Mykidstime has partnered with Coillte Outdoors for Get Up Get Out! a special campaign to give families lots of fun ideas for outdoor activities including Coillte Cycling trails!

Coillte has lots of facilities for families and teens including coillte cycling trails, walking trails, permanent orienteering courses and cycling trails. Here’s a flavour of what you can do on your bikes around the country with Coillte cycling trails.

There are 4 Coillte Cycling trails for Families…

Mountain Biking

For the more adventurous and more experienced cyclist, there are 13 Mountain Bike Trails around the country, the Coillte Outdoors website has them all graded from Easy to Severe, with full information including maps.

Family Cycling

There are 4 Coillte Cycling trails for Families.

#1. Curragh Family Cycling, Curragh Chase Forest ParkLimerick

The Curragh Trail is a multi-use walking and cycling trail to suit occasional walkers and cyclists. It has generally low gradient, reasonably smooth surfaces with some loose stones and protruding roots and can be narrow in places.

The trail leaves the Lake Trail and brings you through mature broadleaf and conifer forest, following old estate drives for a while. The trail is under the tree canopy for most of its length and is reasonably sheltered.

• Trail Start Point: Car Park
• Length: 2.4km
• Time: 15mins
• Degree of Difficulty: Moderate
• View Trail Grade Definitions
• Metres Climb: 10
• Attributes: Loop Trail (Returns to Starting Point)
• Finish Point: Car Park
• Trail Way marking:blue

#2. Glenisca Family Cycling Trail

Also in Curragh Chase Forest Park is the Glenisca Family Cycling Trail

The Glenisca Trail is a multi-use walking and cycling trail to suit occasional walkers and cyclists. It has generally low gradient, some uneven surfaces with some loose stones and features such as protruding roots, dips and hollows and is narrow in places.

The trail leaves the Curragh Trail loop and brings you through mature broadleaf and conifer forest, passing an old cave and impressive limestone cliff walls. The trail rounds Glenisca Lough which has a fluctuating water table from Winter to Summer.

The trail passes through an old Yew woodland habitat currently being restored. Some of the massive Yew trees are a hundred years old and are visible from the trail.

• Trail Start Point: Car Park
• Length:3.6
• Time: 30mins
• Degree of Difficulty: Easy View Trail Grade Definitions
• Metres Climb: 20
• Attributes: Loop Trail (Returns to Starting Point)
• Finish Point: Car Park
• Trail Way marking:green

#3 Forest Friendly Family Cycling Trail in Avondale Forest Park Wicklow

The Forest Friendly Trail is a multi-use walking and cycling trail to suit occasional walkers and cyclists. The trail leaves the main car park and brings you through mature broadleaf and conifer forest.

It has generally low gradient, reasonably smooth surfaces with some loose stones and is wide throughout the trail.

The trail is under the tree canopy for most of its length and is reasonably sheltered. The trail passes the playground close to Avondale House and finishes at the car park.

• Trail Start Point: Car Park
• Length:1.7km
• Time: 15min
• Degree of Difficulty: Moderate View Trail Grade Definitions
• Metres Climb: 0
• Attributes: Loop Trail (Returns to Starting Point)
• Finish Point: Car Park
• Trail Way marking: green

#4. Forest Friendly Family Cycling Trail in Portumna Forest Park Galway

The Forest Friendly Trail is a multi-use trail designed to give every visitor an opportunity to explore Portumna Forest Park. The trail surface is designed to allow users of all abilities to access the park and combines sections of wide and smooth forest road with sections of wide timber boardwalk. Wheelchair users, kids bikes with stabilisers, family groups on foot or bike can equally enjoy this loop.

The trail takes you closer to views across Lough Derg which are visible from here through the gap to your left down to the lakeshore. The trail starts from the car-park and winds gently through a mixed plantation of Oak, Alder and Scots Pine to reach a viewing platform close to the shore. From the platform, views south towards Terryglass on the Tipperary shore extend down to the main expanse of the lake to your right.

The trail then follows a boardwalk to the duck pond. Following the edge of the pond, the trail passes some Monterey Pines and Monterey Cypress. The trail follows the edge of the pond and brings you to some fine old cypress trees. These huge trees are some of the oldest on the estate. The forest friendly trail loops gradually around to bring you back to the car-park to where you began.

• Trail Start Point: Car Park
• Length: 1.4kms
• Time: 15mins
• Degree of Difficulty: Easy (View Trail Grade Definitions)
• Metres Climb: 0
• Attributes: Loop Trail (Returns to Starting Point)
• Finish Point: Car Park
• Trail Way marking:white

11 Fantastic Coillte Forest Parks

Coillte’s 11 Forest Parks are spread all around the country and offer a wonderful array of facilities including children’s playgrounds, picnic sites, marked walking and cycling trails alongside the beautiful scenic woodlands. They are ideal places to take the family and have a ramble, spot some nature, have a picnic if the weather permits and to do some fun outdoor activities and games!

Get up get out

Visit Coillte Outdoors online at www.coillteoutdoors.ie and find them on Facebook and Twitter

Have you visited a Coillte Forest Park? Tell us how you got on in the comments below!

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