A Tour of Mount Leinster, Bunclody, Wexford. Ireland.

The image of the map -below- may take some seconds to load, but if you are in the area, it is a tour not to miss.

Starting in Bunclody, opposite Glanbia stores, take the road signposted for Borris. Along this road you will have good views of the Blackrock Mountain, Mount Leinster (with its TV mast) and the beautifull River Clody valley. Follow this road -roughly due west- for about 6 miles from Bunclody until you arrive at the crest of a hill. On your left is the car-park at Corribut Gap. In front of you the ground falls steeply away into the valley of Coolasneaghta. The scenery from here is breath-taking. This is an area used by hang-gliders as a taking off point when the winds are in the right direction.

To continue on your tour; return the road you have just come for about 300 metres and take the road on your right. This road will bring you across a cattle grid and beyond to a lovely drive to the car-park at the "nine stones". On the way to the Nine Stones there is some very fine scenery on both the left and right. The road is in good condition, but take care nonetheless as there is a steep unprotected drop on the right. If you wish to stop along this stretch of road you can use the space provided by the entrances to the forestry on the left.

At the spacious car-park at the Nine Stones; you can walk up the surfaced road to the left, which brings you to the top of Mount Leinster and the TV mast which this road services. Here also at the top is a cairn or burial mound .

This walk and the next one are not for the unfit, but then there is no need to go further along than you feel comfortable doing. There are fine views from the car park and from as little a few hundred metres along either of these walks.

The other walk is unsurfaced but the going is relatively easy nonetheless. This walk is up the hill opposite the TV mast walk. It has for a large part a roughly defined path but as you go further than most people have done, you will have to make your own path. However without going too far along this route, you will be presented with fine views of the counties Carlow, Wicklow, Kilkenny and beyond. You could return to Bunclody the way you came but if you have the time it is worthwhile to continue around the mountain as described below.

To resume your tour; continue past this car park, down the hill through some more cattle-grids until you come to a cross-roads. Turn sharply left here and follow this road all the way to Kiltealy. (Killedmond/Rathanna is well worth a slight detour) Turn left at the tee "T" junction in Kiltealy and after about a mile- at a fine granite bridge and cross-roads- turn left back for Bunclody. The whole tour is approximately 25 miles long and with a good map there is no reason why one might not detour to some of the small villages just off the route.