Portumna: Gardens, Forest and Lough Derg

Portumna brings together a range of reasons to plan a trip: the parkland of Portumna Castle lies on the shores of Lough Derg and the River Shannon. Portumna Forest Park offers walking and cycling trails, as well as the chance to see the forest’s wildlife. There is also a self-guided tour of historic streetscapes and buildings with distinctive architecture. You can decide whether water activities, nature experiences or culture will shape your stay.

Water, Castle Gardens and Blueway

Portumna is the northern gateway town to the Lough Derg Blueway North. Water sports and other activities on the water and on land are available in the surrounding area. If you would like to include these experiences in your trip, the town’s connection to the Blueway is a useful consideration when choosing where to stay. The castle gardens offer a very different attraction: the formal gardens of Portumna Castle include a geometrically laid-out walled kitchen garden.

Vegetables and herbs grow in the kitchen garden, which also features flowers and fruit trees. This combination gives the garden its distinctive character and sets it apart from a kitchen garden dedicated solely to growing produce. If you like to consider different themes when planning a trip, Portumna offers both a connection to water activities and a landscaped garden area. Which of these interests matters most to you may be a useful question to consider when choosing your holiday rental.

Forest, Wildlife and Trails

Portumna Forest Park combines wildlife watching with a range of ways to get outdoors and be active. Red squirrels are commonly seen there, and the park is also home to a large population of fallow deer. Foxes and badgers can also be found. The range of wildlife makes the forest an interesting place for shared discoveries, though sightings cannot be planned every time.

There are four trails of varying lengths in the park, including one that meets the multi-access standard. One option is the Rinmaher Walking Trail: this 12.4 km circular route is of moderate difficulty and includes sections along the lakeshore. If you plan to include a walk in your trip, the distance and difficulty can help you decide whether this route suits your preferences. The lakeshore sections are a distinctive feature of this trail; they do not necessarily apply to every route in the park.

There is also a choice of cycling routes in Portumna Forest Park: two mountain bike trails are graded easy and run through the forest and along the lakeshores. The inner family cycling loop is a separate route. It is 1.5 km long and has a paved surface. Its length, surface and route type give you concrete details to consider if you would like to include cycling in your stay. The information about the family cycling loop should not be confused with the two mountain bike trails.

Historic Buildings and Streetscapes

The Portumna Heritage Trail is a self-guided tour of Portumna’s historic buildings and streetscapes. An illustrated map describes the route and its notable stops. The tour offers a way to discover Portumna through its historic buildings and townscape, with the map indicating the route and the featured stops.

Another architectural feature is Portumna Dominican Friary. The complex includes a church with a nave, chancel and transepts, as well as a cloister and domestic buildings. These different elements give a concrete impression of the varied layout of the complex. Just outside Portumna is the Irish Workhouse Centre. It presents the interior of a real workhouse, largely unchanged since the 1850s, and a museum with artefacts from the everyday lives of its residents.

For more ideas for places to visit, you can also explore Tully Cross, Corrandulla, Kylemore, Inisheer, Barna, Inishmore, Lettermore and Carraroe.

For the broader travel overview: Galway.