These two forests areas together make a true gem in my opinion. I love this area. Great views and the general area is of historic interest. Having said this, The actual area covered is very small, so you may need to do a few laps. Know locally under a number of names, 51281 is has a prominent is landmark. There tends to be a large amount of walkers in the area so if you do mountain bike in this area, please bear this in mind. Busiest times for walkers are Saturday and Sunday afternoons especially if the weather is good. You will also come across horse riding in the area. The walkers tend to use 51281a more frequently. 51281a faces out towards the coast where as 51281 B is further inland. So if we take them one by one, we will start with 51281 A.

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.

Colour coded brown, the Mountrussell loop is considered by our forum members to be the best Coillte MTB trail to ride in Limerick. The Mountrussell loop takes about 2hrs to ride at a relaxed pace.

The five Ballyhoura MTB Trails begin at the car park and turn back individually at various points to form individual loops. The Mountrussell loop is the second shortest loop and we measured it at 15km. It is an easy trail to cycle because the ground is well compacted and smooth.  However there are some technical areas which may not be suitable for beginners. The total climb is 162m this compares to 210m for Ballinastoe MTB Trail over a similar distance.