The Avonmore Way

This is a linear point-to-point route, 13 km one way, not a loop or an out-and-back, so the walking is the easy part and the transport is the bit you have to think about. Reckon on about 3.5 hours at a steady pace, with roughly 245 m of climbing and a high point near 270 m. Graded moderate: you want reasonable fitness, but nothing here is a mountain scramble.

• Start at Trooperstown Forest Car Park and cross the Avonmore River on the bridge at the very beginning.
• Climb up through Trooperstown Wood, which is the steepest sustained pull of the day and comes early while you are fresh.
• Skirt Trooperstown Hill on quiet country road, with open views toward Glenmacanass, Glendassan and Derrybawn, and out over the Wicklow Mountains.
• Drop down into Clara Vale, past the church and the historic stone bridge area.
• Finish through native woodland beside the Avonmore River to the Stump Forest entrance.

Underfoot is a mix of minor road, forest road, forest track and forest trail. It is durable overall and stands up to use, but expect real roadway walking on the Trooperstown Hill section, firm gravel track through the plantation, and some uneven woodland path near the river.

The route carries the yellow walking-man symbol and arrows on a black background. Some sections are reported as patchy for waymarking, so download the map before you set off rather than relying on signs at every junction.

The trail is managed by Wicklow Uplands Council, and official access is from Trooperstown Forest Car Park or the Stump Forest Entrance. Trooperstown, near Laragh, is the northern trailhead: large and free. Stump Forest Entrance has a small free car park. Because the route is linear, sort your return first, whether that is a second car, a taxi, or public transport, and note that Rathdrum has a train station if you are building a rail-based plan. Dogs are not allowed on this trail.