Overview
The Waterford Greenway is 46 km of old railway line, closed to trains in the late 1970s and reopened as a paved, car-free path in March 2017. It runs southwest from Waterford City to the harbour at Dungarvan, and it is the longest off-road trail in Ireland – the one most people mean when they say they are ‘doing a greenway’. The gradient stays gentle the whole way, a gift from Victorian railway engineers who couldn’t lay steep track, so you will see everyone from toddlers on balance bikes to road cyclists knocking out the full distance in under two hours. Irish Independent readers once voted it the country’s best visitor attraction, and on a dry summer weekend it can feel like half of them turned up at once.
If you only have time for one section, make it Durrow to Dungarvan: a steady downhill run to the coast through the Ballyvoyle tunnel and over two viaducts, ending at the sea. Since June 2023 the trail has also reached right into the city – the Bilberry to City Centre link carries it from Bilberry car park to the Clock Tower on the quays, and it will eventually join a new greenway to New Ross.
Running parallel to the first 10 km is the Waterford & Suir Valley Railway, a community-run heritage narrow-gauge line. From the restored Kilmeaden Station it makes a 40-minute round trip along a stretch of the old track that is otherwise off the greenway.
History and background
The original line opened in 1878, operated by the Great Southern and Western Railway, and carried passengers and freight for nearly a century before closing in the late 1970s. Rather than let the corridor rot, local groups and Waterford County Council turned it into a multi-use path, keeping eleven bridges, three stone viaducts and the brick-lined Ballyvoyle tunnel.
In 2003 a heritage railway society revived a 10 km stretch as the Waterford & Suir Valley Railway. Kilmeaden Station was restored down to its 1878 platform signage, with a converted Mark 2 carriage as the ticket office. It runs today as a charity and social enterprise, staffed by volunteers.
Route highlights
Most people ride the Greenway in sections, picking a start point to suit their time and legs. Travelling west from the city:
Waterford City to Kilmeaden (10.5 km)
The trail leaves the quays and hugs the tidal River Suir, a Special Area of Conservation where otters, kingfishers and herons turn up. You pass the Woodstown site, where excavations uncovered a Viking settlement dating to around 840 – it predates Waterford city itself, and some of its finds are now in the Waterford Museum of Treasures and Reginald’s Tower. Further on, the route skirts the Mount Congreve estate gardens, known for their azaleas and rhododendrons, then the ruins of 17th-century Kilmeaden Castle and the four-bay lime kilns.
Kilmeaden to Kilmacthomas (13.5 km)
Open farmland with the Comeragh Mountains rising ahead. Look for the tall brick chimney of Fairbrook Mill, an 18th-century paper and later woollen mill. The halfway point is the Kilmacthomas Workhouse, built during the Great Famine; the buildings now hold a business centre and Coach House Coffee, a standard cyclists’ refuelling stop. Just past the village, the eight-arch Kilmacthomas Viaduct carries the trail across the valley.
Kilmacthomas to Durrow (12 km)
Native woodland and quiet countryside. You pass the Cloughlowrish Stone, a glacial erratic dropped here around 10,000 years ago – local lore says it will split in two if anyone tells a lie beside it, and it is still in one piece. The path crosses the River Tay on the Durrow Viaduct, then the ivy-covered ruins of Durrow Station and a red-roofed building that was a dancehall in the 1940s and 50s.
Durrow to Dungarvan (10 km)
A gentle downhill to the coast. Stop at O’Mahony’s in Shanacool, family-run since 1860 and once a stop for railway workers. Then comes the Ballyvoyle Tunnel: almost 400 metres of brick-lined 1870s engineering, damaged in the Civil War in 1922 and rebuilt in 1924. Each Halloween the council runs a free ‘Spooky Tunnel’ walk-through here. Beyond it you cross the Ballyvoyle Viaduct before the salt air signals the Copper Coast. The trail finishes at Walton Park in Dungarvan, named after physicist Ernest Walton, with Dungarvan Castle and the harbour a short walk away.
The heritage railway
The Waterford & Suir Valley Railway runs from Kilmeaden Station on a seasonal timetable, 1 April to 30 September, with trains on the hour every hour. It follows 10 km of the old line at a relaxed 15 km/h – a 40-minute round trip past the valley, Mount Congreve across the river and the old lime kilns.
Volunteers show passengers to compartments named after stations on the 1878 line, and children get a treasure-hunt sheet to fill in on the way; a short stretch known locally as Magic Wood adds some folklore. On select Thursday evenings in July and August the Sunset Express runs with prosecco, strawberries, an artisan picnic box from GROW HQ and live acoustic music.
The Whistlestop Café at the station does coffee, homemade cakes and ice cream, indoors and out. Individual tickets are sold on a first-come basis but groups should book; check the railway website for current prices and events such as the Easter Bunny Express and the Spooky Express.
Practical information
Cycling and walking
- Time: allow 2–4 hours to cycle the full 46 km with stops. Walking the whole route takes a full day, but shorter sections suit families.
- Bike hire: available in Waterford City, Kilmacthomas, Durrow and Dungarvan, with hybrids, e-bikes, child seats and trailers. Waterford Greenway Bike Hire at the Workhouse in Kilmacthomas opens daily, year round, from 9am. Most firms run a shuttle to bring riders and bikes back to their start point – book it when you book the bikes, as it saves you doubling the distance.
- Parking: free car parks at Bilberry, WIT West Campus, Killoteran, Kilmeaden Station, the Workhouse and other spots in Kilmacthomas, McGrath’s Cross, Durrow and Clonea Road. Parking at Grattan Quay in the city is paid. The free lots fill quickly on summer weekends.
The greenway code
It is a shared space, with a simple set of rules:
- Walkers and cyclists keep left and pass on the right.
- Cyclists ring their bell before overtaking.
- Slow down and give way at the red chicane gates on level crossings.
- Keep dogs on a short lead, especially near tunnels and viaducts, and clean up after them.
- Take your rubbish home.
Accessibility
The paved surface works for wheelchair users, mobility scooters and pushchairs. The tunnel and viaducts are wide enough to pass through, but you are asked to go slowly and yield to oncoming pedestrians. Gradients are gentle throughout.
Getting here without a car
Bus Éireann route 354 from Waterford City Bus Station to Portlaw stops at the entrance to Kilmeaden Station car park – a handy way to start a ride from the middle of the line.
Nearby attractions
The Greenway sits in the middle of the Déise, with detours worth taking:
- Copper Coast – a UNESCO Global Geopark of headlands, scalloped beaches and 19th-century mining ruins like Tankardstown Engine House.
- Comeragh Mountains – peaks and hidden valleys for longer hikes and mountain biking.
- Dunmore East – a working harbour town with fresh seafood and a cliff walk.
- Bunmahon – a quiet fishing village with a wide strand and a small mining museum.
- Ardmore – Ireland’s oldest church site, a round tower and a coastal cliff walk.
Planning your visit
Summer weekends are busiest, so book bike hire and train tickets ahead. Late spring or early autumn brings milder crowds and good seasonal colour. Pack a waterproof whatever the forecast. Many cyclists split the route into two half-days with an overnight in Kilmacthomas or Dungarvan; if you would rather ride one-way, take the outbound leg into the wind so the trip home is the easy one, and let the bike-hire shuttle carry you back.