Portumna Mountain Bike Trail

Trails

Portumna

Portumna Mountain Bike Trail

portumna forest trail

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.

Trail Description

Each of the trails begin at the same point at the car park and then branch off after about 20m. Bonaveen & Rinmaher wind their way around the trees with little or no variation from start to finish. The terrain is compacted hardcore which has a rather unnatural feel. The only thing to moderate your speed here is that the ground is a little loose. It is probably faster in the wet here as the ground would cling together more. The total ascent here is 10m. so if you are a beginner or returning to MTB after an injury Portumna is a good choice. It is a good training ground for children.

Despite their simplicity, we really enjoyed the trails in Portumna, because they were so short and quick. They are a real blast but we feel that most experienced mountain bikers would be critical of them because of their lack of technicality. The Portumna trails are not in the same league as the trails in Ballyhoura, Ballinastoe or Derroura for example. They are more for family use. Cyclists are asked to yield to walkers along these trails and therefore, we would encourage mountain bikers to go midweek so as to avoid the other users.

Which Bike to use

Any type of mountain bike or hybrid will work fine here.

Facilities

There is toilet facilities at the carpark. The trail markings here are better than on any other Coillte mountain bike trail, because at various points they provide the user with distances back to the carpark. This is probably more for the benefit of walkers. There is also park benches dotted around the forest, so you really can enjoy the shores of Lough Derg.

Amenities

I have to say that I really liked Portumna. It is a small town that borders the Shannon River. As a result there is lots of nice restaurants and B&B’s in the area. There is also great views of the Shannon, nice walks and The Shannon Oaks Hotel and leisure facilities in the town. The trails are dead easy here but, I recommend that anyone who enjoys cycling should head there to spend a day or two, riding the three short trails and just enjoying the area.

Directions

From Portumna take the R352 towards Mountshannon, the park entrance is 1km from the town on the left hand side.

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