Walks and adventure sports in Carlow

Leinster

Carlow has 17 waymarked trails on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register, covering about 488 kilometres in total across walking (17).

Waymarked trails
17
Total distance
488 km
Longest
128.1 km

Spots worth the trip

Named on our sport and activity guides.

University clubs

Archery

Nine of the register's clubs are third-level: UCD, Trinity, DCU, RCSI and TU Dublin, plus Maynooth, Galway, Limerick and SETU Carlow. Usually the cheapest way in if you're a student.

Mount Leinster

Paragliding & Hang Gliding

The best-known inland flying site in Ireland, working across several wind directions with reliable thermal and ridge lift.

Waymarked trails in Carlow

All 17 from the National Trails Register.

Wicklow Way

128.1 km · 3220 m climb · Strenuous · Linear

Starts at Marley Park, Rathfarnham in South Dublin, near Dublin. Directions

6 days · Waymarked: yellow arrow on black background

NOTICE re Wicklow Way Please be advised a reroute of the Wicklow Way is in place until further notice due to forestry works near the midway point of the route at Drumgoff. It follows the Clohernagh brook if you are heading North or South. Signage is in place and is easy to follow. The terrain under foot here is uneven so please take extra care. Please see downloadable map below for more details.

Barrow Way

116.9 km · Easy · Linear

Starts at Robertstown. Directions

4 days · Waymarked: yellow arrow on black background

South Leinster Way

103.6 km · 1490 m climb · Moderate · Linear

Starts at Kildavin, near Bunclody. Directions

5 days · Waymarked: yellow arrow on black background

NOTE - CLOSED between Carrick-on-Suir and Piltown until further notice due to a collapsed bridge

The Columban Way - Nine Stones to Magany

50.1 km · 410 m climb · Moderate · Linear

Starts at Nine Stones carpark on Mount Leinster, near Myshall. Directions

10 hours · Waymarked: columban way markers

Clody Valley Craan Loop

14.3 km · 180 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Market Square in Bunclody, near Bunclody. Directions

4 hours · Waymarked: red arrow on white background

Kilbrannish North to Kilbrannish South Trail

14 km · 390 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Cark park at Kilbrannish North Forest Recreational Area, near Bunclody (8km) Myshall Village (6km). Directions

4 hours · Waymarked: white

John's Hill Loop

11 km · 400 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Cark park at Kilbrannish North Forest Recreational Area, near Bunclody (8km) Myshall Village (6km). Directions

3 hours · Waymarked: blue arrows

Clody Valley Long Lane Loop

7.7 km · 180 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Market Square in Bunclody, near Bunclody. Directions

2 hours · Waymarked: green arrow on white background

Kilbrannish South - Short Loop

6.5 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Corrabut Gap Car Park, 4.5 km from Myshall. Directions

2 hours · Waymarked: red

Gowlin Forest Trail

6.2 km · 140 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car park at entrance to Gowlin Wood, near Glynn (3km) St Mullins (5km). Directions

1 hour 30 minutes · Waymarked: green

Clashganny Viewing Point Loop

5.5 km · 50 m climb · Easy · Loop

Starts at Clashganny Viewing Point Car Park, 4km from Borris. Directions

2 hours · Waymarked: purple arrow on white background

Kilbrannish Loop

5.1 km · 150 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Kilbrannish Woods car park, near Bunclody. Directions

1 hour 40 minutes · Waymarked: purple arrow on yellow background

Bahana Forest Trail

4.5 km · 100 m climb · Easy · Loop

Starts at St Mullins Quay, near St Mullins. Directions

1 hour · Waymarked: purple

Oak Park Loop

4.3 km · 120 m climb · Easy · Loop

Starts at Oak Park Forest Park car park, near Carlow Town. Directions

1.5 hours · Waymarked: purple arrow on yellow background

Clashganny Lock Loop

3.6 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Clashganny Lock Car Park, 4km from Borris. Directions

1 hour 30 minutes · Waymarked: green arrow on white background

Clogrennane Wood Loop

3.5 km · 50 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Clogrennane Wood car park, near Carlow Town. Directions

1 hour · Waymarked: purple arrow on white background

Windfarm Loop

3.2 km · 70 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Kilbrannish Woods car park, near Bunclody. Directions

1 hour · Waymarked: green arrow on yellow background

Coillte maintains 3 forest car parks in Carlow. These are the usual starting points for forest walks and mountain bike trails.

Bathing waters in Carlow

2 designated bathing waters monitored by the EPA. Water quality below is the EPA's annual classification, which is a verdict on the previous four bathing seasons and not a reading for today.

Bathing restrictions in Carlow right now

Live from the EPA's bathing water service. Local authorities post restrictions after heavy rain, sewage discharges and pollution incidents, and they can appear the same morning.

Checking the EPA for current restrictions…

If this doesn't update, check beaches.ie directly before you swim.

Data from the EPA Bathing Water Open Data service, licensed under CC BY 4.0.

River Barrow Bagenalstown

Lifeguard · Parking · Public transport · Accessible

Directions

River Barrow Clashganny

Lifeguard · Parking · Toilets · Accessible

Directions

Bathing water data from the EPA Bathing Water Open Data service, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13. Positions converted from Irish Grid. The EPA publishes the full profile for each water at beaches.ie.

Sports in Carlow, in depth

The sport with named spots, accredited centres or registered trails in the county.

Archery in Carlow 1 spot

4 clubs and schools in Carlow

Listed by Mountaineering Ireland and Archery Ireland. Reproduced as each body publishes it, with a link back to the register. Contact details are theirs, not checked by us.

Blackstairs Ramblers

Club
Phone
0877556272

Dolmen Archery Club

Club · Carlow
Phone
0868928933

South East Technological University Carlow Archery Club

Club · Carlow

Tullow Mountaineering Club

Club

Guides for Carlow

Hillwalking & Mountaineering Archery Paragliding & Hang Gliding

Common questions

Where can I go walking in Carlow?

17 waymarked walking trails are registered in Carlow. The longest are Wicklow Way (128.1km), Barrow Way (116.9km), South Leinster Way (103.6km), The Columban Way - Nine Stones to Magany (50.1km). Every one has a verified start point and driving directions on its own page.

How many waymarked trails are there in Carlow?

17 on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register, totalling roughly 488 kilometres. The register records waymarked trails only, so unmarked mountain routes and informal paths aren't counted.

How hard are the trails in Carlow?

By register grade: 5 easy, 9 moderate, 3 strenuous. Grades are set by Sport Ireland against national criteria, so they're comparable between counties.

Are there sports clubs in Carlow?

4 clubs and schools in Carlow are listed by their national governing body: Mountaineering Ireland and Archery Ireland. They cover 2 sports between them, and each listing links back to the register it came from.

What adventure sports can you do in Carlow?

hillwalking & mountaineering, archery, paragliding & hang gliding, based on the trails registered in the county and the locations named on our sport guides.

Elsewhere in Leinster

Dublin Kildare Kilkenny Laois Longford Louth Meath Offaly Westmeath Wexford Wicklow

Trail data from the Sport Ireland National Trails Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Start points from the companion Trailheads dataset. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13. The register records waymarked trails only, so check the trail operator for current conditions and closures. Forest park and car park data from Coillte Recreation Information (CC BY 4.0), snapshot 2026-08-04, with county boundaries from OSi.