Slieve Bloom Walking Club to host weekend festival

This year the Slieve Bloom Walking Club celebrates its 30th year with a wide variety of walks during the May Bank Holiday weekend.

The festival will take place from Saturday, May 2 to Monday, May 4.

Throughout the weekend, the festival will offer a choice of woodland walks, riverside and gentle rolling hills with experienced walk leaders who will enhance your hike with stories of local history, geology and fauna.

This year there is a choice of seven great walks ranging from easy woodland to more challenging treks in remote wilderness areas of the Slieve Blooms.

The festival gets under way with three walks departing from Clonaslee Community Centre on Saturday, May 2. There is a Grade A 10km walk to Knockastumpa for experienced walkers, a Grade B 8km moderate walk through Brittas Lake and Woodlands and also an easygoing Grade C 6km walk among the bluebells in Capard Woodlands starting at 11am. Registration for A and B walks is at 10.15am and 10.30am for the C Walk.

On Sunday, May 3 the walks start from Kinnitty Community Centre. There is a Grade A 10km walk along Paul’s Lane and Spink Mountain, a Grade B 8km moderate walk in Kinnitty Woodlands and also a Grade C walk in the beautiful Knockbarron Woodlands. Registration is at 10.15am for A and B walks and 12.45 for the C walk.

Bank Holiday Monday, May 4, features a Grade A 12km walk on Conlawn Hill which departs from The Deadman’s Inn Ballyfin at 11am.

The fee is €8 per walk (accompanied children are free). If you wish to join the Slieve Bloom Walking Club and avail of guided walks every Sunday of the year then annual membership is €20 (single) or €30 (family).

For more details please visit https://slievebloom.ie/whats-on/walking-festival