Walks & Trails

In addition to providing an amenity for the locals of Urlingford, it will be necessary to provide outdoor recreational amenities to attract new people to move to Urlingford. People expect to have some recreational facilities in their locality and so the provision of walks such as this is crucial to the overall success of the plans to regenerate Urlingford. Urlingford is not beside the sea, near any mountains or along any main rivers. It does have the Coillte forest in the Islands and the potential to extend towards the bog across the border in Tipperary.

The Islands Loop

The Islands Loop was a marked trail that began at the Urlingford Library. It was described on outsider.ie as follows:

"This 8km looped walk starts in Urlingford town centre. It is one for both history and nature lovers. You will pass such treasures as the restored quadrangular church and the 15th-century castle built by Celtic chieftains on the banks of the River Goul. When you enter the forest you will be greeted by a cacophony of trees and in the summer, a host of wildflowers.”

As part of their work to develop walks & trails around Urlingford the Urlingford Town Team are working to:-

Have the original Islands Loop reinstated
Extend the walk to ensure the local community can benefit from the following developments:
- Creation of new habitats on the nearby bog through a rewilding project by Bord na Mona
- A planned cycleway running from Littleton to Templetouhy along the old bog railway, termed the 'Littleton Labyrinth' in the Tipperary Tourism Development Strategy. Video >>
Work with Coillte to ensure that replanting of the recently felled forest is done in such a way as to provide a variety of habitats that can be enjoyed by locals. The previous plantation was primarily a dense plantation of Sitka Spruce.