First pick
Castle Lake Forest
Wood or forest · 230 m outside town
164 ha7.8 km of path
1 h 45 minto walk all 7.8 km of path
2.1 km north-westfrom the centre
Peace Forest TrailRebel HillCastle Way+3 paths
Directionsto a point inside
Photo: Eric Jones · CC BY-SA 2.055%near a park
Outdoors in Bailieborough · parks, paths & countryside
Woods cover more of Bailieborough than of 9 in 10 Irish towns
6 waymarked trails start within 5 km of Bailieborough, among them the Bailieborough Castle Lake Loop (PJ's Way) and Bracklin Loop Trail. A park or playing field is within a 5-minute walk for 55% of residents. Footpaths add up to 6 km in the town and the kilometre around it, 0.3 for every square kilometre.
Near a park
55%
of residents within 400 m
Typical Irish town: 92%
Green space
1.9 ha
per 1,000 residents
Typical Irish town: 4.1 ha
Footpaths
6 km
0.3 km per km², town + 1 km
Typical Irish town: 2.1 km per km²
Woodland
10%
of the town and 1 km around it
Typical Irish town: 2.7%
Character
What kind of outdoors town is Bailieborough?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Wooded country10% mapped woodland in and around town, more than 94% of Irish towns.Hills close by5 named hills of 200 m or more within 2 km; the highest, Corraghy, is 241 m.Few mapped footpaths0.3 km of path per km²; the typical Irish town has 2.1.
Bailieborough’s strongest suit is its woods, followed by the hills close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
Against other towns
How Bailieborough 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 walk55%of residents within 400 m (a 5-minute walk)
6out of 100
Public green space1.9 haper 1,000 residents: parks, gardens, playing fields, play spaces
21out of 100
Footpaths0.3 kmper km², the town and 1 km around it
7out of 100
Protected for nature0%of the land within 5 km
11out of 100
Woodland10%of the town and 1 km around it, as mapped
94out 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
Bailieborough has the 11th fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (2,611 to 3,403 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
Bailieborough0.3
Towns its size0.7
Co. Cavan towns0.6
Typical Irish town2.1
Green space, ha per 1,000 residents
Bailieborough1.9
Towns its size3.6
Co. Cavan towns2.2
Typical Irish town4.1
Residents within 400 m of a park
Bailieborough55%
Towns its size80%
Co. Cavan towns80%
Typical Irish town92%
Bailieborough falls furthest behind on path per km², where 29 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 | Edenmore Dublin | 2.8 | 3.6% | 5.9% | 24% |
| 10 | Ballynanty Limerick | 2.5 | 5.7% | 12% | – |
| 11 | Claddagh Galway | 2.4 | 0.2% | 17% | 46% |
| 12 | Murrough Galway | 2.3 | 5.1% | 10% | 26% |
| 13 | Annacotty Limerick | 2 | 2% | 6.2% | – |
| 14 | Blarney Cork | 1.4 | 14% | 0% | – |
| 15 | Kilbarry Waterford | 1.3 | 1.6% | 5.1% | – |
| 16 | Crosshaven Cork | 1.2 | 8.9% | 0.4% | 44% |
| 17 | Virginia Cavan | 1.1 | 18% | 0.2% | – |
| 18 | Bantry Cork | 1 | 4.4% | 0% | 18% |
| 19 | Ballina Tipperary | 0.9 | 1.8% | 4.7% | – |
| 20 | Moate Westmeath | 0.7 | 2.4% | 2.4% | – |
| 21 | Callan Kilkenny | 0.7 | 0.1% | 2.3% | – |
| 22 | Tower Cork | 0.7 | 13% | 0% | – |
| 23 | Kingscourt Cavan | 0.7 | 12% | 0% | – |
| 24 | Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Carlow | 0.5 | 3.9% | 2.9% | – |
| 25 | Skibbereen Cork | 0.5 | 1.7% | 1.6% | – |
| 26 | Rathangan Kildare | 0.5 | 4.5% | 0% | – |
| 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 | Kanturk Cork | 0.3 | 0% | 5.1% | – |
| 32 | Ballinrobe Mayo | 0.3 | 0.5% | 11% | – |
| 33 | Baltinglass Wicklow | 0.2 | 4.9% | 0.5% | – |
| 34 | Ballyhaunis Mayo | 0.2 | 2.8% | 3.4% | – |
| 35 | Kilrush Clare | 0.2 | 9.8% | 37% | – |
| 36 | Ballyjamesduff Cavan | 0.2 | 7.6% | 0% | – |
| 37 | Clara Offaly | 0.2 | 6.1% | 6.4% | – |
| 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 Bailieborough’s 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 Bailieborough
The biggest is Castle Lake Forest, 164 ha (405 acres).
