Walking:
Bunclody is surrounded by mountains which are easily accessible from the Town. WLD has delivered a series of walking trail training programmes over the last 18 months involving 16 communities around the county including Bunclody. There are a series of well-developed walks near Bunclody including Kilbrannish Loop; Coolmelagh Loop and Mount Leinster.
Bunclody is also situated just 5 km from the end of the Wicklow Way in Clonegal. This is a popular long distance walking trail over 127 km long which continues up to South Dublin. There is also the South Leinster Way that starts near Bunclody and this is a long distance walking route which runs from Kildavin, Co. Carlow to Carrick-on-Suir in Co. Tipperary covering 102 km in length. The predominant features in the landscape are Mount Leinster, Brandon Hill and the river valleys of the Barrow, Nore and Suir.
It was recognised that walking trails are one of the Town’s major tourist assets which are currently under-developed. It was felt there was scope to develop these further through advancing new trails; more promotion of the existing trails and also encouraging guided walking trails. There is a company called Blackstairs Eco Trails, based in Borris which offers Eco Trails, Guided Hikes, Workshops, Foraging, Foraging Hen Events, Teachers Courses, School Visits, Childrens’ Trails and Fun in the Wild. Links could be developed with this company to identify if guided walking tours could be made available to visitors staying in Bunclody. Annual events could also be designed around foraging or other eco themes.
