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Freshford Loop
Freshford, Co. Kilkenny
Free to visit
Free car parking
Freshford Loop walk starts at the end of the village green and continue straight ahead to pass the church in your left.

A-B. From the trailhead follow the purple arrows along the road to the end of the village green and continue straight ahead to pass the church (on your left). Continue along the road for 300m to reach a ‘gap’ in the wall on your right where you turn right and cross the stream by footbridge. Now the loop follows the right bank of the stream through a lovely section of broadleaf woodland - this takes you to the entrance roadway to Upper Court Manor. Cross the roadway and join the bank of the stream again for a short section which takes you into Brown’s Wood. After the wooden sign turn right and cross the wooden footbridge.

B-C. Continue to follow the forestry roadway as it sweeps uphill. After more thank 1km you turn right (leaving the ‘official’ roadway and joining a narrow path through woodland. The first part of this traverses the shoulder of the hillside, and then turns downhill and exits at a stile into a field. Follow the boundary of the field downhill to join a laneway which takes you to a metal gate in a high stone wall and onto surfaced roadway.

C-A. After a short section of surfaced road the loop turns left and takes you across a field to reach the banks of the Nuenna River. Now the loop turns right and follows the boundary of fields along the banks of the river to reach the site of an old mill on the outskirts of the village. Exiting beside the bridge - the loop turns into the village park and along a tree ‘tunnel’ before. At the end of the tunnel exit by the metal gate, follow the road for 50m, and turn right at the Bridge Inn (on your right. Follow this street across the bridge - at the end of the street turn left and enjoy the last 100m back to the trailhead.

Freshford village:

in County Kilkenny is constructed around a tree lined square. The village is the site of a monastery dating back to the early 7th century. The Romanesque doorway of St. Lachtain's Church of Ireland church in the centre of the village is one of only two such portal designs remaining in the country, the other being at Clonfert. The sandstone doorway is all that is left of the original church which was built in 1100, the present St Lachtain's having been built in 1731. On the village green stands the base of the Freshford Cross which was made of soft sandstone and is now entirely worn away. Erected in 1622 in memory of Lucas Shee by his wife Ellen Butler it bore the inscription ‘The noble Ellen Butler, wife of Lucas Shee Esq., got this monument made. Pray, traveller, that the souls of both may have eternal rest.’ One of Freshford’s main claim to fame these days is that it hosts the Irish Conker Championships annually since 1999. Conkers are the fruits of the Horse Chestnut tree. The chestnuts for the competition are provided by 52 Horse Chestnut trees that surround the village green, which produce 30,000 conkers. Six hundreds competitors, including many from abroad, take part.

Trail details

Type:
Walking Trail
Location:
Freshford
Grade:
Moderate
Format:
Loop
Length:
5.60km
Ascent:
90m
Dogs allowed:
No
    Time:1 hour 30 minutes
    Nearest town start:Freshford
    Nearest town finish:Freshford
    Start point:Village Green Freshford
    Finish point:Village Green Freshford
    Waymarking:Purple arrow
    Facilities:Car parking, café, accommodation, shops, pubs
Contact details
Freshford,Co Kilkenny,Republic of Ireland
Leave no trace
  • Plan ahead and prepare
  • Be considerate of others
  • Respect farm animals and wildlife
  • Travel and camp responsibly
  • Leave what you find
  • Dispose of waste properly
  • Protect nature from fire
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