An old Coillte woodland wrapped around a hilltop rath beside Kilkea Castle, with two 2 km waymarked loops, a spring bluebell display and wide views west over east Laois.
A 2 km, 45-minute moderate loop that climbs through a beech-lined avenue to the hilltop rath, where the view opens west over the rolling landscape of east Laois. It is the shorter, sharper introduction to the wood if you only have one loop in you.
The wood encircles a hilltop rath that predates Kilkea Castle and overlooks it. The old woodland estate is also the recorded birthplace of St Laurence O'Toole, 12th-century Archbishop of Dublin.
Mullaghreelan is an old woodland site and puts on a strong display of bluebells when they come out, usually in late spring. The forest roads suit a casual stroll as much as a longer nature walk.
The second waymarked 2 km loop (45 minutes, moderate) heads to the north-east of the forest past a wishing well, where local lore says women threw in coins hoping to find a husband.
There is a picnic site with tables, and IntoKildare lists the wood among Kildare's best picnic spots. There is no shop or cafe, so bring your own food and take rubbish home — Coillte provides no bins.
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