Knockmealdowns Trails - Knockmealdown Lakes Loop

Walking Trail · Tipperary

Knockmealdowns Trails - Knockmealdown Lakes Loop is a 7.6 km strenuous waymarked loop in Tipperary, starting near Goatenbridge.

Distance
7.6 km
Climb
300 m
Shape
Loop
Time
4 hours 40 minutes

Grade

Activity Grade Difficulty Time
Walking Strenuous Challenging 4 hours 40 minutes

Getting there

Starts at Knockballiniry Car Park, near Goatenbridge.

Directions to the trailhead

Trailhead coordinates
52.26091, -7.88512
Irish Grid reference
S 07892 12104
Ordnance Survey sheets
Discovery Series Sheet 74

The National Trails Register's own latitude and longitude fields are empty for all 1,186 trails on it. This trailhead comes from Sport Ireland's separate Trailheads dataset, matched to this trail on its register ID.

Public transport

Local bus services to Newcastle, Goatenbridge, Clogheen and Ballyporeen

About the trail

The Knockmealdown Trails take you on gravelled access roads, old paths and minor tarred roads/boreens, mainly through Coillte forest on the scenic northern slopes of the Knockmealdown Mountains, an area steeped in historical, cultural and ecological interest with attractive vistas across the rich agricultural lowlands to mountains beyond.

Waymarking
dark blue arrow on white backgrund
Dogs
No

Who manages it

Knockmealdown Active

Knockmealdown Active at www.knockmealdownactive.com

Conditions and closures change. The operator is the authority on both, not this page.

Trails nearby

Measured trailhead to trailhead, in a straight line.

Common questions

How long is the Knockmealdowns Trails - Knockmealdown Lakes Loop?

7.6 km, recorded as a loop on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. It climbs 300 m in total. Sport Ireland estimates 4 hours 40 minutes.

How hard is the Knockmealdowns Trails - Knockmealdown Lakes Loop?

Sport Ireland grades it Strenuous, with an overall difficulty of Challenging. Grades are set against national criteria, so they are comparable with other registered trails.

Where does the Knockmealdowns Trails - Knockmealdown Lakes Loop start?

Starts at Knockballiniry Car Park, near Goatenbridge. The trailhead is at 52.26091, -7.88512 (Irish Grid S 07892 12104).

Can you bring a dog on the Knockmealdowns Trails - Knockmealdown Lakes Loop?

No. The register records dogs as not allowed on this trail.

Can you get to the Knockmealdowns Trails - Knockmealdown Lakes Loop without a car?

Local bus services to Newcastle, Goatenbridge, Clogheen and Ballyporeen.

Who manages the Knockmealdowns Trails - Knockmealdown Lakes Loop?

Knockmealdown Active. They are the authority on current conditions and closures, not this page.

More in Tipperary

Trail data from the Sport Ireland National Trails Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Trailhead coordinates from the companion Trailheads dataset. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13.