Ballinacourty Loop

This loop follows woodland trail and forestry track in an ascent through Aherlow Nature Park and Ballinacourty Woods. It traverses the southern shoulder of Slievenamuck offering the walker some beautiful views to the Galty Mountains across the Glen of Aherlow.

This loop is one of a series developed at two trailheads in the Glen (Christ the King Statue and Lisvarrinane).

A-B. From the mapboard in the green area at Christ the King statue follow downhill to enter the Nature Park. This loop is marked with purple arrows – but overlaps with two other loops (green and light blue arrows) and the long-distance Ballyhoura Way which is marked with the familiar yellow walking man and arrows. Descend stone steps and over a footbridge and shortly afterwards you reach a Y-junction. Veer left here and follow the woodland trail for approximately 1km to reach a wooden stile. Exiting the stile the green loop turns right – you turn left.

B-C. You are now on a more substantial forestry track. Descend for 300m to reach a four-track junction where you turn right and follow a forestry track for 800m to exit at a surfaced road just uphill from the Aherlow House Hotel. Here you leave the light blue loop and turn downhill following the yellow Ballyhoura Way.

C-D. Pass the hotel and follow the tarred surface downhill to reach a sharp left bend where you turn right and enter forestry again.

D-E. Continue to follow the Ballyhoura Way along forestry tracks for a flat section before turning right and ascending through Ballinacourty Woods. After 1.5km you reach a T-junction where the Ballyhoura Way turns left and you overlap with other loops that start and finish in the village of Lisvarrinane. You turn right here to begin the homeward journey following the purple arrow.

E-F. For over 2km the loop traverses the southern shoulder of Slievenamuck Mountain and rejoins the light blue loop above the Aherlow House Hotel before joining a tarred roadway. Here you veer left.

F-A. Follow the tarred roadway to T-junction for 500m, turn right, follow grassy bank for 100m, then veer right into the forestry, where you rejoin green loop at stone footbridge

Services: Lisvarrinane (5km), Tipperary (6km). There are a number of hotels in the Glen of Aherlow

Minimum Gear: Walking boots, rain gear, snack and fluid