Walking.

The area is surrounded by waymarked walks taking in woods,hills,and a maze of rivers. You will find maps and information of the nearest walks in the reception room. The nearest walk is called The leafy loup. This is as long or as short as you want it to be.20 Kilometers of mostly woodland, hills and river banks.If you want to take it easy there are many short cuts available.

woodland Stream

GOLF:
Rathdowney Golf Club
Abbeyleix Golf Club
Mountrath Golf Club
The Heath Golf club
Castlecomer Golf club
The Heritage Golf club
There are lots of 18 hole Golf courses nearby. Such as
Abbeyleix 7 miles. Phone 0502 31450 green fees €15 - €25
Rathdowney 7 miles. Phone 0505 46170 green fees €20 - €25
Castlecomer 12 miles. Phone 056 4441139 green fees €35 - €40
Mountrath 13 miles. Phone 0502 32558 green fees €20 - €20
There are also Golfclubs at Portlaoise,Kilkenny,Roscrea,Thurles and these are only 17 - 20 miles away.

If you need extra practice there are golf ranges in Portlaoise and Kilkenny

Fishing

Durrow is a paradice for people who like to go fishing.The rivers Nore and Erkina with their many tributaries are perfect for the person who wants to fish for trout and salmon.Grantstown lake and the Ballinakill lakes are within 7 miles of Durrow.

Horseriding

Top-class equestrian centres abound in Laois and neighbouring counties. They include
* Castlewood Equestrian Centre, Durrow. Phone 00353 502036527
* Slieve Bloom Trail Equestrian Centre, Borris-in-Ossory. Phone 00353 50541298
* Fossey Mountain Springs,Timahoe. Phone 00353 50236527
* Portlaoise Equestrian Centre, Portlaoise. Phone 00353 50227162

Shopping

As Acorn Lodge is situated just off the Dublin Cork road close to the Kilkenny/Laois county border and close to the Tipperary county border it is perfectly located for shopping.locally for provisions, as there are many local grocery shops & victuallers in Durrow and the immediate area.There is also a Pharmacy, Bank, Post office,Hairdressers, Offlicence, Garden Centres, Hardware, and a great Antiques shop right here in Durrow.
For the more adventurous shoppers the following large towns are only approximately 17 miles away.
KILKENNY CITY, PORTLAOISE, ROSCREA, THURLES.

The following villages are within 10 miles.

Cullohill 2 miles
Durrow 2 "
Ballacolla 4 "
Ballyragget 6 "
Ballinakill 7 "
Abbeyleix 7 "
Rathdowney 7 " The home of Rathdowner Shopping Outlet
Johnstown 8 "
Urlingford 10 "

Dublin only one and a half hours driving if traffic is not too heavy.

Mountain Lake near Cahir,Co Tipperary.

Acorn Lodge is an ideal touring base as it is situated on the border of three tourist regions.
* East Coast & Midlands Tourism 00353 44 48761
* Shannon Region
* South East Region

Gardens

Gash Gardens on the banks of the river Nore in Castletown (Ireland's Tidiest Village)is just one of the many beautiful gardens which you can visit in County Laois and the surrounding areas.

Museums

Irish Fly Fishing and Shooting Museum near Durrow.

The Attanagh Shooting and Fly Fishing Museum is the only museum of it's kind in Ireland and even in the EU.
A truly remarkable collection of records and artefacts.The collection will be of enormous interest to anyone who is interested in shooting, hunting or fishing.

Phone:00353 502 36112

Mountains

Short driving distance from many mountain ranges.The Slieve Bloom Mountains are the nearest about 10 miles away.

Mountain Stream in the near by Slieve Bloom Mountains

Historic Buildings

Kilkenny Castle a beautifully restored 12th century castle and National heritage site. Viewing is by guided tour.