Freshford Walking Trail

Directions to Trailhead Leave Kilkenny City on the Freshford Road (R693), pass straight through the roundabout at St. Luke’s Hospital and continue straight along this road for 12km until you reach Freshford village. The green is straight in front of you as you enter the village. The trailhead mapboard is situated on the green

Distance/Time …………………………..8km/2hr-2.5hrs

High/Ascent ………………………………160m/100m

Difficulty ……………………………………Moderate

Terrain Riverbank, woodland track, laneways

To Suit All levels of fitness

Minimum Gear Walking boots, rain gear, fluids and mobile phone

Grid Ref. OS Sheet 60 S407 647

Additional info To protect farm animals, no dogs allowed

A-B From the trailhead follow the purple arrows along the road to the end of the village green and continue straight ahead to pass the church (on your left). Continue along the road for 300m to reach a ‘gap’ in the wall on your right where you turn right and cross the stream by footbridge. Now the loop follows the right bank of the stream through a lovely section of broadleaf woodland – this takes you to the entrance roadway to Upper Court Manor. Cross the roadway and join the bank of the stream again for a short section which takes you into Brown’s Wood. After the wooden sign turn right and cross the wooden footbridge.

B-C Continue to follow the forestry roadway as it sweeps uphill. After more than 1km you turn right (leaving the ‘official’ roadway and joining a narrow path through woodland). After 20 metres you leave the woods, cross a stile and enter the top of planted forest. Follow the fence along the border of the forest until it descends downhill; following an old roadway. Exit the forest area over a gate with a built-in stile to join the surfaced roadway.

C-A After a short section of surfaced road, the loop turns left and takes you across a field to reach the banks of the Nuenna River. At the river bank turn right and follow the river through a number of farmers fields. On entering the last field follow the arrows along the boarder of the field and onto a tarred road. On meeting the road take a left and follow the road back to the trailhead