We haven’t been blessed with great weather over the past few months.
So when a half-open chance presented itself recently, I headed off to Rathdrum, Co Wicklow to do a short, unchallenging, yet beautiful walk around this pleasant town. Rathdrum (from Ráth Droma – “Ringfort of the Ridge”) overlooks the Avonmore River, while Avondale – the birthplace and home of Charles Stewart Parnell – lies just south of the town. Another attraction is that Rathdrum is accessible by rail.
We parked in Market Square – where a scene for the film Michael Collins was shot – and not a parking metre in sight, yet. The joy of this walk is that, once you start from the town, you can bail out half way through if the mood takes you.
From the main street, head up the street beside the Corner House pub. After a few hundred metres, veer right along Union Lane and continue past the Community College. Keep an eye out for access to a leafy, tree-lined lane on the right just before a group of seven or eight dormer bungalows. This route – the Jubilee Walk, which is well signposted – brings you past a well-maintained Famine graveyard and on towards Ballygannon Wood.
Ballygannon Wood is home to one of the Millennium forests, one of 16 woodlands chosen where a tree was planted for every household in the country in the year 2000 – your tree could be here and you can check where your tree is by visiting: millenniumforests.com.
However, once you get to the wood, your choices are: go right for the short way out, go straight ahead for the medium route and go left for the longer (and slightly muckier) route. One way or another, you will end up at the R755 between Rathdrum and Laragh. Be careful here – this can be a busy road.
Your next objective is to find your way through the wood on the opposite side of the road. The entrance is at the northern end of the wood and continue to follow the Jubilee markers. After a short meander you will find yourself on the banks of the Avonmore River. Follow the flow of the river until you break clear of the wood at Rathdrum Rugby Club. Keep left and contour around the pitches. A short road walk brings you to the bridge at the northern end of the town where you can head back to your car or complete the full route.
To continue, cross the bridge towards the old mill and begin the second half of the walk along the opposite side of the river. While there were no markers that I could see, the way forward is quite obvious at this point. Continue under the railway viaduct to the Footstick Bridge and cross over. Make your way to buildings at the top of the hill opposite and cross through the stone stile.
At this point you are very close to the railway station. Turn left and walk 150 metres through the industrial complex before turning back onto the trail. From here you descend to river level and the trail, more or less, follows its path. Pass under another railway viaduct and shortly you will enter Avondale Forest Park. The trail will lead you to the main avenue into the park. Turn right and you finish with a 2km road walk back to the centre of Rathdrum.
