Walks and adventure sports in Laois

Leinster

Laois has 28 waymarked trails on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register, covering about 331 kilometres in total across walking (28).

Waymarked trails
28
Total distance
331 km
Longest
116.9 km

Waymarked trails in Laois

The 25 longest of 28, from the National Trails Register.

Barrow Way

116.9 km · Easy · Linear

Starts at Robertstown. Directions

4 days · Waymarked: yellow arrow on black background

Slieve Bloom Way

71.4 km · 1275 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Glenbarrow, near Clonaslee. Directions

3.75 days · Waymarked: yellow arrow on black background

NOTE - CLOSED between Glenbarrow to Monicknew until further notice due closure of the Ridge of Capard. Please note this trail can be started and finished at the Monicknew, Kinnitty, Cadamstown and Clonaslee trailheads as well as Glenbarrow. There is car parking available at all of these, however the car park at Glenbarrow is heavily used and it can be difficult to find a space here.

Durrow Leafy Loops - Dunmore Woods Loop

20 km · 50 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Durrow. Directions

3 hours 30 minutes · Waymarked: green arrow on white background

Durrow Leafy Loops - Leafy Loop

14.3 km · 100 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Durrow. Directions

5 hours · Waymarked: purple arrow on white background

Derryounce Bog Oak Walk

10.5 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car park on the L7178 Bog Road, near Portarlington. Directions

Waymarked: red arrow on white background

Glenbarrow - Old Mill Loop

10.5 km · 40 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Carpark at Glenbarrow Forest Entrance, near Clonaslee. Directions

3 hours · Waymarked: red arrow on white background

Cullahill - Binnianea Loop

9.7 km · 350 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Cullahill Village Car Park, near Cullahill Village. Directions

3 hours · Waymarked: purple arrow on white background

Glenbarrow - Eco Walk

8.5 km · 70 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Carpark at Glenbarrow Forest Entrance, near Clonaslee. Directions

2 hours

Abbeyleix Loops - Killamuck Bog Loop

7.5 km · 30 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Manor Hotel Abbeyleix, near Abbeyleix. Directions

2 hours · Waymarked: purple arrow on white background

Monicknew - Bocadh Lodge Walk

6.6 km · 160 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at forest entrance at Monicknew bridge, near Clonaslee. Directions

2 hours 30 minutes

Cullahill - Heathy Way Loop Walk

6.3 km · 250 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Cullahill Village Car Park, near Cullahill Village. Directions

2 hours · Waymarked: blue arrow on white background

Oughaval Woods - Cobbler's Castle Walk

6 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Oughaval Wood Car Park, near Stradbally. Directions

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

Brittas Forest Loop

5.9 km · 30 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Car park at entrance to Brittas Forest, Clonaslee village, near Clonaslee. Directions

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

Derryounce Bog Lake Walk

5.6 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car park on the L7178 Bog Road, near Portarlington. Directions

Waymarked: blue arrow on white background

Abbeyleix Loops - Collins Bog Loop

4.4 km · 20 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Manor Hotel Abbeyleix, near Abbeyleix. Directions

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

Monicknew - Valley Walk

4.3 km · 150 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at forest entrance at Monicknew bridge, near Clonaslee. Directions

1.5 hours

Glenbarrow - Waterfall Loop

4.2 km · 30 m climb · Strenuous · Loop

Starts at Carpark at Glenbarrow Forest Entrance, near Clonaslee. Directions

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

Ridge of Capard - Glenbarrow Loop

3.9 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car Park on Ridge of Capard, near Clonaslee. Directions

2 hours · Waymarked: purple arrow on white background

Oughaval Woods - Mass Rock Walk

2.8 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Oughaval Wood Car Park, near Stradbally. Directions

30 mins · Waymarked: white arrow on blue background

Granstown Wood and Lake Nature Reserve Lake Trail

2.2 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Car Park at Granstown Wood and Lake Nature Reserve, near Rathdowney 6.7km and Ballacolla Services M8 1.1km. Directions

30 mins · Waymarked: blue arrow on white background

Granstown Wood and Lake Nature Reserve Woodland Trail

2.2 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Car Park at Granstown Wood and Lake Nature Reserve, near Rathdowney 6.7km and Ballacolla Services M8 1.1km. Directions

30 mins · Waymarked: green arrow on white background

Oughaval Woods - Beech Way Walk

2 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Oughaval Wood Car Park, near Stradbally. Directions

30 mins · Waymarked: white arrow on green background

Monicknew - Riverside Walk

1.6 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at forest entrance at Monicknew bridge, near Clonaslee. Directions

30 mins

Ridge of Capard - Capard Loop

1.3 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Car Park on Ridge of Capard, near Clonaslee. Directions

1 hour · Waymarked: blue arrow on white background

Carrigmeal Woodlands Loops - Tir na nÓg

0.9 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Carrigmeal Woodland Carpark, near Stradbally 5.3km / Portlaoise 4.9km. Directions

1 hour · Waymarked: green arrow on white background

The other 3 in Laois

Coillte maintains 19 forest car parks in Laois. These are the usual starting points for forest walks and mountain bike trails.

1 clubs and schools in Laois

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

Portarlington Ramblers

Club

Adventure centres in Laois

All 1 currently accredited by a national governing body, with a link to the register.

Paddleworks

Website
paddleworks.ie
The full directory →

Guides for Laois

Hillwalking & Mountaineering

Common questions

Where can I go walking in Laois?

28 waymarked walking trails are registered in Laois. The longest are Barrow Way (116.9km), Slieve Bloom Way (71.4km), Durrow Leafy Loops - Dunmore Woods Loop (20km), Durrow Leafy Loops - Leafy Loop (14.3km). Every one has a verified start point and driving directions on its own page.

How many waymarked trails are there in Laois?

28 on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register, totalling roughly 331 kilometres. The register records waymarked trails only, so unmarked mountain routes and informal paths aren't counted.

How hard are the trails in Laois?

By register grade: 5 easy, 15 moderate, 8 strenuous. Grades are set by Sport Ireland against national criteria, so they're comparable between counties.

Are there sports clubs in Laois?

1 clubs and schools in Laois are listed by their national governing body: Mountaineering Ireland. They cover 1 sports between them, and each listing links back to the register it came from.

Are there adventure centres in Laois?

1 in our directory, 1 of which currently hold accreditation from a national governing body: Paddleworks. Each accredited listing links to the body's own register so you can check it.

What adventure sports can you do in Laois?

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

Elsewhere in Leinster

Carlow Dublin Kildare Kilkenny 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.