The Slieve Bloom Way is a 77 kilometre circular walking route that loops around the Slieve Bloom Mountains, straddling the border of counties Laois and Offaly. It’s one of Ireland’s quieter long distance walks, which is both its main challenge and its main appeal. You won’t meet many other walkers. The infrastructure is modest. But the landscape is genuinely rewarding, and for anyone who has had their fill of the more heavily trafficked trails on the west coast, it offers something different.
We’re based atRoundwood House in Mountrath, right at the foot of the Slieve Blooms, and guests come to us regularly tostay for a few nights and walk sections of the Way or do the full route. What follows is a practical guide to what to expect.
What Kind of Walk Is It?
The Slieve Bloom Way is not a particularly technical route, but it should not be underestimated. The terrain is a mix of open bogland, forest tracks, mountain heath, and quiet country roads. The ground is often wet, even in summer, and some sections cross very exposed moorland where visibility can drop quickly in poor weather. The highest point on the route is Arderin at 527 metres, which is modest by any standard, but the bog and the changeable midlands weather mean you need to be properly equipped.
It is generally walked over three to four days, which gives a daily distance of roughly 20 to 25 kilometres. Fit walkers sometimes do it in three days. Four days is more comfortable and leaves time to stop and look around. The route is circular, so you can start at any point, though Glenbarrow and Kinnitty are the most commonly used entry points.
The waymarking is reasonably good throughout most of the route, with the standard Irish walking trail markers. That said, in a small number of places, particularly on the open bog sections, the markers can be easy to miss in poor visibility. It is worth having the OSI 1:50,000 map for the area (sheet 54) with you, or a GPS track downloaded before you set off.
The Landscape
The Slieve Blooms are among the oldest mountains in Europe, formed over 400 million years ago. They are not dramatic in the way that the mountains of Kerry or Connemara are dramatic. There are no sharp ridges or commanding peaks. What they offer instead is a wide, open, slightly melancholy landscape of blanket bog, heather moorland, and deep forested glens that cut down from the plateau to the farmland below.
The glens are the highlight for most walkers. Glenbarrow, on the Laois side, is particularly good, with a series of waterfalls along the River Barrow and a well worn path through mature woodland. The Monicknew Glen and the Cut, a dramatic pass through the mountains between Laois and Offaly, are also worth taking slowly rather than marching through.
In late April and May the woodland floors are carpeted with bluebells, which is one of the better reasons to time a visit to spring. Autumn is also good, with the bog and heather turning rust and amber from September onwards. Summer is perfectly fine but the midges can be persistent on still days near the wetter sections.
Suggested Day by Day Itinerary
This is one way to break the route across four days, starting and finishing at Glenbarrow. Distances are approximate and will vary slightly depending on your exact line through the open sections.
| Day | Section | Distance | Notes |
| Day 1 | Glenbarrow to Kinnitty | ~22 km | Takes in the waterfalls at Glenbarrow early, then climbs to the plateau. The approach into Kinnitty is pleasant. Good pub in the village for the evening. |
| Day 2 | Kinnitty to Cadamstown | ~18 km | Shorter day with the most open bogland. Includes the ascent of Arderin if you want the highest point. Cadamstown is a small village with limited facilities so check accommodation in advance. |
| Day 3 | Cadamstown to Clonaslee | ~20 km | Crosses the northern and western flanks. Good ridge walking with views across Offaly. Clonaslee has a pub and a small amount of accommodation. |
| Day 4 | Clonaslee to Glenbarrow | ~17 km | The final leg crosses back into Laois through some of the quietest terrain on the route. The descent back into Glenbarrow is a satisfying finish. |
Accommodation Along the Route
This is where it gets honest. Accommodation along the Slieve Bloom Way is limited, and it requires planning ahead. The route passes through or near several small villages, but none of them has a large amount of accommodation, and what exists books up at weekends and during the annual Slieve Bloom Walking Festival in May.
