Ballinaboola Loop (10 km)
The purple-waymarked loop climbs from the trailhead along forestry roads and tracks, gaining about 200 m over 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours. It is graded moderate and is crossed in places by mountain-bike tracks.
Ballinaboola Trailhead
4.7 (64)
About
Ballinaboola Trailhead is the gravel car park gateway to two waymarked loop walks on the north-western shoulder of the Ballyhoura Mountains, where forestry roads open onto wide views across the Golden Vale.
Things to Do
Knockduv Loop (5 km)
The shorter green-waymarked option shares the opening climb before branching off, taking roughly 1 hour 15 minutes. Both loops start and finish at the car park.
Walk a slice of the Ballyhoura Way
A section of the 80 km, multi-day Ballyhoura Way, a National Waymarked Way, runs through this wood on yellow arrows, so you can extend the outing well beyond the two loops.
Golden Vale viewpoints
On clear days the loops open out onto the Ballyhoura uplands, the farmland behind Charleville and occasionally as far as Limerick City and the Shannon.
Mountain biking and bike hire
Over 100 km of Ballyhoura mountain-bike trails criss-cross the forest, and bikes can be hired nearby at Trailriders Bike Hire.
Detour to Ardpatrick monastery
After your walk, head into nearby Ardpatrick, where the ruins of an old monastery and Iron Age earthworks sit on a steep hillside above the village, with wide views over County Limerick.
Plan Your Visit
- Hours: No gate times are published: Coillte runs an open forest policy and visitors are free to walk the trails by daylight. The Ballyhoura office is open Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.
- Admission: Free; there is no admission charge.
- Parking: Gravel car park at the trailhead, less than 1 km in from the road. From Ballyhea on the N20 take the Ardpatrick road for 5 km, then turn right at the finger post; no parking charge is listed for this site.
- Food: No cafe or shop on site. Nearest services are Ardpatrick (4 km) and Charleville (10 km); Trailriders Bike Hire nearby is listed among local pit stops.
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