The Altidore River winds its way east and south through Mount Kennedy Wood, and continues adjacent to the Coillte Headquarters before crossing under the R772 road to continue its course east through Druid's Glen and on into Birdwatch Ireland's East Coast Nature Reserve where it helps feed the restored wetlands/fen. The Altidore River, in a quirk of local traditions, is also known as the Knickity River as it moves east. Good luck finding the official name on a map!
The river walk through Mount Kennedy Wood is split into two distinct trails. The main trail is well surfaced and covers the western bulk of Mount Kennedy Wood between Tooman Road and Church Road. A second shorter trail, often overlooked, is unsurfaced (just stick to the river!) and continues to follow the Altidore east of Church Road where it exits onto the R772 road at the bridge just north of the village of Newtownmountkennedy.
Mount Kennedy Wood, owned by Coillte, is an amenity woodland occupying a narrow valley between two hills. Unlike a typical commercial Sitka spruce forest, the woodland contains species typical of riversides, such as the native alder, willow and ash as well as introduced species such as beech and sycamore, and native under-story species of hazel and holly. More recently, planting of new trees has been undertaken which is especially obvious along the trail.
The woodland contains six different species of fern and horsetail along with an abundance of plants such as rosebay willow herb, purple loosestrife, meadowsweet, lords and ladies, herb Robert, dog violet and shepherd's purse. Jays, blackbirds, blue and grey tits, tree creepers, coal tits, wren, rooks, long-eared owls and sparrow hawks are just a few of the birds that can be seen and heard in the wood. Mammals include bats, pygmy shrew, red squirrel, badger, stoat and foxes. The riverside areas also provide refuge for a variety of butterflies such as red admiral, peacock, tortoiseshell, speckled wood, small green veined, white and orange tip.
Mount Kennedy Wood occupies an area south of Mount Kennedy Demesne, and additional woodland occupies the far bank of the river as part of the Mount Kennedy House private lands. Kennedy refers to George Kennedy who named his estate Mount Kennedy in 1590, and from which Newtownmountkennedy gets its name. The estate covered some 10,000 Irish acres of the surrounding region, including most of the hills surrounding the village. The estate was eventually sold to Lieutenant General Robert Cunningham in 1769, and the existing Mount Kennedy House was built in 1782. The House remains a private residence in excellent condition. The Demesne was also the site of a Norman castle of which the moat remains a visible feature. The Cunninghams rebuilt an altogether different Norman castle and surrounding wall as a garden feature or "folly", known locally as Kiltimon or Dunran Castle, some four miles south which remains standing though not accessible to the public.
The Cache
The cache is a small tab lock container with some room for items/trackables located off the trail where the walk diverges from the river to exit onto Tooman Road. There's a small unmarked trail to follow at the divergence of the trail from the river that continues to track the river for a short distance, and which will lead close to the cache location. If you're not walking in from the village direction, the Tooman Road exit's proximity obviously makes it an easy park and grab. I won't tell anyone if you skip the full 4km walk ;).
Tokens have been left for first, second and third to find. Please return the cache to its original condition when done.
Parking is available either at the west end of the Mount Kennedy Wood trail (on Tooman Road), at the east end of the main trail (side road off Church Street), or in the village from which it's a short walk to either the main trail off Church Street, or to the full walk's trail head at the R772 bridge.