Lake View
Park or garden
3.7 ha0.6 km of path
10 minto walk all 0.6 km of path
Centralin the middle of Bailieborough
Directionsto a point inside
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
5 in 10 Bailieborough 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 (55%)Further (45%)
Bailieborough55%
Co. Cavan towns80%
Typical Irish town92%
About 1,300 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
Protected areas
No protected site lies within 5 km of Bailieborough
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.
No site protected for nature lies within 5 km of Bailieborough.
National Parks
Wicklow Mountains National Park is 82 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
82 km south-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
6 km of footpaths cross Bailieborough
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
6.3 km
over 20.1 km² of town and the 1 km around it
Woodland
10%
about 2.1 km² of mapped woods
Registered trails
6
walking trails within 5 km
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
BailieboroughCo. Cavan townsTypical Irish town
Footpaths0.3
01.53 km per km²
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
BailieboroughCo. Cavan townsTypical Irish town
Woodland10%
0%50%100%
Bailieborough has less footpath per km² than 93% of Irish towns and more woodland than 94% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
Footpaths & trails
6 waymarked trails start near Bailieborough
6 km of footpaths are mapped in Bailieborough and the kilometre around it, 0.3 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
Walking trail
Bailieborough Castle Lake Loop (PJ's Way)3.7 km
Bracklin Loop Trail6.0 km
Adrian's Way Loop Trail4.5 km
Moyar Loop Trail5.0 km
Adrian's Way Linear Trail4.0 km
Cornasaus Trail Loop2.3 km
For a shorter walk, the Bracklin Loop Trail is 6.0 km, graded moderate. One cycling or paddling trail also starts within 5 km.
Trails: Sport Ireland National Trails Register (CC BY 4.0), registered trails within 5 km; footpaths: OpenStreetMap (ODbL). 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 Bailieborough: 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) | 7.9 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.9 | 17.1 | 16.6 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| High (°C) | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 108 | 92 | 85 | 77 | 74 | 82 | 95 | 102 | 87 | 117 | 117 | 121 |
May is the driest month (74 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 19 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.4 hours of daylight in December, and 121 mm of rain falls in December, the wettest month. The climate in Bailieborough →
Things to do
16 hills and peaks and 3 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.
The highest named top on the map is Rakeevan, at 217 m, in town.
Every named place, with directions
Hills and peaks 16
Rakeevan217 m · in town
DirectionsLeitrim183 m · 0.2 km from town
DirectionsUrcher201 m · 0.2 km from town
DirectionsLisanalsk180 m · 0.4 km from town
DirectionsPottle Lower239 m · 0.6 km from town
DirectionsBlackhills Lower176 m · 0.9 km from town
DirectionsGreaghnadarragh196 m · 1.0 km from town
DirectionsSpear Vale172 m · 1.0 km from town
DirectionsPlus 8 hills and peaks more.
Picnic sites 2
Plus 2 picnic sites without a name on the map.
Playgrounds 3
Plus 3 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next door
Next to Bailieborough
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
KingscourtVirginiaMullaghBallyjamesduffCarrickmacrossCootehillBailieborough
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bailieborough | 55% | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0% |
| Kingscourt 11 km | 65% | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0% |
| Virginia 11 km | 80% | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.2% |
| Mullagh 11 km | 78% | 4.7 | 0.4 | 1.7% |
| Ballyjamesduff 16 km | 91% | 2.6 | 0.2 | 0% |
| Carrickmacross 18 km | 64% | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0% |
| Cootehill 19 km | 100% | 3.4 | 0.4 | 0% |
In Cootehill, 100% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park, more than here. Mullagh has at least twice Bailieborough’s green space per resident.
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 Bailieborough
What is the biggest park in Bailieborough?
Lake View, 3.7 ha (9 acres). 1 named park, garden or playing field is in the town or within 400 m of it.
What are the best walks near Bailieborough?
6 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Bailieborough Castle Lake Loop (PJ's Way), Bracklin Loop Trail and Adrian's Way Loop Trail.
How many people in Bailieborough live near a park?
55% 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 Bailieborough?
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 Bailieborough near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wicklow Mountains National Park, 82 km south-east of the town’s edge; it covers about 223 km².
What is there to do outdoors around Bailieborough?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 16 hills and peaks and 2 picnic sites; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Sources
Where Bailieborough’s 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
- Things to do. OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL): viewpoints, hills, waterfalls, nature reserves, picnic sites, playgrounds, campsites and waymarked walks, Geofabrik extract, October 2026
- 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).