Clare glens nice for walking?

Swindon

Anyone been,is it nice?

h3000

Yeah it is a lovely place for a walk I go there as often as I can. If you are walking down beside the river be careful as the rocks can get very very slippy.

Swindon

is parking handy to be had? is there just the one main walking route?

Delphi91

There's a car park just up the road (50m) on the Newport side. Think there's one on the Murroe side also???

You can walk either side of the river (the right hand side is more like a forest walk), thge left hand side walk splits in two - one going down along the river (can be dodgy with wet rocks/moss, etc especially after heavy rain and flooding - be prepared for some scaling of rocks) and the uphill walk essentially goes above the river.

1huge1

Love going to the place, especially where theres a small waterfall and jumping off the side. Talk about cold though.

As said above be careful because it is very slippy.

Liam Byrne

Gorgeous spot, but bear in mind that it's not a "casual stroll". The flat track on the right of the river doesn't offer much view, and while the track to the left is great, it can be slippy and/or relatively tough going in spots......consider it more of a "hike" than a walk, I'd say.

It's a pity, because it used to be a REALLY fabulous spot, with well-maintained walkways and steps.

And why priorities during the Celtic Tiger years didn't involve an upgrade of public amenities and beauty spots like this I'll never know....

Still well worth a visit, though!!!!

styer

Lovely place for a walk, plenty of parking, all you need now is the weather!

phog

Coming from Newport there's a big carpark, I usually cross the bridge and walk up the righthand side of the river (Limerick side) and then come back down the Tipperary side, if the weather was dry for a few days I walk up the Tipp side and keep near the river but the rocks and pathways can be very slippy so take care.

Here are a few pics from the Clare Glens.

canned

Yep - be very carefull out there especially when there's rain. The rocks are slippy and you do not want to be in the water through any rapids and drops.

If you go out there after rain you're likely to see some of the local kayakers making use of the crappy weather.

Walk up the path on the Muroe side of the river for a cleaner path. You'll need good grippy wellies or boots for the other side.

raido9

There's more to watch out for than some slippy rocks:

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055345744

Sierra Oscar

canned wrote: »

Walk up the path on the Muroe side of the river for a cleaner path. You'll need good grippy wellies or boots for the other side.

Indeed - the Limerick side of the glen is a lot cleaner and safer. North Tipp CC have let their side go to ****.

phog

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Indeed - the Limerick side of the glen is a lot cleaner and safer. North Tipp CC have let their side go to ****.

+1
They need to wake up and do something at their side to make this a safe family walk.

Sierra Oscar

phog wrote: »

+1
They need to wake up and do something at their side to make this a safe family walk.

Yep.

Also, just to add - the Clare Glens are notorious amongst locals (I live nearby) for dodgy occurrences going on during the night, especially at the weekends. It is not a place I would advise anyone to visit late in the evening.

All in all it is a great place though. When the weather is good, there are some great places to swim.

Pshan

How long is the walk if you were to do the loop, up one side and down the other?

Clare_Guy

I've walked the loop many times, it takes about an hour, i go up the tipp side and down the limerick side. The tipp side is more of a track and will be very muddy in places after our lovely "summer"...

GerB40

I plan on bringing a girl there for our first date and I was wondering if the walk is just a walk or if it's more of a hike. The plan is for a casual walk and a picnic but we'll both be fairly well dressed for the evening and I'd rather not be knee high in shyte! Is the place well maintained? Cheers.

h3000

GerB40 wrote: »

I plan on bringing a girl there for our first date and I was wondering if the walk is just a walk or if it's more of a hike. The plan is for a casual walk and a picnic but we'll both be fairly well dressed for the evening and I'd rather not be knee high in shyte! Is the place well maintained? Cheers.

The Limerick side of the river is slightly less muddy than the Tipperary side but I don't think I'd go in my clothes to go out that evening. Your shoes at least will get a bit dirty.

phog

GerB40 wrote: »

I plan on bringing a girl there for our first date and I was wondering if the walk is just a walk or if it's more of a hike. The plan is for a casual walk and a picnic but we'll both be fairly well dressed for the evening and I'd rather not be knee high in shyte! Is the place well maintained? Cheers.