Kinnitty has a couple of options including Kinnitty Castle, which is at the upper end of the price range, and some B&B accommodation in the village. Clonaslee has limited B&B options. Cadamstown and some of the more remote sections of the route have very little within easy reach, and you may need to arrange a taxi or a car shuttle to reach somewhere to sleep.
One practical approach, particularly if you have a driver or are happy to use taxis, is to base yourself in one place for the duration of the walk and travel out to your start point each morning. This gives you access to a proper dinner, a comfortable bed, and somewhere to dry out gear each evening.
Roundwood House in Mountrath is well placed for this kind of arrangement. We’re on the Laois side of the mountains, close to Glenbarrow and the southern sections of the route. Guests doing the Slieve Bloom Way often stay with us for two or three nights, heading out each morning and coming back in the evening fordinner. If that sounds useful, you cancheck availability and book here, or call us on +353 57 873 2120 and we can talk through the logistics.
What to Bring
The Slieve Blooms are not a place to be caught underprepared. Even on a fine day, the weather on the plateau can change without much notice, and the boggy ground means wet feet are almost inevitable on some sections regardless of conditions underfoot. A few things worth having:
Waterproof boots are not optional. Trail runners or light hiking shoes will leave you wet within the first hour on a typical day. Gaiters are useful on the open bog sections. Waterproof jacket and trousers, even if the forecast looks reasonable. A warm mid layer, as the plateau gets cold and the wind can be cutting even in summer. The OSI map sheet 54, or a GPS device with the route loaded. Enough food and water for the day, as there are long sections with no shops or cafés.
A walking pole or two is worth considering if you’re doing the full route over several days. The terrain is uneven enough that your knees will notice by day three.
The Slieve Bloom Walking Festival
TheSlieve Bloom Walking Festival takes place every May and is the best time of year to walk in the mountains if you like company and a bit of organisation. The festival runs over a long weekend and offers a programme of guided walks at different levels, from short introductory loops to full day mountain routes. Local guides lead the walks, which means you get genuine knowledge of the terrain, the flora, and the history of the area that you would not pick up on your own.
The festival is well run and well attended, and if you’re not sure whether the Slieve Blooms are for you, it’s a good way to find out without committing to a solo multi-day trip. Accommodation in the area books up quickly around the festival weekend, so it’s worth sorting that early in the year.
Day Walks and Shorter Options
The full 77 kilometre circuit is not the only way to see the Slieve Blooms. There are 17 shorter looped walks in the mountains, with trailheads at Glenbarrow, Monicknew, Kinnitty, Cadamstown, and Clonaslee. These range from gentle 5 kilometre forest walks to more demanding half day routes that take in the higher ground.
Glenbarrow is the most accessible starting point for visitorsstaying in the Mountrath area and is about 15 minutes from Roundwood House by car. The waterfall loop there is around 5 kilometres and takes about two hours at an easy pace. It’s a good introduction to the landscape without requiring a full day or specialist gear.
For a longer day walk without doing the full Way, the route from Glenbarrow up onto the plateau and across to the Cut and back makes for a satisfying 4 to 5 hour circuit with varied terrain and good views. Ask us at the house and we can point you in the right direction and suggest where to park.
If you’re planning a walking trip to the Slieve Blooms, whether for a day or several days, we’re happy to help with route suggestions and logistics.Get in touch here or have a look at ouraccommodation options. We also have twoself catering cottages in the grounds if you’re coming as a group or prefer to cook for yourselves after a long day on the hill.
A Few Final Notes
Mobile phone coverage is patchy in parts of the Slieve Blooms, particularly on the higher ground and in some of the glens. Don’t rely on being able to call for help or navigate by phone in those sections. Download maps and routes offline before you head out.
The Slieve Bloom Way is not a glamorous walk in the way that the Wicklow Way or the Camino has become glamorous. There’s no particular end point photograph, no busy mountain hut at the top. What it offers is a genuinely quiet experience of an undervisited landscape, and the satisfaction of a route that most people walking in Ireland have never heard of. That’s worth something.
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