A FOREST BY THE RIVER
Collligan Woods were a magical find on our quest for wheel-friendly walks around Dungarvan, however we realised the importance of researching walks properly as this walk was not so straight forward. Having siad that these woods are definitely worth exploring.
Features include:
- Parking – free
- 2 Looped walks – Greenane Loop being the buggy friendly loop (ish)
- Gravel path (unsuitable for scooters and bumpy in places for buggy passengers)
- Steep incline on the second half of the walk
The car park is located opposite the entrance to the woods – a wide wooden bridge crossing the Colligan River. While our buggy weaved it’s way onto the bridge through the narrow opening, a larger buggy/wheel chair or twin buggy would most likely struggle. There is a an information board at the end of the bridge outlining the two loops within the woods and that the Greenane Loop is shorter and more accessible.
As we ventured along the path which runs parallel to the river, we were in awe of the beauty of our surroundings. However there were a few parts where the path was particularly bumpy especially towards the end of the first section. We were surprised to find that the directions guided us onto a road but at the same time there was a barrier preventing us from passing through with the buggy. It is here I would recommend that families with buggies/wheelchairs take an about turn and go back they way they came…
Read more about fabulous walks in Waterford here.
…For research purposes we continued on. This meant lifting the buggy over the barrier. We then followed the signs on the road (no path and quite unsafe) which led us back into the woods on the opposite side of the road. The entrance here for wheel users was totally non-existent so Aideen was soaring over another fence before she knew it. From here the path was really steep, a great workout but hard going. It was all worth it but this section is not accessible as was advised on the information board.
We finally arrived back at the car park after 45 minutes including stops for photos. Yet again there was no access for the buggy so it was one more lift for Aideen. Thankfully there was two of us.
Colligan Woods are definitely worth a visit but really only one half of the walk is wheel-friendly.
