Old Leighlin Loop

After the Barrow Walk the day before it was time for us to get back on country roads. Old Leighlin (pronounced loughlin) is a small village outside Leighlinbridge and it has a loop running out of it. The CEO reminded me that the name Leighlin comes from the Irish for “half-glen” so it sounded interesting.

When we arrived the village was getting ready for the Ladies GAA final (which they later won – Go on Old Leighlin Ladies!). There are signs and banners everywhere. A strip of bunting is wrapped around the big old tree in the centre of the crossroads. Careys Pub looks inviting but closed due to the pandemic. There is a memorial to the 1798 rebellion that reminds me that I know very little about that period of history. Something complicated about pikeman, protestants and the French.

Careys Pub Old Leighlin

We make a beeline for the church building across the road. The CEO tells me that this is actually a cathedral. It looks pretty small to me. At one time there were 1500 monks here – which is a lot of religious energy to have flowing in the one spot. It was here that the Irish Church eventually agreed to fall in line with the Roman way of setting the date for Easter. The CEO tried to explain something about the vernal equinox and the fifth Sunday after the first frost but the wind blew my hat into a nearby field and I had to climb across a stone wall to retrieve it.

St Lazerians Cathedral Old Leighlin

The church is closed and the outside is a mish-mash of different styles from the 12th century onwards. It is pleasant to walk around reading the gravestones until a group of grave-diggers arrive.

gravestone old leighlin

We head off on our loop and cross a small bridge over a stream. To our right, the road climbs steeply and we decide to take the other road instead.

bridge old leighlin

After passing a pair of big noisy alsatians we take our right turn.

old leighlin

It appears that there is no way of getting away from a steep climb today. The CEO frowns and I do my best to say nothing. I like a good climb.

old leighlin

The higher we go up, the better the views become.

carlow

We pass a spaniel with a sore paw guarding his home. He is too afraid to come near us. We meet plenty of cars on this stretch. The road dips down for a while through a wooded area.

We find a big bush of sloes and pick a few to make something with later (which we never do). We meet a woman walking her dog and she tells us that the next right will climb even further.

The hill to our right shields us from the wind but we can hear the trees creaking as we walk under them. The views here are fantastic. Down below, the main road carries lorries through the countryside. In the distance, we can see the Blackstairs Mountains. On the other side of them is Wexford and the Irish Sea. The CEO informs me that this townland is called Bannagagole which roughly translates as the White Lea Field of the Two Forks. I love the way we used to name things in this country.

views from old leighlin

We come to one of the forks. Straight ahead is Kilkenny but we turn right up the hill.

crossroads old leighlin carlow

There are flat stone walls all along this road.

flat stone walls carlow

We plod towards the pylon at the top of the hill. It is steep in places and is a good workout. When we get to the top, the wind is rushing through the conifers that were planted as a windbreak for the pylon. A few round bales lie on their side in the ditches. The views are less inspiring here as the rest of the landscape has risen around us as we climbed. Across the road from the pylon is an old quarry.

quarry carlow

I hope to see some wildlife here but the CEO wants to carry on. I offer to stop and sit on a roadside wall to have a snack but it is too exposed in the wind. We eat and walk.

roadside wall carlow

The road starts to descend gently. To our left lies Kilkenny. On the horizon is the imaginatively named Brown Mountain. There is also some Coilte managed woodland that looks dense and uninviting.

roadside carlow

We walk through some tall roadside trees until we come to our next right turn. This is Lacken rd. Lacken, the CEO tells me, means hillside in Irish.

lacken rd carlow

It is well-named as the road starts to rise again. The view to our right shows us the hill we have just walked around.

old leighlin carlow

This road is quiet and small, just how we like it. The view to our left looks down into a valley so we can see the hills opposite us. From here I can understand why Leighlin is called a half-glen

lacken rd old leighlin carlow

We walk along a stretch of the road with plenty of houses. They range in style from old abandoned cottages to mansions with grand piers and horse sculptures. We can see the road falling below as it descends the hill.

lacken rd old leighlin carlow

We follow it as it falls away steeply, taking in the smell of honeysuckle and listening to the streams that run down both sides of the road. The CEO has decided to gather sloes from the roadside again. We are in no rush. The spires of St Lazerian are visible below us.

st lazerians cathedral old leighlin carlow

We turn left at the bottom of the hill and are back in the village.

Google Maps: 52.736476, – 7.024172

Distance: 7 km

Time: 1pm – 3.30pm

Type of walk: country roads

Views: farmland.

Animals: Cows, sheep, dogs, rabbit.

Humans: One person walking their dog

Traffic: About six cars

Plant of the day: Rosehips

Negatives: The quarry at the top of the hill is obviously being used as a dump.

Memorable: On Lacken Rd, as I turn a bend a rabbit comes bounding up the hill towards me. I think it is a rabbit but it could be a small hare. Whatever it is, it does not notice me and keeps coming, taking great strides along the middle of the road. Just when I begin to wonder if rabbits/hares attack it freezes about 20m away from me. It sits in the middle of the road for a few seconds and then in one jump, it leaps into up into the hedge. There was enough spring in that jump to nearly clear the high roadside hedge.

As we pass the spot where the animal jumped the bang of ammonia and animal fear hits me. I look through the opening in the brambles where the rabbit disappeared. The field beyond is higher than the road. I find myself staring into the eyeball of the creature as it crouches on the ground. I motion to the CEO and both of us try desperately to grab our cameras while not taking our eyes off the rabbit. Eventually, it makes a dash for it, away from us giant humans. Its body stays low to the ground – none of this happy hopping. All we can see is the backs of its paws as it skiddaddles away from us.

Score: 8/10

This was a hilly ramble with plenty of climbs and views so let me know if I missed anything or if you have anything to add.

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