I discovered Warrenscourt Forest while I was staying nearby in Macroom. The forest is situated in a quiet area of the countryside and this trail is great for families.
There are two parking lots, the main one is at Warren’s Bridge (available on Google Maps), the other parking lot is just outside of Kilmurry Village (you can see the location of this on the trail map https://www.coillte.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Map_CK_Warrenscourt_2020.pdf).
There is a 2km Wood Link trail which leads from Warren’s Bridge to the parking lot at Kilmurry. The gently sloping path is easy to navigate, with plenty of benches and a picnic area. While walking on the trail, you’ll walk beside the river in the area, and see views of the mountains in the distance at various points of the trail.
A second trail is available which is found at the Kilmurry parking lot, which loops around the Kilmurry village through the forest. The trail is a 2.3km loop.
There is a historic road that cut through the forest, a section of what was called the old “Butter Road” where farmers in the area used to travel to Cork to sell their butter at the market.
For nature enthusiasts, the forest’s oak and beech trees which were harvested during the 2nd World War, were replaced by a number of other different species: Norway spruce, Sitka spruce, Western hemlock, Douglas fir, Japanese larch and Scots pine.
Life's Adventures 