First pick
New Wood
Wood or forest · 390 m outside town
31 ha
1.0 km south-westfrom the centre
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.057%near a park
Outdoors in Borris · parks, paths & countryside
Borris is on the South Leinster Way
4 waymarked trails start within 5 km of Borris, among them the South Leinster Way and Barrow Way. 3 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 0.3 for every square kilometre. 57% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park or playing field.
Near a park
57%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
2.1 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
3 km
0.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Protected for nature
4.3%
of the land within 5 km
Nearest: River Barrow and River Nore SAC
Woodland
9.8%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Borris?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
On a long-distance trailThe South Leinster Way passes through.Protected land nearbyRiver Barrow and River Nore SAC reaches the edge of Borris.Few mapped footpaths0.3 km of path per km²; the typical Irish town has 2.1.
Borris’ strongest suit is the South Leinster Way, followed by protected land close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Against other towns
How Borris compares with Irish towns
Each figure against Ireland’s 321 towns and city neighbourhoods of 2,500+ (city hubs left out): the marked bar is the town’s, the line the median. Ireland has no Outdoors Grade yet: the figures are described, each against other Irish towns, and none of them counts towards the overall grade.
A park within a walk57%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
7out of 100
Public green space2.1 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
25out of 100
Footpaths0.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
5out of 100
Protected for nature4.3%of the land within 5 km
69out of 100
Woodland9.8%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
93out of 100
Parks, paths and woods: OpenStreetMap; residents: CSO Census 2022 Small Areas; protected sites: NPWS; sea: CSO and ONS land outlines. A 0 means nothing is mapped.
Towns its size
Borris has the 8th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (702 to 3,141 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Ballybrack (8.6 km per km²) to Sixmilebridge (0 km per km²).
Footpath, km per km²
Borris0.3
Towns its size0.7
Co. Carlow towns0.5
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Borris2.1
Towns its size3.8
Co. Carlow towns1.9
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Borris57%
Towns its size83%
Co. Carlow towns72%
Typical Irish town92%
Borris falls furthest behind on path per km², where 32 of the 39 others do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ballybrack Dublin | 8.6 | 8% | 0.2% | 36% |
| 2 | Sunday's Well Cork | 7.3 | 2.7% | 0.4% | – |
| 3 | Blackpool Cork | 6.6 | 3% | 1.4% | – |
| 4 | Carna Dublin | 5.4 | 1.7% | 0% | – |
| 5 | Taylor's Hill Galway | 5.1 | 1.2% | 15% | 37% |
| 6 | Togher Cork | 5 | 1.5% | 0.5% | – |
| 7 | Decies Dublin | 4.8 | 7.2% | 0% | – |
| 8 | Mayfield Cork | 4.7 | 5.3% | 3.3% | – |
| 9 | Kylemore Dublin | 4 | 3% | 0% | – |
| 10 | Edenmore Dublin | 2.8 | 3.6% | 5.9% | 24% |
| 11 | Ballynanty Limerick | 2.5 | 5.7% | 12% | – |
| 12 | Claddagh Galway | 2.4 | 0.2% | 17% | 46% |
| 13 | Murrough Galway | 2.3 | 5.1% | 10% | 26% |
| 14 | Grange Upper Waterford | 1.4 | 1.5% | 6.6% | – |
| 15 | Blarney Cork | 1.4 | 14% | 0% | – |
| 16 | Kilbarry Waterford | 1.3 | 1.6% | 5.1% | – |
| 17 | Bantry Cork | 1 | 4.4% | 0% | 18% |
| 18 | Ballina Tipperary | 0.9 | 1.8% | 4.7% | – |
| 19 | Moate Westmeath | 0.7 | 2.4% | 2.4% | – |
| 20 | Callan Kilkenny | 0.7 | 0.1% | 2.3% | – |
| 21 | Kingscourt Cavan | 0.7 | 12% | 0% | – |
| 22 | Kenmare Kerry | 0.6 | 7.2% | 6.5% | 6.4% |
| 23 | Athboy Meath | 0.6 | 1.1% | 1.5% | – |
| 24 | Bundoran Donegal | 0.5 | 2% | 5.1% | 35% |
| 25 | Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Carlow | 0.5 | 3.9% | 2.9% | – |
| 26 | Skibbereen Cork | 0.5 | 1.7% | 1.6% | – |
| 27 | Kinnegad Westmeath | 0.3 | 4.5% | 4.5% | – |
| 28 | Donegal Donegal | 0.3 | 4% | 4.1% | 12% |
| 29 | Boyle Roscommon | 0.3 | 3.2% | 0% | – |
| 30 | Bailieborough Cavan | 0.3 | 10% | 0% | – |
| 31 | Castleisland Kerry | 0.3 | 1.7% | 12% | – |
| 32 | Kanturk Cork | 0.3 | 0% | 5.1% | – |
| 33 | Borris Carlow | 0.3 | 9.8% | 4.3% | – |
| 34 | Baltinglass Wicklow | 0.2 | 4.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 35 | Ballyhaunis Mayo | 0.2 | 2.8% | 3.4% | – |
| 36 | Kilrush Clare | 0.2 | 9.8% | 37% | – |
| 37 | Ballyjamesduff Cavan | 0.2 | 7.6% | 0% | – |
| 38 | Gort Galway | 0.2 | 4.3% | 24% | – |
| 39 | Carndonagh Donegal | 0.1 | 4.9% | 5.1% | 5.8% |
| 40 | Sixmilebridge Clare | 0 | 0.7% | 2% | – |
The map
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Borris’ urban area.
