We are always looking for good new hikes within 1-2 hours of a drive from our house. We had heard about the Glenbarrow loop while down in Offaly/Laois doing the highest point in the Slieve Bloom mountains. So it was on our growing list of hikes to do whenever the weather permits. We got a break in between the winter snow showers and the only weekend in February that there was no snow or bad rain, we eventually got around to walking this fantastic hike.
How to get to Glenbarrow Loop walk
The hike carpark/start point is really well signposted and provides a breakpoint if you’re driving the N7 motorway from Dublin to Limerick. We got off the motorway in Portlaoise and drove to Rosenallis and then followed all the signposts for Glenbarrow waterfall, it took us 30 minutes to drive from Portlaoise.
There is a really good size carpark at the start of the trailhead that could easily accommodate 50 vehicles, so parking should not be an issue. At the start of the walk, there is an information board detailing 3 looped walk options. We walked the blue looped walk which was called the “Glenbarrow Eco Walk” this was 7km long and we walked past the lovely Glenbarrow waterfall.
Starting the Glenbarrow Loop Walk
The Glenbarrow walk starts by walking down a small lane that is sandwiched between two moss-covered stone walls. The small lane leads down to the start of the eco trail into the pine forest.
Most of this section of the trail is walked parallel to the river, while also walking slightly uphill towards the Glenbarrow waterfall. The trail is surrounded by mature woodland that’s covered in a blanket of green moss that has even started to creep up every tree, it felt very lord of the rings here.
Most of the trail has a good hardcore surface or railway sleepers but there is mud covering some sections. We have just had a large amount of snow here so every trail that we hike lately is like this. The forest section has lots of small streams and alcoves to explore while walking towards the waterfall. After walking for about 200m the trail elevation started to rise uphill slightly and we enter Glenbarrow woods via wooden railings.
We passed a wooden hut on our left and continued along the well-worn path up the river. We started to walk on small paths cut into rocks that lead up toward the top of the beautiful 3-tiered Clamp Hole waterfall.
There was a wooden barrier/handrail alongside the waterfall with some steep rocks to climb. There are two options here, you can climb the rocks beside the waterfall (about 1.2m high) or take the path on the left-hand side which will meet at the top of the waterfall. We chose the one beside the waterfall as it looked like fun. We love climbing as its all part of the adventure.
After we admired the beautiful waterfall we continued our hike, this time on wooden railway sleepers. The sleepers cut through the woodland area and we climbed up until we reached a foresty road. We took a left here and continued along the road until we reached a 3-way junction, we veered right here and continued uphill until we reached another forestry road that had an option to enter a woodland footpath, we took a left here downhill on a lovely boardwalk.
We followed the boardwalk through a mixture of natural woodland and coniferous trees. Near the end of the walk, there was a plastic box full of leaflets on the Slieve bloom walks. We taught this was a great idea.
This path leads us back to a little lane straight to the car park. We had our lunch and enjoyed looking at the horses in the field beside the carpark.
Conclusion on the Glenbarrow Loop Walk
The Glenbarrow Loop walk offers everything for a good Sunday adventure with the family. There are forests, rivers and waterfalls all crammed into an area filled with natural wildlife. You will need good hiking boots in winter months but there are also sections with boardwalks that has a very good surface.
The walk is extremely well signposted and there is very little chance of getting lost, trust us were experts at taking the wrong turn.
It would not be possible to hike the Glenbarrow loop walk with a toddler if you did not have a baby backpack as a buggy would not work on the railway sleepers.
The Glenbarrow is a lovely walk and a true credit to the people that maintain and operate it. This is one of the best walks in Ireland, that we have done this year. We had great fun on this trail and cannot wait to come back and explore more.
More information and maps can be found on the Slieve Bloom website here.
