The Ultimate Kilmacthomas Guide: Greenway, Food, Hikes and Day Trips

TLDR

• Kilmacthomas sits dead centre on the Waterford Greenway, with a great hub at the old Workhouse (Coach House Coffee, bike hire, parking).
• You can cycle east to Waterford (23km) or west to Dungarvan (23km) along a flat, traffic-free trail.
• For food, hit Coach House for coffee and lunch, Ní Bhrian for a dinner booking, or Rocketts for a pint.
• The Comeragh Mountains are 10km away by car: Mahon Falls is the standout walk, with an 80m waterfall at the end of a short trail.
• Day trips to Tramore, Dunmore East, and the Copper Coast beaches are all under 30 minutes by car.

Kilmacthomas is one of those places people often cycle through without stopping for long. Fair enough, when you’re on the Greenway you’ve a destination in mind. But if you give the village a bit more of your time you’ll find more than a handy spot to park. You have a real food scene, a trad pub that feels like a sitting room, the kind of old railway history that makes the Greenway what it is, and the Comeragh Mountains a ten-minute drive away if you want a proper hill walk. Honestly, you could base yourself here for a weekend and not run out of things to do.

Getting Here

Kilmacthomas is on the N25, the main road between Waterford City and Dungarvan. It’s roughly 23km from both, so call it a 25-minute spin in either direction. If you’re coming from Cork, you’ll pass Youghal, turn off at the Dungarvan roundabout, and follow the N25 east for another 20 minutes or so.

Parking is straightforward and there are three spots worth knowing. The main Greenway car park is at the Workhouse hub beside Coach House Coffee — free, and usually the busiest. On Main Street there is a car park next to the old mill that connects directly to the Greenway, handy if the hub is full. There is also a decent-sized car park beside the Rainbow Hall and playground, a short walk from the trail. Between the three, you will almost always find a space even on busy summer weekends.

Bus Éireann runs a Cork to Waterford service that stops in Kilmacthomas a few times a day. It is not frequent, but if you are happy to plan around the timetable you can get here without a car. Check the Bus Éireann website for current times.

The Greenway Hub: The Old Workhouse

Everything in Kilmacthomas revolves around the old Famine Workhouse, and for good reason. The building itself is a piece of Waterford history. It dates from the mid-1800s, a limestone block of a place that once housed up to 600 people during the harshest years. Today it’s been reimagined as the beating heart of the village, and it works brilliantly.

The Greenway runs right through the old railway platform. You can still see the station name board and the original trackside feel of the Waterford-to-Dungarvan line that closed in 1987. It’s a lovely touch. The workhouse courtyard is now the courtyard of Coach House Coffee, which has become a destination in its own right. They do breakfast, lunch, toasties, fresh pastries, and some of the best coffee for miles. Inside it’s all flagged floors, high ceilings, and old sash windows. Outside there are picnic benches on the old platform, perfect for watching bikes roll by.

Right next to Coach House is a separate bike hire operation that covers all the rental and repairs. If you arrive without wheels, you can hire everything from a standard hybrid to an e-bike, and they also have a one-way option: cycle the 23km to Dungarvan, and they will bus you back to Kilmacthomas so you do not have to pedal the return leg.

Which Way Should You Cycle?

The Greenway is 46km of completely off-road, tarmac surface. Kilmacthomas sits at the midpoint, so you’ve two brilliant options.

East to Waterford City (23km): You’ll cross the old Kilmacthomas Viaduct (the view over the river is class), then roll through open farmland and riverbank, passing Kilmeaden village and Mount Congreve Gardens before finishing at Bilberry on the edge of the city centre, 23km from the hub. It’s a gentle, mostly downhill run once you leave the village.

West to Dungarvan (23km): This direction opens up to the coast. Shortly after you leave the village you’ll hit the Ballyvoyle tunnel, the long dark one with the lighting. Then it’s along the clifftops above Clonea Strand, with the full sweep of Dungarvan Bay ahead of you. You’ll finish at the Dungarvan Causeway, and if you time it right, you can get fish and chips from The Kingfisher before a pint in town.

Both sections are family-friendly, buggy-friendly, and dead flat. If you only have a couple of hours, do the 10km to Durrow and back, or spin west to the tunnel and return. It’s hard to go wrong.

Eating and Drinking

Kilmacthomas has more going on food-wise than a village of its size might suggest. You can eat well all day if you plan it right.

Coach House Coffee

Already covered above, but I’ll say it again. They open early and stay open through lunch. Their scones with homemade jam are dangerous. Book a table on a Sunday if you want a proper sit-down breakfast after a morning cycle.