Green: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces and woods, named or not.© OpenStreetMap contributors · NPWS · Sport Ireland · CSO
Places to walk
Parks to walk in, in and around Borris
The biggest is New Wood, 31 ha (76 acres).
Named parks, gardens, commons and woods in the town or within 400 m of it, from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL); pieces of one name that touch are one place. Sizes are the whole site; directions go to a point inside.
Close to home
6 in 10 Borris residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park
Each square is 1 in 100 residents: green lives within 400 m of a public park, garden or playing field (CSO Census 2022 Small Areas against OpenStreetMap).
Within 400 m (57%)Further (43%)
Borris57%
Co. Carlow towns72%
Typical Irish town92%
About 300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
4.3% of the land around Borris is protected for nature
Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Natural Heritage Areas designated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service, within 5 km of the town’s edge.
Inside Borris2.4%
Within 5 km4.3%
Co. Carlow towns2%
Typical Irish town1.8%
One protected site lies within 5 km of Borris. Ireland’s National Parks have a block of their own on this page; much of their land also lies inside these sites.
River Barrow and River Nore SACSpecial Area of Conservation · 124 km² · reaches Borris
NPWS pageProtected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service designated site boundaries (CC BY 4.0), 2026; land within 5 km from CSO Small Areas and, over the border, ONS. Overlapping sites are counted once.
National Parks
Wicklow Mountains National Park is 49 km away
Ireland’s National Parks within 100 km, and the nearest always, by direction and distance from the town’s edge; circle size shows each park’s area.
National ParkThe 5 km around the town
National Park
Wicklow Mountains National Park
49 km north-east223 km²
National Park boundaries: National Parks and Wildlife Service, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0, © Government of Ireland), 2022. Distances from the town’s outline (CSO Small Areas).
Footpaths and woods
3 km of footpaths cross Borris
Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, and mapped woods and forest, in the town and 1 km around it, each beside the county’s and Ireland’s typical town of 2,500+.
Footpaths
3.1 km
over 11 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
9.8%
about 1.1 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
4
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BorrisCo. Carlow townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0.3
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BorrisCo. Carlow townsTypical Irish town
Woodland9.8%
0%50%100%
Borris has less footpath per km² than 95% of Irish towns and more woodland than 93% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
4 waymarked trails start near Borris
3 km of footpaths are mapped in Borris and the kilometre around it, 0.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Long-distance wayWalking trail
South Leinster Way103.6 km
Barrow Way116.9 km
Clashganny Viewing Point Loop5.5 km
Clashganny Lock Loop3.6 km
The South Leinster Way (104 km end to end) passes through Borris. For a shorter walk, the Clashganny Viewing Point Loop is 5.5 km, graded easy. 2 cycling or paddling trails also start within 5 km.
2 more waymarked walks on OpenStreetMap
National
European long distance path E8 - part Ireland9.9 km
The Barrow Way4.9 km
Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0), registered trails within 5 km; footpaths: OpenStreetMap (ODbL). More waymarked walks: OpenStreetMap route relations (ODbL) within 2 km, those already on the register left out. Coillte’s own forest trails and recreation sites aren’t included: Coillte’s terms limit its data to research or private study. Its trails on the National Trails Register are listed.
