Ballyhoura Country is delighted to officially launch an exciting new addition to its famous looped walks. Now walkers, hikers, scramblers and adventurers can use the Ballyhoura Trails Guide App to navigate the area and keep up to date on everything Ballyhoura related.
Famed for its beauty and wild places, Ballyhoura Country provides the perfect setting for an action packed activity based holiday, the opportunity to stroll through medieval history or unwind alongside its riverbanks. Stretching from North Limerick, west to County Tipperary and south to North Cork, Ballyhoura Country encompasses 11 looped walks that provide all levels of challenges and spectacular scenery for hikers.
The Ballyhoura Trails Guide App is intended to highlight to visitors the breadth of what Ballyhoura Country has to offer. The app will allow visitors to Ballyhoura Country instantly find what is in their vicinity, the range of walks on offer and describe in real time distances between them and the start point of their chosen trail. Designed to make exploring Ballyhoura Country a breeze by taking the pain out of planning, facilitating Sunday drives and visitors from abroad, ensuring you don’t miss a thing.
There are numerous functions to the app. The user can choose a Ballyhoura Country loop walk to explore based on distance, difficulty or your current location. There are 11 walks ranging in distance from 5km to 18km. These walks vary from easy strolls to challenging hikes through sandy roadways, woodland trails and forest paths.
Learn about local heritage and folklore in the areas of Cork and Limerick which your chosen trail passes through. No matter the trail there is so much to explore and learn with adventures through historic sites such as the Battle of Darragh and the Seefin Mountain climb, plus the ancient Ardpatrick monastery, remnants of a water mill and a holy well.
Use the app to pick the perfect place to stay and explore more of the region. There is plenty of choice whether it is nestled in the foothills in the Ballyhoura Mountain Lodges, luxuriating in Charleville Park Hotel, being mindful in Ballinwillin House or availing of local amenities in the Deebert House Hotel.
Keeping your energy up is important and the app will help you find a café or restaurant to refuel after your walk. Explore the Ballyhoura Apple Farm and its renowned produce or soak up the atmosphere in Café Townhouse, Doneraile. Finally, your Ballyhoura Trails Guide app will keep you up to date on news and events in Ballyhoura Country and other activities available in the area.
The Ballyhoura Trails Guide App is available on the playstore for android and IOS. Available in four languages including English, Spanish, German and French making it accessible to visitors from across the globe. The app is designed to function well even when you find yourself in a spot with weak internet access. Just be sure to download it before you hit the trails.
The app was developed by BlackBear Software and is supported by Ballyhoura Heritage and Environment, Ballyhoura Fáilte, Ballyhoura Development CLG, The Department of Arts, Heritage, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and Leave No Trace.
Mark Britton, CE Scheme Supervisor, Ballyhoura Heritage and Environment says:
‘’There are many fantastic amenities to be accessed across the Ballyhoura region from mountain biking trails, to cycle routes, playgrounds and of course walks. Many people know there are walks in the region but don’t know where they actually start from. The app solves that problem and also provides information on the terrain, distance and points of interest of each trail.
"It’s as simple as possible to use and we hope it will encourage people to get out into nature.
"We will be testing the app during our Family Adventure Day on the 21st of July at the trailhead in Ardpatrick for anyone that is interested in coming along and trying it out or just download the app in the store and head out exploring the area yourself.’’
