Tipperary Heartlands: Walking your troubles away in the heart of the county!

For many years Ireland lagged behind the rest of Europe in the promotion of walking. This is despite having some of the best and most suitable countryside.

However great strides (excuse the pun) have been made in recent years, with Co. Tipperary to the forefront, as local communities began to appreciate the value of a local designated walking trail.

This amenity value really became obvious during the Covid restrictions of recent years with a tenfold increase in usage reported on some walks during the pandemic.

Walking on a marked loop trail ticks all the boxes for a leisure activity. Healthy exercise, scenery, interaction with nature and history, time to oneself or in company and the satisfaction of exploration are all there and for free.

The mental benefits are also increasingly being recognised. There are about forty walks in Co. Tipperary with continual upgrading and improvements taking place.

The Rural Recreation Officer is John Egan. You can contact John by email on the following address: johnegan@stdc.ie Maps, descriptions and directions can be downloaded from www.sportireland.ie/outdoors/walking/trails

Click Tipperary in the County box. Click Apply, then List view and then click on the relevant walk. These are the registered trails in the mid-Tipperary area:

1. Birchhill Loop, starts Rosmult
2. Cosán Felim, Inch Loop
3. Devils Bit Loop
4. Grange Crag Loops, Grange
5. High Kings Loop, Cashel. (Overlaps with part of the Tipperary Heritage Way running
south as far as the Vee)
6. Kilcommon Pilgrim Loop
7. Knockalough Loops, Upperchurch ( Red Hugh, Knockalough, and Knockalough Mór)
8. Lough Doire Bhile Loop, Glengoole
9. Marl Bog Loops, Dundrum
10. Multeen Way. (Tipperary Town, Donohill, Cappawhite, Hollyford area, Milestone)
11. Ormond Way. (Milestone through Upperchurch and Templederry then on to cross the Shannon in Portumna)
12. Slieve Felim Way.(Starts in Murroe, Co. Limerick, comes into Tipperary just west of Rearcross and continues through Toor as far as Silvermines)
13. Source of the Nore Trail, Clonakenny
14. Eamon an Chnoic Loops, Upperchurch. (Two routes. Via Mogland and via Glown)