Photo: Mike Searle · CC BY-SA 2.0Clara borders Clara Bog SAC
6.4% of the land within 5 km is protected for nature, the nearest site being Clara Bog SAC. 3 km of footpaths run through the town and the kilometre around it, 0.2 for every square kilometre. 2 waymarked trails start within 5 km of Clara, among them the Clara Esker Ballinough Doorey Loop and Clara Esker Forest Loop Walk.
What kind of outdoors town is Clara?
Read from the data: what stands out first, good and bad.
Clara’s strongest suit is protected land close by. Where it falls short is footpaths.
How Clara 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.
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.
Clara has the fewest footpaths per km² of 40 towns its size
The 40 Irish towns nearest in population (2,917 to 3,926 residents), by km of footpath per km². Hover for each one’s protected land and woods; click for its page.
From Shandon (7.3 km per km²) to Clara (0.2 km per km²).
Against towns its size, Clara stands out most for park space per resident: only 12 of the other 39 have more. It falls furthest behind on path per km², where 39 of the others do better.
Every town in the comparison
| Town | Paths (km/km²) | Woodland | Protected | The sea | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shandon Cork | 7.3 | 1.9% | 0.9% | – |
| 2 | Ballyfermot Dublin | 6.8 | 8.7% | 0% | – |
| 3 | Cork City Centre Cork | 6.7 | 1.5% | 1.8% | – |
| 4 | Blackpool Cork | 6.6 | 3% | 1.4% | – |
| 5 | Farranree Cork | 6 | 3% | 0.5% | – |
| 6 | Shanakiel Cork | 5.3 | 5.7% | 0.1% | – |
| 7 | Taylor's Hill Galway | 5.1 | 1.2% | 15% | 37% |
| 8 | Togher Cork | 5 | 1.5% | 0.5% | – |
| 9 | Limerick City Centre Limerick | 3.5 | 1% | 11% | – |
| 10 | Ballynanty Limerick | 2.5 | 5.7% | 12% | – |
| 11 | Rahoon Galway | 2.3 | 2.3% | 27% | 20% |
| 12 | Annacotty Limerick | 2 | 2% | 6.2% | – |
| 13 | Ballinacurra Limerick | 1.8 | 1.4% | 11% | – |
| 14 | Westbury Clare | 1.7 | 3.3% | 9.6% | – |
| 15 | Crosshaven Cork | 1.2 | 8.9% | 0.4% | 44% |
| 16 | Rathnew Wicklow | 1.2 | 1.3% | 3.9% | 17% |
| 17 | Cleaboy Waterford | 1.2 | 0% | 5.8% | – |
| 18 | Virginia Cavan | 1.1 | 18% | 0.2% | – |
| 19 | Enfield Meath | 1.1 | 3.9% | 0% | – |
| 20 | Bantry Cork | 1 | 4.4% | 0% | 18% |
| 21 | Cahir Tipperary | 1 | 7.5% | 3.4% | – |
| 22 | Castleblayney Monaghan | 1 | 3.8% | 0% | – |
| 23 | Ballina Tipperary | 0.9 | 1.8% | 4.7% | – |
| 24 | Riverstown Cork | 0.8 | 14% | 2.9% | – |
| 25 | Kilcullen Kildare | 0.8 | 5.3% | 0% | – |
| 26 | Kill Kildare | 0.8 | 2.1% | 0% | – |
| 27 | Moate Westmeath | 0.7 | 2.4% | 2.4% | – |
| 28 | Tower Cork | 0.7 | 13% | 0% | – |
| 29 | Kingscourt Cavan | 0.7 | 12% | 0% | – |
| 30 | Newtownmountkennedy Wicklow | 0.6 | 12% | 4.9% | 6.2% |
| 31 | Muinebeag (Bagenalstown) Carlow | 0.5 | 3.9% | 2.9% | – |
| 32 | Rathangan Kildare | 0.5 | 4.5% | 0% | – |
| 33 | Claremorris Mayo | 0.4 | 7.1% | 0% | – |
| 34 | Mitchelstown Cork | 0.3 | 0% | 0% | – |
| 35 | Kinnegad Westmeath | 0.3 | 4.5% | 4.5% | – |
| 36 | Bailieborough Cavan | 0.3 | 10% | 0% | – |
| 37 | Stamullen Meath | 0.3 | 1.7% | 0.5% | 12% |
| 38 | Ballinrobe Mayo | 0.3 | 0.5% | 11% | – |
| 39 | Ballyjamesduff Cavan | 0.2 | 7.6% | 0% | – |
| 40 | Clara Offaly | 0.2 | 6.1% | 6.4% | – |
Parks, woods, footpaths & countryside
Tap a layer to hide it. The dashed line is Clara’s urban area.
