Dunmore East
Woodland Walks
The unique Dunmore East woods comprise of 42 acres of woodland granted in a trust by the 7th Marquis of Waterford in 1924, for the recreational use of the people of Dunmore East along with the park in the centre of the village. The woods and park are administrated by a Trusteeship of villagers.
They are divided into four distinct areas and for the purposes of this guide we only focus on two of them. These are the two areas just to the north west and west of the village centre. They are known as John Michael's wood and the Main wood.
There are two other separate woodlands in the environs of the village but they are not open to the public at present. These are Lacey's Wood and Foillakipeen Wood also known locally as "Madman's Wood".
The woodland is a mixture of conifers and deciduous trees. You can see Wild Cherry, Silver Birch, Common Lime. Scots Pine, Rowan and Yew which have been part of the recent Neighbourwood planting scheme.
Distances
High Road entrance to Cuckaloo Hill entrance 1.2 km
High Road entrance to Pitts Lane entrance (short route) 1.4 km
Cuckaloo Hill entrance to Coxtown Hill entrance 487m.
The Woods loop walk
If driving park, at St. Andrews church in the centre of the village. The High Road entrance to woods is just past Azzurro Restaurant, look for the sign. This path passes by the area called the Horsequarter on your right (see map). This name came about because the area was used for keeping the horses during the construction of the Harbour from 1818 to 1825. To your left is a housing estate called Ard na Coille (loosely translates as Woodland Heights). You arrive as a sign saying Pitts Lane entrance and Loop Walk. (See photo)
The Pitts Lane entrance route is a short cut to the road called Cuckaloo Hill. Take the Loop Walk route and walk downhill to the Glen
and the area known as Fisherman's Grove. Continue up the other side passing a housing estate called Shanakiel (Old woods) and eventually you come to a road. Cross directly over to the next entrance (Pitts Lane) to John Michael's Wood.
Follow the path to a point where it crosses another path. If you turn left here you will come to the Cuckaloo Hill entrance and turning right the hill will bring you back to St. Andrews church. Taking the right turn on the woods path takes you to the road at the Coxtown Hill entrance. Turn left and go down the hill past the Lemon Tree Restaurant and through the village of Dunmore East passing by the former hotel and convent, now it is now set in apartments overlooking the Harbour. We walk along Dock Road past shops, cafe and the Ocean Hotel. Opposite is the Ocean Hotel is an attractive row of coastguard houses which date from the early 1900s. We also walk past the Fisherman's Hall which was presented to the village by the Malcomson family who built the Haven Hotel as a private house.
Continue to the Park on the right and take the long route around finishing at the gate opposite the Haven Hotel and St. Andrews church.
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