County Carlow, Ireland will be spoiled by the diverse array of options on offer from forest parks to mountain ranges. Carlow is the perfect destination to explore on foot.

For some of the finest views of the area, follow any one of the county's three national walking routes - The South Leinster, The Barrow or Wicklow Ways. The Barrow Way follows the tow path, originally a path alongside the River Barrow to allow the pulling of barges or boats for transport. Nowadays, visitors can enjoy excellent flat walking passing good land where tillage and cattle farming is predominant. The path offers much of architectural interest to the visitor - bridges, many arched, and pretty lock houses, some still in use. The full length of the Barrow Way from Lowton to St. Mullins is 113 kilometers (70 miles). Alternatively, the route can be easily explored by taking short sections of the walk in a series of daily trips. Accommodation is available at regular intervals along the towpath and varies from hotels to self-catering and bed and breakfasts.

Serious hikers will enjoy the challenge of the South Leinster and Wicklow Ways. Starting in the village of Kildavin in east Carlow, the South Leinster Way crosses the northern sloped of Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs Mountains before joining the Barrow Towpath in Borris for a more leisurely 12km walk to the abbey town of Graignamagh. From there the route crosses the slopes of Mount Brandon by a series of walks before reaching the pretty village of Inistioge. The walk then continues along the banks of the Rivers Nore and Blackwater via forest roads and seveal hills to reach the town of Carrick-on-Suir in South Tipperary. The walk covers 102 kilometers (64 miles) in length with the predominant features in the landscape being Mount Leinster, Brandon Hill and the river valleys of the Barrow, Nore and Suir.

The Wicklow Way covers a distance of 82 miles in length commencing in Marley Park, Dublin and finishing in the beautiful village of Clonegal located in the River Slaney valley in the east of the county. A combination of suburban parkland, forest trails, wild and scenic mountain landscape and finally rolling countrside offers wonderfully varied 8-10 day experience for a hill-walked of average fitness. Variety in buildings and wildlife is a great characteristic of this route with regular sightings of red deer, silka deer, hares, foxes, sqirrels and badgers.

Carlow now enjoys a growing selection of walks under the National Looped Walks initiative. Three recent additions include Oak Park Forest Park, Kilbrannish Forest Recreation Are and Clogrebbabe Wood.

Situated on the outskirts of Carlow Town, Oak Park Forest Park is an oasis of tranquility and a popular destination for walkers and joggers. The park is a mature mixed species woodland of over 120 acres with a predominance of beech, oak, scots pine, silver fir, larch and sycamore. The proximity of the walkways to the extensive collection of ferns, mosses and woodland flora provides the walker with an ideal opportunity to interact with nature.

Kilbrannish Forest Loop on the Blackstairs Mountains features two signposted trails - the Windfarm Loop is 3km in length with a good surface and uphill sections. Four large wind turbines fill the skyline on the summit of nearby Greenoge Hill. The Kilbrannish Forest Loop is 5 kilometers in length, again with a good surface underneath and uphill sections taking about 2 hours to complete. The route offers wonderful views of the surrounding countryside -walkers following the Kilbrannish Forest Loop will be rearded with particularly fine views from the summit of Croaghaun northwards over the plains of Carlow with the villages and towns of Myshall and Tullow spread out below. The route can be accessed from Borris, Myshall or Bunclody while a large car park and picnic facilities are available to visitors.

Clogrennane Wood near Carlow town offers the user a gentle sloping 4 km walk on forest roads with magnificent views of Carlow town and the River Barrow on a fine day. The area is an old wood and has had forestry cover present since the 1800s. The predominant tree species in Clogrennane are beech, spruce, larch and oak with vegetation consistent with that of an old woodland-bluebells, ferns, wild garlic and herb rocket.

Whether wanting a 8 day walking vacation, an afternoon hike through a forest or fabulous views, check out County Carlow! Start planning your your vacation to Ireland with Celtic Tours World Vacations

Oak Park Forest Park, County Carlow, Ireland

Oak Park Forest Park, outskirts of Carlow town t: Carlow Tourist Office, College Street, Carlow 059-9131554 There are few locations which could rival the beauty and tranquility of Oak Park Forest Park. Ideal for leisurely strolls and walks, a visit here is a relaxing and pleasurable experience and a must for any visitor to Co. Carlow. Color coded circular walkways of varying lengths with excellent accessible surfaces and easy gradients make a visit here an enjoyable experience for young and old alike.

The park is a mature, mixed species woodland of over 120 acres with a predominance of beech, oak, scots pine, silver, fir larch and sycamore. The proximity of the walkways to the extensive collection of ferns, mosses and woodland flora provides the visitor with an ideal opportunity to interact with nature. Boasting a rich diversity of wildlife, the lakes and their surrounds provide a habitat for swans and duchs, while the islands shelter many wild and game birds. The Woodland Walks have been laid out to encompass the broadest range of natural features. Extending over 4 kilometers they include Butlers Wood Look and the Lake Path, Fox Covert Track and Sally Island Trail. All the walks are wheelchair accessible.

Situated on the outskirts of  Carlow Town, the park is an oasis of tranquility and a popular destination for walking and educational visits. The park also features a picnic area, informal leisure areas and seating at regular intervals.

Oak Park Forest Park makes a great stop along your Ireland vacation for a nice walk and a picnic.

