In response to the increasing demands for recreational forest use by mountain bikers, the Irish forestry company Coillte have developed a small number of purpose built mountain bike trails in some of their forests around Ireland. There has been widespread recognition throughout Europe of the importance of recreational forest use. So to some extent this box has been checked now by Coillte. We at MountainBiking.ie have ridden these trails and bring you reviews of Ballinastoe, Derroura, Ballyhoura and Portumna Trails and their facilities aswell as GPS Maps and Directions.

Portumna Forest Park is located on the northern shores of Lough Derg and formed part of the Clanrickarde family estate which was purchased by Coillte in 1948. The park offers walking trails, nature trails, Views of the lake and the opportunity to see deer and other wildlife. The Portumna mountain bike trails are almost identical. They are a bit different to the usual Coillte trails, in that they are shared with walkers.

There are three mtb trails in Portumna Forest Park, Bonaveen & Rinmaher mountain bike trails run for 10.5 km and are graded moderate. Bonaveen is marked red, Rinmaher is green. Woodland is the blue trail and it is only about 10 min long and perfect for children.