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Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trails

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Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trails
  • Information:
  • Type: Trail Centre
  • Grades: Blue Red Black
  • Riding: Cross Country
  • Facilities: Car Park Toilets Cafe Bike Hire
  • Admission: Free access
  • Typical visit: Half day
  • Surface: Mixed
  • Run by: Coillte (Land manager)
  • Country:🌍 Republic-of-ireland
  • County:Offaly
  • Website:Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trails ↗
  • Socials:

Trail grades, descriptions and other details on this page are provided for general guidance only and may be inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. Always check on-site signage and current conditions before riding. See our trail safety disclaimer.

Description

Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Trails is Coillte's purpose-built singletrack network in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, one of Ireland's national mountain bike trail centres, with two trailheads: Kinnitty in County Offaly and Baunreagh in County Laois. Between them there are seven waymarked routes, two blue and two red at Kinnitty and a blue, a red and a black at Baunreagh, built on forest road and rocky, rooty singletrack with big views over the Midlands.

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The Trails

The two trailheads share one waymarking system, and experienced riders can link them: Crystal Maze on the Baunreagh red connects across to the Mountain Top route at Kinnitty.

Kinnitty, County Offaly

  • Kinnitty Blue (9km, 220m climbing, 45 to 110 minutes): the main blue route, climbing from The Hub past Cool Runnings, Rock and Roll and The Full Hog, with an optional shortcut.
  • Kinnitty Village Blue (2km, 50m climbing, 10 to 20 minutes): three short blue trails, Easy Peeler, Mint Crisp and Banana Split. A good option for beginners or a short session.
  • River Run, red (23km, 490m climbing, 110 to 180 minutes): shares Kinnitty Blue's outward climb, then drops through The Yellow Brick Road, the rocky ASAP descent, The Cobbler, Secret Squirrel, Yeti and Last Chance before a long descent named Space Jam back to the village.
  • Mountain Top, red (31km, 570m climbing, 150 to 230 minutes): the longest route, adding Twist and Shout, Road Runner, Mitchells, Flintstones, Donkey Kong and Nature Valley before joining River Run for the return.

Baunreagh, County Laois

  • Baunreagh Blue (11km, 1 to 2 hours): moderate with several difficult sections, running Monkey Puzzle, Take 2, Free Wheel, Stairway to Heaven, Thunder, Lightning, Return of the Jedi and Tetris.
  • Baunreagh Red (18km, 2 to 3 hours): difficult throughout, running Crystal Maze, Hippity Hop, Bippity Bop, Doom, Harrier, Joy Rider, On the Edge and Boiler.
  • Baunreagh Black (14km, 2 to 3 hours): severe throughout, with drop offs and long steep sections on Heatseeker, Jailbreak and Spitfire. For highly experienced riders only.

The singletrack runs over rock, roots and loose stone, with forest road for the climbs and links. Routes cross walking trails and some public roads, so ride with care for other users, and download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.

Facilities

  • Kinnitty village has free parking, toilets, a cafe and several pubs.
  • The Baunreagh trailhead has a car park and a dry toilet only.
  • Mountain bike hire, guided rides and skills sessions are available from Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Centre and e-bike hire from Bloom E Riders, both based in Kinnitty.
  • The Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Festival runs across both trailheads each spring, with a marathon-style event, a gravel ride and family activities.

Getting Here

For Kinnitty, drive into the village in County Offaly and park there. There is no dedicated trailhead car park. Slieve Bloom Mountain Bike Centre is on The Walk in the village (Eircode R42 K681), and the blue and red waymarkers lead up to the trails from near the GAA club.

For Baunreagh, County Laois, take the R440 Kinnitty to Mountrath road, turn into the forest entrance and follow the forest road down to the car park beside the old forest buildings.

Trails are subject to periodic closures and diversions for forestry operations and events. Always check the Coillte Kinnitty page and Coillte Baunreagh page for current alerts before you travel.

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