Leighlinbridge - the Garden Village

Leighlinbridge: The Garden Village, t: Mary Meaney, Secretary, Leighlinbridge Improvement Group 086-6027751The Leighlinbridge district is rich in history, favored with fertile land and enhanced by the River Barrow which meanders slowly through the village. The foundation for its beauty lies directly with the residents who demonstrate a sense of pride and work tirelessly to preserve and enhance this unique area. This pride is evident by a range of gardens, built and designed by the local community to commemorate various aspects of village life over the years.

The Millennium Garden consists of seven small individual gardens, each with its own theme represented by trees, shrubs and stones. Using materials indigenous to the local area, the garden tells the story of life through a series of themes including peach and tranquility, happiness, friendship, reconciliation hope, harmony and eternity.

The Vivaldi Garden is based on Vivaldi's musical concerto The Four Seasons and comprises four formal gardens, each depicting a season of the year. To create a formal effect each rectangle is lined with Buxus sempervirens (Boxwood) and formed into triangles with lavender while each season is represented by specific planting.

The Garden of Remembrance straddling the River Barrow commemorates important occasions in the history of the village including the visit of the Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulrooney, a World War 1 Memorial and the Entene Florale Gold Medal Award. A number of commemorative trees have been planted together with ballerina roses and shrubs.

The Sculpture Garden is dedicated to three of  Leighlinbridge's most famous sons - Cardinal Patrick Francis Moran - Australia's first Cardinal, John Tyndall, the mountaineer and scientist who developed the light pipe, the forerunner to fiber optics and Captain Myles Keogh, second in command to General Custer who lost his life at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876 at the hands of the Sioux.

Leighlinbridge is a must see when visiting in County Carlow. Travel to Ireland with Celtic Tours World Vacations

Huntington Castle Gardens

Huntington Castle and Gardens, Clonegal, Co. Carlow t: 053-9377160These gardens were mainly laid out in the 17th century by the Esmondes who built Huntington Castle in 1625. This includes the French limes on the Avenue, the "parterre" or lawns to the side of the house, the fish ponds on either side of the center walk through the wilderness and the majority of Yew trees which comprise the Yew walk. Larger plantings have resulted in Huntington possessing a number of great Irish trees, including four varieties of hickory, a cut leaved oak, Siberian crab and buckeye chestnut.

Explore the kitchen gardens with the recently restored greenhouse, followed by the enchanting Italian gardens and the ruins of the old Abbey before walking through to the 'Wilderness' woodland where formal walks and pathways will guide you past shrubs, flora and bamboo to the old turbine house which supplied electricity to Huntington as early as 1888. The bottom of the wilderness is marked by the delightful River Derry which flows as the boundary between County Carlow and Wexford. Then head back to the castle and experience the fascinating guided tour or simply take a well earned break in the new tearooms.

Herb Gardens at Kilgraney House, County Carlow, Ireland

Herb Gardens at Kilgraney House, Borris Road, Bagenalstown, Co. Carlow t: 059-9775283Kilgraney takes it's name from the Irish 'cill greine' which means 'sunny wood'. These wooded and seculed grounds overlook the tranquil Barrow valley and are situated halfway between Carlow Town and Kilkenny City.

Consisting of a series of interconnecting herbal gardens there is a large kitchen garden, a tea walk, a medicinal herb courtyard, a medieval monastic herb garden and a garden of aromatic and fragrant herbs.

The enclosed kitchen garden supplies the guesthouse with fruit, vegetables and herbs and has been run on organic lines for almost ten years. It consists of gravel paths and eleven raised timber beds of varying sizes grouped to form a modern rectangular 'potanger'. Here you will find unusual leafy plants such as mibuna, mizuna and komatsyna amongst more traditional salad varieties. Next to the kitchen garden is the tea walk, a short gravel path lined on one side with plants suitable for infusions and herbal teas. The medicinal garden, set in a granite courtyard, consists of nine raised beds in Irish oak timber. Each bed is planted with herbs suitable for treating a particular part of the body. In a lower courtyard you will find an aromatic garden planted with herbs for fragrance and also for their usefulness in cosmetic preparations. In an adjoining courtyard there is a modern interpretation of a medieval monastic herb garden with four oak raised beds surrounded on two sides by an oak timber cloister. Finally, a circular cosmic garden helps to explain and facilitate our understanding of the ancient belief that there is a connection between people, plants, planets and constellations.

Hardymount Gardens, County Carlow, Ireland

Hardymount Gardens, Tullow, Co. Carlow. t: 059-9151769One of the largest Spanish chestnuts in Ireland greets travelers on arrival to 2.5 acres of lawns and shrubs surrounded by magnificent beech and oak trees. A wonderful walled garden behind the house contains many unusual plants and flowers in the herbaceous border - lilac colored Erysimum, yellow helianthus, beds of old roses, downy variegated mint, mimosa, blue agapanthus, California poppies, Chinese foxgloves and much, much more. The grass paths take you past the pond with lilies and fish to espaliered apple trees, Lobelia tupa, a pergola clothed with wisteria and underplanted with hollyhocks and foxgloves and on to a vegetable garden. A Summer House at the end of the garden in a sheltered corner provides a quiet area for rest and relaxations. A truly amazing walled garden worth knowing because of its owner and her dedication to gardening.