Walks and adventure sports in Kilkenny

Leinster

Kilkenny has 36 waymarked trails on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register, covering about 465 kilometres in total across walking (32), cycling (5).

Waymarked trails
36
Total distance
465 km
Longest
103.6 km

Spots worth the trip

Named on our sport and activity guides.

Kilkenny

Skydiving & Parachuting

A long-established centre for tandem jumps and student progression in the south-east.

Castlecomer Discovery Park

Zip Lining & High Ropes

Woodland park with zip lines crossing the lakes, plus a wider adventure offering. One of the best-known zip venues in the south-east.

Waymarked trails in Kilkenny

The 25 longest of 36, from the National Trails Register.

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

North Kilkenny Cycle Route

80.5 km · Challenging · Loop

Starts at The Parade in Kilkenny, near Kilkenny. Directions

5 hours · Waymarked: white signs with blue text

East Kilkenny Cycle Route

62.6 km · Challenging · Loop

Starts at The Parade in Kilkenny, near Kilkenny. Directions

4 hours · Waymarked: white signs with blue text

South Kilkenny Cycle Loop

43.1 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at The Parade in Kilkenny, near Kilkenny. Directions

3.5 hours · Waymarked: white signs with blue text

North Kilkenny Cycle Loop

23.9 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at The Parade in Kilkenny, near Kilkenny. Directions

2 hours · Waymarked: white signs with blue text

Brandon Hill Loop

15.7 km · 600 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Outdoor Hub in Graiguenamanagh, near Graiguenamanagh. Directions

5 hours · Waymarked: purple arrow

Gathabawn Loop

11.3 km · 40 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car park at Parish Church in Gathabawn, near Gathabawn. Directions

4 hours · Waymarked: red arrow on white background

Nore Valley Walk - Inistioge to Thomastown Section

10.8 km · Moderate · Linear

Starts at Inistioge. Directions

3 hours · Waymarked: green arrow on white background

Nore Valley Walk - Kilkenny to Bennetsbridge Section

8.2 km · Moderate · Linear

Starts at under Ossory Bridge on N10, near Kilkenny. Directions

2 hours · Waymarked: green arrow on white background

Castlemorris - Pheasant Loop

7 km · 30 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car park at Grand Gates of Castlemorris Estate, near Knocktopher. Directions

2 hours 30 minutes · Waymarked: purple arrow

Grennan Loop

6.6 km · 60 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Town Centre, near Thomastown. Directions

2 hours · Waymarked: red arrows on white background

Brandon Hill Summit Walk

6.5 km · 350 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Raheendonore Car Park, near Inistioge. Directions

2 to 3 hours · Waymarked: green and white with symbol of cross

Windgap - Bearna Breac Loop

6.5 km · 110 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Lake Area Windgap, near Windgap Village. Directions

1.75 hours · Waymarked: red arrow

South East Greenway

6.2 km · Easy · Linear

Starts at Rosbercon Car Park, New Ross, near New Ross. Directions

1 hour · Waymarked: green signs with white text (greenway signs)

Gathabawn Short Loop

6 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car park at Parish Church in Gathabawn, near Gathabawn. Directions

1.5 hours · Waymarked: red arrow on white background

Freshford Loop

5.6 km · 90 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Village Green Freshford, near Freshford. Directions

1 hour 30 minutes · Waymarked: purple arrow

Castlemorris - Holly Loop

4.7 km · 30 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car park at Grand Gates of Castlemorris Estate, near Knocktopher. Directions

1 hour 30 minutes · Waymarked: red arrow

Woodstock Loop Walk

4.7 km · 110 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Inistioge Village Car Park, near Inistioge. Directions

1 hour 15 minutes · Waymarked: red arrow on white background

O'Gormans Lane

4.4 km · 20 m climb · Easy · Loop

Starts at Primary School Bennettsbridge, near Bennettsbridge. Directions

1 hour · Waymarked: purple arrow on white background

Woodstock Waterfall Loop

4.4 km · 110 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Woodstock Gardens Carpark, near Inistioge. Directions

1.5 hours · Waymarked: green on red background

Castlecomer - Ardra Loop

4.3 km · 40 m climb · Easy · Loop

Starts at Car Park at Visitor Centre, near Castlecomer. Directions

1.5 hours · Waymarked: purple arrow

Tullahought - Kilmacoliver Summit Loop

3.8 km · 115 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car park at the Wildlife Pond, near Tullaghought. Directions

1 hour 15 minutes · Waymarked: blue arrow on white background

Tory Hill - Sliabh Greine Loop

3.5 km · 120 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Carrickinane Woods car park, Tory Hill, near Mullinavat. Directions

1 hour 10 minutes · Waymarked: green arrow

Woodstock - Ladies Loop Walk

3.4 km · 80 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Inistioge Village Car Park, near Inistioge. Directions

1 hour · Waymarked: blue arrow on white background

Jenkinstown Wood - Jenkinstown Wood Loop

3.3 km · 120 m climb · Easy · Loop

Starts at Jenkinstown Wood car park, near Kilkenny/Castlecomer. Directions

1 hour 30 minutes · Waymarked: purple arrow

The other 11 in Kilkenny

Coillte maintains 9 forest car parks in Kilkenny. These are the usual starting points for forest walks and mountain bike trails.

Sports in Kilkenny, in depth

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

Kayaking in Kilkenny 2 centres

3 clubs and schools in Kilkenny

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

Kilkenny Archers

Club · Kilkenny

KILKENNY SAC

Club · Kilkenny
Phone
0868060306

Tyndall Mountain Club

Club
Phone
0877767138

Adventure centres in Kilkenny

All 2 currently accredited by a national governing body, with a link to the register.

Pure Adventure

Website
pureadventure.ie

Riverbend Adventures

Website
riverbendadventures.ie
The full directory →

Guides for Kilkenny

Hillwalking & Mountaineering Mountain Biking Skydiving & Parachuting Zip Lining & High Ropes

Common questions

Where can I go walking in Kilkenny?

32 waymarked walking trails are registered in Kilkenny. The longest are South Leinster Way (103.6km), Brandon Hill Loop (15.7km), Gathabawn Loop (11.3km), Nore Valley Walk - Inistioge to Thomastown Section (10.8km). Every one has a verified start point and driving directions on its own page.

How many waymarked trails are there in Kilkenny?

36 on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register, totalling roughly 465 kilometres. The register records waymarked trails only, so unmarked mountain routes and informal paths aren't counted.

How hard are the trails in Kilkenny?

By register grade: 10 easy, 22 moderate, 2 strenuous, 2 challenging. Grades are set by Sport Ireland against national criteria, so they're comparable between counties.

Are there sports clubs in Kilkenny?

3 clubs and schools in Kilkenny are listed by their national governing body: Archery Ireland, Diving Ireland and Mountaineering Ireland. They cover 3 sports between them, and each listing links back to the register it came from.

Are there adventure centres in Kilkenny?

2 in our directory, 2 of which currently hold accreditation from a national governing body: Pure Adventure, Riverbend Adventures. Each accredited listing links to the body's own register so you can check it.

What adventure sports can you do in Kilkenny?

hillwalking & mountaineering, mountain biking, skydiving & parachuting, zip lining & high ropes, based on the trails registered in the county and the locations named on our sport guides.

Elsewhere in Leinster

Carlow Dublin Kildare 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.