Take a peaceful stroll through elegant gardens, get to grips with local history or embrace nature with towering mountains at your back – there’s plenty to explore on a short break in Carlow.
Altamont Gardens
Begin your adventure at the gorgeous Altamont Gardens, https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/altamont-gardens/ just 10 minutes outside of Tullow. Spread across a 16-hectare estate, no matter what time of the year you visit, you can expect a little slice of heaven, with a spectacle of flourishing flora through every season.
Plan a visit in February to experience the Snowdrop Gala, where the dainty white flowers are abundant. There are 200 varieties planted on-site, and visitors can take a guided tour and learn all about the Snowdrop Collection in their famous walled garden.
Huntington Castle and Gardens https://huntingtoncastle.com/
(See the impressive Huntington Castle on your trip to Carlow)
Less than 15 minutes away, explore the Fellowship of Isis Temple at Huntington Castle and Gardens. https://huntingtoncastle.com/ Built in the 1970s as a place of worship of the Egyptian Goddess Isis, guided tours include the sacred well of St, Brigid, the main altar to Isis, and altars reflecting the zodiac signs. Get a sense of the castle’s previous occupants on the tour, which now includes the old kitchens and drawing room.
Allow enough time to stroll around the gardens – from the French lime trees bordering the avenue to the ornamental lawns and fish pond, each is a destination worth visiting. Stop by the lake to see one of Ireland’s earliest water turbine houses, which once powered the castle.
Blackstairs Eco Trails https://blackstairsecotrails.ie/
(Meander through lovely lanes, lowlands, bogs with the Blackstairs Eco Trails)
Discover the secrets of the Blackstairs Mountains on an eco-trail guided walk. Meander through lovely lanes, lowlands, bogs and streams on a unique rural experience in the foothills of the mountains. Take the Tree Trail to discover the seven Noble Trees of our forebearers The Celts and see the birds, mammals, flora and fungi that make up this wonderful ecosystem. Extend the journey south along the river if you have the time, on part of Barrow Way which takes you down to the village of St. Mullins. It is a peaceful route through a quiet wooded landscape, with the constantly expanding river, growing more majestic every mile, for company.
Clogrennan Wood Loop
Blow off those cobwebs on the Clogrennan Wood Loop Walk, on Carlow’s border. A serene, gently sloping trail that covers 4km of forest roads, you’re rewarded with magnificent views of nearby Carlow Town and the River Barrow. Discover a huge variety of trees in the old wood, as you walk, with beech, spruce, larch and oak most common. You won’t have to look too hard to spot the abundance of bluebells, ferns and even wild garlic.
