A few years ago, I took part in a charity walk called “ Run for Mary” in Peterswell. As it happens, I live in Peterswell, but had never really explored that side of Peterswell( the actual village). It was an amazing walk and as the charity walk is coming up soon( click here for more info) I thought I’d walk it again, without the crowds. I have called the walk Mary’s walk, in memory of Mary.
The walk is just under 6 Kms, and it took me 1 hour and 10 minutes to walk it. Regardless of the time of year, wear a high Viz Jacket. Bring some snacks/drinks in case you get hungry or thirsty. And yes, it’s a looped walk!
Join my Facebook Group Gort Cycling Trails and let me know if you cycled or walked any of the trails, what you thought about them, and if there are other cycle trails that should be mapped in the #burrenlowlands
For a full list of #SafeCycleTrails and maps I have mapped so far, click here
So where is this walk?
Make your way to Peterswell, off the main road between Loughrea and Gort.
Here is a little map of the walk. ( If you are Runtastic User, click here
Park your car at the Community Center and walk toward the church.
One you are the church, look back to get a view over Peterswell.
View over Peterswell Village
This is a country road, so just be mindful of traffic.
As your walk progresses, you’ll pass many fields, and enjoy views over the countryside.
Keep walking, the road veers to the left , don’t take the road over the bridge.
At this point you are in a very rural location! I loved the view with all the leaves on the ground.
The road comes to an end, take the left turn. As you walk on that road, it’s a bit hilly, you’ll see hedgerows on the left.
There is a beautiful view from the top of the hill:)
Keep walking till you come to the end of the road. Take a right, as you are now back on the road that leads you to Peterswell.
My last post covered a little treasure in Gort, which I aptly called Gort’s Mini-Greenway. As it happens, this Greenway also connects to Gort’s Golden Mile, making it a loop.. Yes… I think many of you will take note, as who doesn’t like a looped walk/cycle ( followed by cake I hear you ask?).
So where is this loop?
So you follow the instructions from last time here. Instead of turning left to head to Coole Park( for cake: ) ) you turn right, and head over the bridge.
Out of a practical point of view. I would recommend you first do the Mini-Greenway, as most of it is downhill. However If you are looking to strengthen your quads, best do it anti-clockwise. ( Did you know your quads are your strongest muscles ?)
Once you come to the main road, cross it, and within a short distance you will see an arrow for the L85313 to your left
Arrow on the main Road
Arrow on the main RoadArrow for L85313
Take that turn and as you walk down the hill your view will be like this!
L85313 Road ( view as coming from Kinincha)
Grazing cows L85313
As you walk on this road, you will see a sign for Gort’s Golden Mile!
Gort’s Golden Mile & connection with the mini-greenway
The road surface changes to a dirt track. If you were on bikes you could cycle, but dismounting your bike for a short while may work better. This track is about a mile and is beautiful as you can see from the pictures below.
Dirt TrackStone walls Gort’s Golden MileGort’s Golden MileGort’s Golden MileGort’s Golden Mile( view coming from Kinincha)Fields
As your walk progress, you’ll come to the end of the road, with a beautiful thatched cottage on your left.
Thatched Cottage Kinincha Road
Stop for a moment and listen, you’ll hear the river flowing ahead of you. It’s currently NOT safe to descend to the river there, but there are (big) plans for a river walk in Gort.
Gort’s Golden Mile & the river in the back ground.
The only way to go is right, heading back to Gort, the river flowing to your left. This road is tarmacked.
As you walk on that road, you will find the Planning application for a Gas Bio Plant on your right. To find out more about this Bio Plant, check out a very detailed article on why the location of the proposed site is not suitable.
Site Notice Gort Bio Gas PlantProposed site for Bio Gas PlantProposed site for Bio Gas Plant
You’ll walk past access to farmland on your left, which , if you head that way, brings you to a fence .
If you venture past the fence, make sure you close it, as cattle/horses are kept there from time to time, so be careful. Once in the field, if you head straight, you will see/hear the river. I was there not so long ago during a weekly walk of the Kinincha Road and I was taken by its beauty as you can see from the pictures below.
Track leading to Farm Gate
Anyway, back to the Kinincha Road:)
As I was doing the walk in September, there were blueberries, slow berries, Rosehip and so much more blooming, it was amazing.
You will see a plant on the left which I am guessing is some kind of a depot for salt( or something else – I have no idea) and further down the Waste Water recycling plant.
From then on, for a split moment, you are away from busy Gort and walking on a country road with country views!
Once you are the bottle banks, you are nearly back to where you started, the Lidl Car Park. Who knew:) You can then head into Gort for cake:)
You could also do a looped walk, starting at Lidl, go straight, take a left at the cottage, go straight, and when you come to the main road, take a left road( you are now on the old main road ) and head back to Gort( which is in fact the walk I did). I took some pictures on my way back to Gort, I particularly liked the horse that comes over to say hello:). If you do the looped walk, it’s another way of getting your 10 000 steps. The looped walk is just under 5 km.
Horse
As a side note, there is ( unfortunately) still a lot of dumping on the Kinincha Road, and I have passed on the pictures to the council. I am hopeful that, once the council installs proper CCTV, it will stop the dumping.
