Walks and adventure sports in Monaghan

Ulster

Monaghan has 18 waymarked trails on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register, covering about 434 kilometres in total across walking (16), cycling (3).

Waymarked trails

Total distance

434 km

Longest

362.2 km

Waymarked trails in Monaghan

All 18 from the National Trails Register.

Kingfisher Cycle Trail

362.2 km · Very Challenging · Loop

Starts near Carrick-on-Shannon. Directions

5 days

Monaghan Way

17.8 km · 125 m climb · Moderate · Linear

Starts at Riverwalk and Inniskeen Pitch and Putt Carpark, near Inniskeen. Directions

2 days · Waymarked: yellow arrow on black background

Monaghan Way - Magoney Loop

10 km · 120 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Patrick Kavanagh Centre, near Inniskeen. Directions

2 hours 30 minutes · Waymarked: green arrow on black background

Temple Loop

5.7 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Dartrey Forest Recreation Area, near Cootehill. Directions

3 hours 15 minutes

Deerpark Loop

5.5 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Dartrey Forest Recreation Area, near Cootehill. Directions

2 hours 30 minutes

Monaghan Way - Inniskeen Loop

5.4 km · 37 m climb · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Patrick Kavanagh Centre, near Inniskeen. Directions

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

Monaghan Greenway

4.5 km · 33 m climb · Easy · Linear

Starts at Coolshannagh Roundabout, near Monaghan Town. Directions

45 mins · Waymarked: surface waymarking - white painted arrows

Monaghan Way - Toome Loop

4.1 km · 31 m climb · Easy · Loop

Starts at Lough Muckno Carpark, near Lough Muckno. Directions

1 hour 30 minutes · Waymarked: red arrow on black background

Conair na Lochanna Airgid - Silver Lakes Trail

3.5 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Forest Car Park, near Monaghan. Directions

55 minutes · Waymarked: blue arrow

Raon Rothar don Chlann - Family Cycle Trail

2.7 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Forest Car Park, near Monaghan. Directions

45 minutes · Waymarked: orange arrow

Conair an Chaisleáin Chaillte - Lost Castle Trail

2.6 km · Moderate · Loop

Starts at Forest Car Park, near Monaghan. Directions

1 hour · Waymarked: red arrow

Fairfield Loop

2.3 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Dartrey Forest Recreation Area, near Cootehill. Directions

1 hour

Siúlán an Oileáin Dhuibh - Black Island Walk

2 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Black Island, near Castleblayney. Directions

45 minutes · Waymarked: black

Conair na Coille Fiáine - Wild Woodland Trail

1.7 km · Easy · Loop

Starts at Forest Car Park, near Monaghan. Directions

30 minutes · Waymarked: yellow arrow

Siúlán Cois Cladaigh - The Shoreline Walk

1.5 km · Easy · Linear

Starts at Black Island, near Castleblayney. Directions

35 minutes · Waymarked: light blue

An Bóthar Ard - The High Road

1 km · Moderate · Linear

Starts at Black Island, near Castleblayney. Directions

25 minutes · Waymarked: green

Siúlán McBride - McBride's Walk

1 km · Easy · Linear

Starts at Black Island, near Castleblayney. Directions

25 minutes · Waymarked: orange

Siúlán an Chloigín Ghoirm - Bluebell Walk

0.5 km · Easy · Linear

Starts at Black Island, near Castleblayney. Directions

15 minutes · Waymarked: blue

Forest parks in Monaghan

Coillte forest parks: managed destinations with parking, marked routes and facilities, not trails in open country.

Rossmore

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

Bathing waters in Monaghan

10 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 Monaghan 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…

Parking · Toilets · Public transport · 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 Monaghan, in depth

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

Kayaking in Monaghan 2 centres

2 clubs and schools in Monaghan

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

Blayney Ramblers

Club

Listed by Mountaineering Ireland

Website: blayney ramblers/facebook

MONAGHAN SAC

Club · Castleblayney

Listed by Diving Ireland

Phone: 00353879782366
Email: [email protected]

Adventure centres in Monaghan

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

Progressive Kayaking

Canoeing Ireland registered provider

Tanagh OETC

Run by Cavan and Monaghan ETB

Approved here in 2001, and still accredited today.

Website: tanaghoutdooreducation.com
Phone: 049 555 2988
Email: [email protected]

The full directory →

Guides for Monaghan

Hillwalking & Mountaineering Mountain Biking

Common questions

Where can I go walking in Monaghan?

16 waymarked walking trails are registered in Monaghan. The longest are Monaghan Way (17.8km), Monaghan Way - Magoney Loop (10km), Temple Loop (5.7km), Deerpark Loop (5.5km). Every one has a verified start point and driving directions on its own page.

How many waymarked trails are there in Monaghan?

18 on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register, totalling roughly 434 kilometres. The register records waymarked trails only, so unmarked mountain routes and informal paths aren't counted.

How hard are the trails in Monaghan?

By register grade: 12 easy, 5 moderate, 1 very challenging. Grades are set by Sport Ireland against national criteria, so they're comparable between counties.

Are there sports clubs in Monaghan?

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

Are there adventure centres in Monaghan?

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

What adventure sports can you do in Monaghan?

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

Elsewhere in Ulster

Antrim Armagh Cavan Derry Donegal Down Fermanagh Tyrone

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.