Portumna Forest Park Woodland Trails

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Difficulty: Moderate
Length: 14.4 miles / 23 km
Duration: 1-3 hours

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Overview: The name Portumna derives from the Gaelic 'Port Omna' meaning the landing place of the oak tree. Portumna Forest Park covers almost 450 hectares and was formerly owned by the Clanrickarde family. There is an old abbey, now under the care of the Office of Public Works (OPW), within the Park which dates back to the 15th century. The castle nearby, on which considerable restoration work has been carried out by the OPW, dates back to the 17th century and was the seat of the Earl of Clanrickarde.

The forest has many habitats from lakeshore to turlough. The main conifer tree species include Scots pine, Sitka spruce, Norway spruce, Douglas fir and larch. A programme is in place to replace recently felled trees with native oak-ash-hazel woodland under the Native Woodland Scheme. A notable feature of the park is the presence of yew and juniper in open woodland along the lake shore.

The park fauna includes a large population of fallow deer while other animal species include pine marten, fox and badger. The red squirrel still has a stronghold in the park and there is also a large inland colony of cormorants nesting in one of the islands.

There are 4 looped trails in the Park. The Forest Friendly Trail is a 1.4km multi-access trail suitable for wheelchairs, buggies or prams, children's bicycles and walkers of all abilities. It has sealed surfaces and wide timber boardwalk sections. It forms the core of the trails in the park.

The Woodland Trail (2km) has wide and reasonable smooth surfaces, along with one section of narrow trail. It is suitable for walkers and cyclists out for a short gentle stroll or cycle.

The Rinnmaher and Bonaveen trails are longer loops (10km), extending to the outer areas of the Park. They have long narrow sections of trail, with variable surfaces and some narrow boardwalks.

Tips: Directions:
Leaving Portumna, on the R352 heading towards Mountshannon, the park entrance is 1km from the town on the left hand side. The trailhead is located in the car-park which is 1km inside the park gates. Picnic facilities are also located in this area.

Watch out for signal signs along the way giving you more information about local fauna and flora and cultural features within the Park.

Bike Hire
All the trails are dual use for both walking and cycling. Bikes are available to hire locally from Murray's Cycle Hire, Portumna, Tel. +353-90-9759596.

Points of Interest

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Portumna Forest Park Trailhead

This is the trail head and parking area for all four forest park walk and cycle routes. Restrooms are available here as well as picnic facilities.

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Bonaveen Trail 10.5km

Bonaveen Trail
Start Point/Finish Point: Car Park
Length: 10.5km
Time: 2hrs Walk / 1hr Cycle
Degree of Difficulty: Moderate
Meters Climb: 10
Trail Way Marking: Red

This trail is the longest loop in the park covering the western side of the Park, including the wonderful Bonaveen Point section by the lake. This loop brings the visitor into a multitude of habitats including mature Scots Pine forest and open lakeshore environments. It ventures into areas of the park previously unexplored by visitors.
The trail, narrow and twisty in places, heads northwards from the car park towards the Scots Pine. It then winds through mature Beech forest and younger mixed broadleaves bringing you around the top of Portumna Golf Club. While crossing the Club car park watch out for traffic entering and leaving.
The next section brings you above a large turlough on the western end of the Park. This is a feature typical of low-lying limestone areas where the water table fluctuates through the year. In winter this is a haven for water fowl such as duck, water hen and cranes. It leads onto a forest road to the south of the golf club and brings you near the disused Bonaveen Harbour and onto the long section around the lakeshore. This is some of the most attractive landscape in the park with great views out over the expanse of Lough Derg. This trail is exposed to bad weather at times so be prepared with suitable clothing and footwear.

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Forest Friendly Trail 1.4km

Forest Friendly Trail
Trail Start Point/Finish Point: Car Park
Length: 1.4km
Time: 20mins
Degree of Difficulty: Multi Access
Meters Climb: Level
Trail Way Marking: White

The trail starts from the car park and winds gently through a mixed plantation of Oak, Alder and Scots Pine to reach a viewing platform close to the shore of Lough Derg. From here, there are views south towards Terryglass on the Tipperary shore and across the main expanse of the lake.
The trail then follows a boardwalk to the duck pond. Following the edge of the pond the trail passes some Monterey pines (Pinus radiata) at the pond and Monterey Cypress (Macrocarpa) trees near the car park. These huge trees are some of the oldest on the estate. The Forest Friendly Trail gradually loops around to bring you back to the car park to where you began.

Spot the Squirrel in Portumna Forest Park! Photo

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Rinmaher Trail 10km

Start Point/Finish Point: Car Park
Length: 10km
Time: 2hrs Walk / 1hr cycle
Degree of Difficulty: Moderate
Meters Climb: 10
Trail Way Marking: Green

This trail will bring you deep into the park and allow you to explore areas that offer a real sense of exploration and solitude. It accesses the lakeshore area and loops into the farthest corners of the park. It offers longer options for walkers and cyclists, but has low gradients and is clearly marked to keep you on the right track.

The trail begins along a two-way section of trail from the car park and overlaps with the Woodland Trail. You will experience the full diversity of wildlife in the Park on this trail and have good views along the lakeshore near Rinmaher point. This loop is mainly on narrow trails and is suitable for those looking for a longer walk or more challenging cycle. On this trail as with the others in the Park, cyclists give way to walkers when they meet. The compliment is usually returned by walkers allowing cyclists to pass by.
Along by Rinmaher Point, you will pass through native birch stands which have withstood exposure along the lakeshore over the years. This area gives a very pleasant dappled effect to the views south towards Terryglass and east towards Portumna Bridge.
You will approach some large fences on this route and these have been erected to protect the newly planted trees from overgrazing by the deer that roam freely in the Park. In these areas Coillte are converting the older conifer plantations to mixed broadleaf stands under the Native Woodlands Scheme - increasing biodiversity and nature conservation within the Park.

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Woodland Trail 2km

Woodland Trail
Trail Start/Finish Point: Car Park
Length: 2km
Time: 30mins walk/10mins cycle
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Meters Climb: Level
Trail Way Marking: Blue

The Woodland Trail can be used by family walking and cycling groups. The surface is gravelled and also has sections of tarred forest road and wide timber boardwalk. There is minimal gradient on the trail making it suitable for buggies and children on small bikes. The trail starts from the car park and winds through large Spruce trees before reaching an open wild brass area. This is a popular area for fallow deer grazing and you may be lucky enough to see a family group here. There is a two way section of trail and you may meet cyclists or walkers coming back from the longer routes in the park. The trail continues on a section of narrow trail through Spruce and large Japanese larch and joins into the Forest Friendly Trail just before the viewing platform. Here you follow the Forest Friendly Trail homewards.