When to get out
The best walking months in Borris: May to September
Met Éireann’s 1991–2020 averages for the town’s 1 km square and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 15 to 30 °C and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.1 | 9.8 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.7 | 16.8 | 16.4 | 14.7 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 8.6 | 7.7 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 14 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 91 | 67 | 64 | 62 | 59 | 66 | 66 | 75 | 73 | 101 | 102 | 93 |
May is the driest month (59 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.7 hours of daylight in December, and 102 mm of rain falls in November, the wettest month. The climate in Borris →
Things to do
2 playgrounds
Mapped on OpenStreetMap in the town and 2 km around it; each count per resident beside Irish towns’ typical town of 2,500+. Beaches are on the coast’s list, from the EPA.
Every named place, with directions
Picnic sites 1
Plus 1 picnic site without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 2
Plus 2 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Gardens & nature
A garden or nature site to visit near Borris
Gardens, national parks, nature sites and islands within 15 km of the town’s edge, each with its own page.
Herb Garden at Kilgraney HouseGarden · 5.0 km from town
Its pagePlaces to visit: Fáilte Ireland open data (CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap and Wikidata.
Next door
Next to Borris
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
Graiguenamanagh-TinnahinchMuinebeag (Bagenalstown)ThomastownBorris
Under 1%1–10%10–25%25–50%50%+
| Town | Near a park | Green space, ha per 1,000 | Paths (km/km²) | Protected within 5 km |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borris | 57% | 2.1 | 0.3 | 4.3% |
| Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch 7.1 km | 100% | 2.3 | 0.8 | 4.4% |
| Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) 11 km | 94% | 2.8 | 0.5 | 2.9% |
| Thomastown 16 km | 73% | 4.1 | 0.8 | 4.9% |
In Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch, 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park, more than here.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Green space nearby. The share of residents (CSO Small Areas, by where people live) within 400 m of a park, garden, common or playing field mapped on OpenStreetMap. Mapping is uneven: a town whose parks nobody has mapped looks greyer than it is.
- Protected areas. Land in a Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area or Natural Heritage Area within 5 km, overlaps counted once. Protected for nature doesn’t always mean open to walkers.
- Footpaths and hiking routes. Footways that aren’t pavements, paths, bridleways, steps and tracks open on foot, in the town and 1 km around it, from OpenStreetMap. Trails are the registered ones within 5 km; a trail often follows mapped paths, so the two aren’t added.
- Woodland. Woods and forest as OpenStreetMap maps them, private and Coillte forests included: mapped cover, not access.
- No grade yet. Ireland’s grades don’t include the outdoors yet: these figures describe the town and stand beside the median Irish town.
Questions about the outdoors in Borris
Is there protected countryside near Borris?
Yes: 4.3% of the land within 5 km is protected, in one site. River Barrow and River Nore SAC reaches Borris.
What are the best walks near Borris?
4 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the South Leinster Way, Barrow Way and Clashganny Viewing Point Loop.
How many people in Borris live near a park?
57% of residents live within 400 m, about a 5-minute walk, of a park or playing field; in the typical Irish town it is 92%.
When is the best time of year for walking in Borris?
On the town’s 1991–2020 averages and its daylight: May to September, when days are long, highs reach 15 °C and rain is light for the place.
Is Borris near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wicklow Mountains National Park, 49 km north-east of the town’s edge; it covers about 223 km².
What is there to do outdoors around Borris?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 1 picnic site; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Borris’ outdoors figures come from
- Parks, woods and paths. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): parks, woods and footpaths, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- Protected sites. National Parks and Wildlife Service: designated sites (SAC, SPA, NHA), 2026
- Trails. Sport Ireland: National Trails Register, 2026
- Residents. CSO: Census 2022 Small Areas (residents)
- National Parks. National Parks and Wildlife Service: National Park boundaries, generalised to 50 m (CC BY 4.0), 2022
- Weather. Met Éireann: 1991–2020 averages (Copyright Met Éireann)
Protected sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service (CC BY 4.0). Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0). Bathing water: EPA (CC BY 4.0). Parks, woods and paths: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Not on this page yet: Coillte’s forest trails (its terms) and bike routes.
Contains Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, Census 2022, and Tailte Éireann boundaries (CSO Urban Areas, Small Areas, local electoral areas, constituencies), under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0).