Walking Routes

The Ways
The National Wyaymarked Ways were first opened in Ireland in 1982 and since then they have grown in popularity with Ireland's walkers. These are multi-day walking trails that have been develped by local development groups and authorities with the agreement of land owners. Currently there are over 30 established ways in Ireland today covering over 1800km of beautiful landscape including mountains, rivers, and canals. The ways themselves are varied, ranging from towpath walks along the canals and rivers to circuits of the mountainous peninsulas of the South West. The Ways are designed so that anyone can walk them and they don't require a great deal of stamina, difficult navigation or climbing techniques. They rarley rise above 300m (1000 ft) altitude, except on occasion to cross a well marked pass above this height. This however, does not stop them winding through magnificent mountain scenary, including waterfalls, flora & fauna, glens, rock outcrops and streams.   

There are four long-distance walking Ways in or passing through Laois and Offaly. The Ways follow a mix of forest tracks, river banks, old roadways, grassy trails, sandy tracks and minor roads. There are a few rough and rugged sections – but they rarely rise to high altitude and do not demand great stamina. The Ways are waymarked using a mix of black posts (1m high) and brown signpost fingers bearing YELLOW ARROWS and TREKKING MAN.

The Treks
The Treks provide you with the opportunity to sample a section of one of the Ways. Treks are of 4-5hr duration and travel from one Trailhead to another.

The Loops
With an outstanding diversity of scenery, the country has a top range of looped walks including coastal, island, mountain and hill, bog and moorlands, historical and archeological one-day circuits suitable for both serious and leisurely walkers. Ranging from 5km to 16km, these walks focus on areas of outstanding natural beauty and historical significance. Situated in the Slieve Bloom Mountains the Capard Loop is one of the best walks and combines a beautiful wooded valley with lofty ridge views for all to enjoy.

The Eco-Walks
A loop starts and finishes at the same trailhead. They range in walking time from 30mins to 4hrs are graded Easy, Moderate and Hard. The Slieve Bloom Rural Development Society has now established five Eco-Walks at five key locations in Slieve Bloom in collaboration with Coillte and the local communities.