South Leinster Way

On the South Leinster Way approaching Croghaun

The South Leinster Way is a 65-mile long-distance walking route which runs, as the name suggests, through the southern part of Leinster in Ireland

The trail begins in Kildavin in County Carlow and runs through County Kilkenny before ending in Carrick-on-Suir in County Tipperary. It is typically completed in five days.

The route is designated as a 'National Waymarked Trail' by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is jointly managed by the three local authorities through whose areas it runs, along with the Carlow Local Sports Partnership, Kilkenny Trails and Coillte. The route was opened in 1985.

The route

On the South Leinster Way south of Mount Leinster

The initial stages run through the Blackstairs Mountains, crossing the flanks of Mount Leinster, the highest mountain in the range to reach the village of Borris. From Borris, the Way follows the towpath of the River Barrow to the town of Graiguenamanagh where it enters County Kilkenny.

The route continues from Graiguenamanagh towards Inistioge, across the northern slopes of Brandon Hill, the highest mountain in County Kilkenny. A series of tracks through forest from Inistioge leads to Mullinavat.

The final stage follows the road from Mullinavat to Carrick-on-Suir.

Connecting paths

• The South Leinster Way forms part of 'European walking route E8', a conceptual route which runs from Dursey Island in County Cork to Constantinople in Turkey. The Irish section incorporates the Wicklow Way, the South Leinster Way, the East Munster Way, the Blackwater Way and parts of the Kerry Way and the Beara Way.
• An umarked road walk connects the trailhead of the Wicklow Way in Clonegal, County Carlow with the start of the South Leinster Way at Kildavin.
• The East Munster Way starts where the South Leinster Way ends in Carrick-on-Suir.
• The Barrow Way connects with the South Leinster Way at Graiguenamanagh.
• The Nore Valley Way is connected at Inistioge.

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about South Leinster Way)

• The South Leinster Way
• The South Leinster Way at 'IrishTrails.ie'

References

Books

• Dalby, Barry (2009) [1st pub. 1993]. The Wicklow Way Map Guide. Clonegal, Ireland: EastWest Mapping. ISBN 978-1-899815-24-1. 
• Fewer, Michael (1993). Irish Long Distance Walks. A Guide to the Way-Marked Trails. Dublin: Gill & Macmillan. ISBN 0-7171-2040-6.