Durrow Guides

Overview: With this bundled guide, enjoy a variety of walks of different lengths that salute the wonderfully rich heritage as well as the resplendent countryside of Durrow.

A variety of endurance levels is offered in these guides: -
1. Castle Durrow Grounds Guide - an easy garden stroll. 30 minutes.
2. Durrow Heritage Guide - a leisurely walk through the village. 50 minutes.
3. Dunmore Loop Guide - a 9.2 mile walk around the village. 4.5 hours.
4. Durrow Leafy Loop Guide - 16 mile walk around the valley. 6 hours.
5. South Laois Cycling Route C - a 15 mile cycle ride on a vintage High Nelly.
6. Durrow & Environs Guide - one for the car unless you are super fit!

Depending on what you're in the mood to do, we have something for everyone with this app. From the best man who'd a long wedding night partying to the eager nature lover keen to get to the woods, we have a walk for everyone to attempt the morning after the night before. There's even a ride on a High Nelly vintage cycle trail!

We've ensured that you will get to appreciate some of the heritage and beauty of the best attractions within a 30 mile radius of the village as well as the immediate area. Let us know of somewhere you discover along the way by accident and think should be included in the next edition - we want to make this a list of unexpected surprises.

Durrow itself maintains an old world charm in both its look and its inhabitants - where else in Ireland can you find the All Ireland Scarecrow Festival or a Vintage Bicycle Museum? In recent years local people have worked to preserve Durrow’s beautiful setting, as well as its architecture. Today, visitors can enjoy woodland walks as well as strolls down Durrow’s fine streets and with these guides, we're ensuring that you won't miss any of the many gems of the area.

This guide is indebted to the help and support of the people of Durrow and the land owners who kindly gave permission to access their lands, Laois Partnership, Ann Lanigan and her brother Sean Conroy, Noeleen Dunphy and all at Durrow Development Forum, Bob Campion and the Durrow High Nelly club, Michael G. Phelan and all at the South Laois Tourism Partnership, the Laois Heritage Officer, Catherine Casey, Failte Ireland, Philip Sheppard, Bob Hovendon, Walter Phelan with a special thanks to Peter and Shelly Stokes and Castle Durrow staff for their generous hospitality and faith in this project.

The content for this app was produced with grant support from Laois Partnership through the Rural Development Fund.

Tips: A sturdy pair of boots and raingear are recommended for these walks which are on grass and mud a lot of the time. The Leafy Loop and Dunmore walks are long and pleasurable - take water, a phone/camera and maybe even a picnic to keep yourself going.

Unfortunately, dogs are forbidden on both looped walks. Access to farmlands has been negotiated with land owners strictly on this basis. Even dogs on a leash can cause problems (for the walkers more than the animals) where livestock aren’t used to them, and while much of the walk is in woodland some stretches pass through farmland where horses, cattle and sheep are grazed and need to be kept free of dogs.

In relation to the audio clips, it should be acknowledged that they were recorded unprepared and that some of the details such as dates, names etc might need to be verified. Ann Lanigan and her brother Sean Conroy are your generous hosts on the waymarked walks and deserve full credit for their local knowledge.

PLEASE NOTE: each guide needs to be downloaded separately in order to work offline with the EveryTrail Pro app. Best to download only the ones you are likely to be using during your stay. If downloading when at Castle Durrow, make the most of the foyer area Wi-Fi and download your chosen tour/s once you've reviewed the material. All guides are subject to acceptance of the navigatour™ Licence Agreement, the link of which is on the right hand column.