A walk in the woodland wonder of Oak Park

THE other day I visited Oak Park Forest Park by Carlow town for the first time and was very impressed.

This is a relatively new forest park, only opened to the public in 2006, and while most Forest Parks in the country are run by Coillte Oak Park is run by the local authorities, Carlow Town Council and County Council, on land donated by Teagasc that was formerly its agricultural research station.

I was there to lead guided walks as part of the Carlow Floral Festival and to expound on the woodland and its wildlife. But this was a bit like the blind leading the blind because I’d never been there before. So I arrived a few hours early to explore the park in advance.