8 in 10 Clara 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).
About 800 people live further than that. Playing fields count, so a park within reach isn’t always one with paths or trees.
The protected site within 5 km of Clara
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.
One protected site lies within 5 km of Clara. Proposed Natural Heritage Areas cover 8.7% of the land within 5 km as well; many have been proposed since 1995 and aren’t counted here. Ireland’s National Parks have a block of their own on this page; much of their land also lies inside these sites.
Protected 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.
Wicklow Mountains National Park is 75 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.
Wicklow Mountains National Park
Burren National Park
2 of Ireland’s six National Parks are within 100 km of Clara.
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).
3 km of footpaths cross Clara
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+.
Km per km², town and 1 km around · mapped on OpenStreetMap
Share of the land · mapped woods and forest
Clara has less footpath per km² than 99% of Irish towns and more woodland than 81% of Irish towns.
Footpaths and woods: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Woods are mapped cover, private and Coillte forests included.
2 waymarked trails start near Clara
3 km of footpaths are mapped in Clara and the kilometre around it, 0.2 km for every square kilometre (the typical Irish town has 2.1).
For a shorter walk, the Clara Esker Ballinough Doorey Loop is 5.4 km, graded easy. One cycling or paddling trail also starts within 5 km.
One more waymarked walk on OpenStreetMap
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.
The best walking months in Clara: 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) | 8.0 | 9.7 | 11.7 | 13.9 | 15.8 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 14.8 | 12.6 | 10.4 | 8.5 | 7.5 |
| High (°C) | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 8 |
| Rain (mm) | 86 | 70 | 65 | 59 | 60 | 73 | 79 | 80 | 70 | 92 | 90 | 92 |
April is the driest month (59 mm) and July the warmest (highs of 20 °C). Winter days are short, about 7.5 hours of daylight in December, and 92 mm of rain falls in October, the wettest month. The climate in Clara →
1 hill or peak and 1 playground
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
Hills and peaks 1
Playgrounds 1
Plus 1 playground without a name on the map.
Source: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extract, October 2026. Unnamed places are counted, not listed.
Next to Clara
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 20 km, coloured by the share of the land within 5 km protected for nature.
In Moate, 85% of residents live within a 5-minute walk of a park, more than here. Tullamore has at least twice Clara’s green space per resident.
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 Clara
Is there protected countryside near Clara?
Yes: 6.4% of the land within 5 km is protected, in one site. Clara Bog SAC reaches Clara.
What are the best walks near Clara?
2 waymarked trails start within 5 km, including the Clara Esker Ballinough Doorey Loop and Clara Esker Forest Loop Walk.
How many people in Clara live near a park?
78% 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 Clara?
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 Clara near a National Park?
The nearest of Ireland’s six National Parks is Wicklow Mountains National Park, 75 km east of the town’s edge; it covers about 223 km². One more is within 100 km.
What is there to do outdoors around Clara?
Within 2 km, OpenStreetMap maps 1 hill or peak; the named ones are listed under Things to do, with directions.
Where Clara’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).