I haven't been out there yet this year but it can be fairly muddy. Much cleaner walk with pathways would be Curraghchase.

zulutango

GerB40 wrote: »

I plan on bringing a girl there for our first date and I was wondering if the walk is just a walk or if it's more of a hike. The plan is for a casual walk and a picnic but we'll both be fairly well dressed for the evening and I'd rather not be knee high in shyte! Is the place well maintained? Cheers.

It might be a bit muddy, depending on whether there's been rain recently. The Murroe side would be fine though as it's a fairly solid track. There aren't really any great places for picnics unless you go back to the car park, which isn't exactly the most romantic.

What might be worth thinking about is going for a stroll there (because it is definitely nice) and then head over to Glenstal Abbey for the picnic. It's less than 5 minutes away by car and is a very picturesque setting.

h3000

zulutango wrote: »

It might be a bit muddy, depending on whether there's been rain recently. The Murroe side would be fine though as it's a fairly solid track. There aren't really any great places for picnics unless you go back to the car park, which isn't exactly the most romantic.

What might be worth thinking about is going for a stroll there (because it is definitely nice) and then head over to Glenstal Abbey for the picnic. It's less than 5 minutes away by car and is a very picturesque setting.

A picnic in Glenstal while nice isn't as easy as it used to be. We're barely allowed to walk through it these days. It does depend on who's around though. Some monks/staff are nicer than others.

Parchment

its a very short walk, in my opinion. Not really worth the drive out - just my view though.

chicorytip

h3000 wrote:

Yeah it is a lovely place for a walk I go there as often as I can. If you are walking down beside the river be careful as the rocks can get very very slippy.

Interesting wildlife to be seen and heard. The Squirrels would almost talk to you!

phog

h3000 wrote: »

A picnic in Glenstal while nice isn't as easy as it used to be. We're barely allowed to walk through it these days. It does depend on who's around though. Some monks/staff are nicer than others.

That's a pity, hope it's not as a result of the compo culture brigade.

h3000

phog wrote: »

That's a pity, hope it's not as a result of the compo culture brigade.

It's a big part of it unfortunately http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/local-news/134940/-Compo-culture---Glenstal.html

LLL11

I'd say go to Glenstal for the walk and then up to Clare Glens for the picnic if you want to keep clean. Glenstal is completely paved so you shouldn't get dirty unless you go off the road.

They have picnic tables on the grass area in front of the car park at the Newport/Tipp side of Clare Glens. There are pathways to them so you don't even have to walk on the grass. The walk itself will definitely be muddy on the Tipp side at this time of the year and you'd still get your shoes a little dirty on the Limerick side of the loop.

EndaHonesty

GerB40 wrote: »

I plan on bringing a girl there for our first date and I was wondering if the walk is just a walk or if it's more of a hike. The plan is for a casual walk and a picnic but we'll both be fairly well dressed for the evening and I'd rather not be knee high in shyte! Is the place well maintained? Cheers.

The Clare Glens is very muddy and there are no benches for a picnic in the actual glen.

Curraghchase would be much more suitable for a nice stroll and picnic.
Good dry paths and plenty of clean benches.

cupan_tae

GerB40 wrote: »

I plan on bringing a girl there for our first date and I was wondering if the walk is just a walk or if it's more of a hike. The plan is for a casual walk and a picnic but we'll both be fairly well dressed for the evening and I'd rather not be knee high in shyte! Is the place well maintained? Cheers.

I was at a wedding the other week and the couple getting married had their first date at the Clare glens

Does anyone know what the story is with the food bridge at the very back ? Its been in disrepair for a fair while now.

leakyboots

Did you get the legover GerB40 in the end?

GerB40

leakyboots wrote: »

Did you get the legover GerB40 in the end?

A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell... In other words we haven't met yet but I'll make sure to keep you posted

riverrocked

cupan_tae wrote: »

Does anyone know what the story is with the food bridge at the very back ? Its been in disrepair for a fair while now.

The green bridge? It was fixed last time I was out there. It had been damaged in Storm Darwin.

Mc Love

GerB40 wrote: »

A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell... In other words we haven't met yet but I'll make sure to keep you posted

Curraghchase is perfect for a first date, went there with a girl I met and now we're married if you are that way inclined