Ní Bhrian

If you’re after a proper meal, this is your spot. It’s on Main Street and only opens for dinner, a few evenings a week — check their socials for current days before you go. The menu changes with the seasons, but you can expect things like slow-cooked lamb shank, pan-fried hake, or a black pudding and apple starter that’ll ruin you for all other black puddings. The room is small and cosy, all wooden tables and candlelight. Booking is essential, and they don’t do walk-ins.

Rocketts Bar

A proper country pub, the kind you walk into and immediately feel like you’ve been going there for 20 years. Dark wood, a snug, a flagstone floor, and a lovely creamy pint of Guinness. They don’t do food, but sure you don’t need it. After a long day on the bike or in the hills, a quiet stool in Rocketts is hard to beat.

Eamo & Rò

A seasonal cafe and larder on Main Street, Eamo & Rò is the kind of place you’d drop into for a long lazy lunch. Their menu is small, local, and full of flavour. Think roast vegetable and goat’s cheese tart, hearty soups, and a flourless chocolate cake that you’ll want to take home. They also sell a selection of preserves, chutneys, and granolas to take away. It keeps limited hours, usually Thursday to Sunday during the warmer months, so check their socials before you head over.

Walks and Nature

The Greenway is one kind of outdoor fix, but if you want to stretch your legs away from tarmac, you’ve a few serious options.

Mahon Falls

This is the headline walk, and for good reason. The falls are in the Comeragh Mountains, about a 10km drive from the village. Take the road signposted for Mahon Bridge, then follow the narrow road up into the glacial valley. The car park is small and free, but it fills up on sunny weekends so get there early or late in the day.

The walk itself is a wide, gravelly path that rises gently for about 1.5km until you’re standing at the base of the 80-metre waterfall. After heavy rain it thunders down the rock face in a way that makes you forget you’re only a short drive from the main road. The ground can be boggy off the path, so boots are a good idea. It’s not a long walk, maybe 45 minutes return, but you’ll want to linger, especially on a clear day when the view opens up right across to the sea. Sheep graze freely, so keep dogs on a lead. This isn’t a pram-friendly track if it’s wet.

Kilclooney Wood

If you only want a gentle leg stretch without leaving the village, head for Kilclooney Wood. It’s a small, well-maintained forest with a couple of short looped trails, perfect for a morning ramble with a coffee in hand. The paths are broad and easy underfoot, so kids and dogs are welcome. It’s especially lovely in autumn when the beeches turn.

Bonmahon (Bunmahon) Beach

About 15km south of Kilmacthomas, Bonmahon is the centrepiece of the Copper Coast, a UNESCO-recognised geopark. The beach itself is a long stretch of sand and shingle, backed by dunes. It’s exposed, so swimming is only safe in certain conditions, but walking it is gorgeous. After your walk, grab a coffee and a pastry from The Copper Hen and have a look at the little Geological Garden just across the road. The whole Copper Coast drive from Bonmahon to Tramore is a cracker.

Day Trips from Kilmacthomas

Because the village is right on the N25, you can reach a pile of other places within half an hour.

Tramore (20km east)

Tramore is a loud, lively seaside town with a massive beach, the kind where you get an ice cream cone, walk the prom, and forget what day it is. There’s surfing at the beach breaks, the Doneraile cliff walk for a blowy coastal stroll, and enough chipper vans to keep you going. Good for a family afternoon or a paddle.

Dungarvan (23km west)

Dungarvan is the western bookend of the Greenway and a great market town. You can wander the quays, visit the castle, get lunch in a proper restaurant like The Tannery, or just sit by the harbour. It’s also the gateway to the Ring Gaeltacht and the Vee drive. If you’re on the Greenway, cycling to Dungarvan for lunch and back is a decent challenge.

Dunmore East (28km southeast)

Dunmore East feels more like a Cornish fishing village than somewhere in County Waterford. The harbour, the thatched roofs, the cliff walks down to Portally Cove, all of it. It’s a brilliant spot for seafood. Try The Spinnaker for fresh fish by the quayside, then drive out to the lighthouse for the view.

Stay a While

Kilmacthomas is far more than a pit stop. You can start the morning with a coffee and a scone in the old workhouse courtyard, cycle halfway to Waterford and back, climb into the Comeraghs for lunch by a waterfall, then scrub up for a dinner of local lamb and a pint at Rocketts. That’s a proper day out, no rushing.

Take your time. The village has been here long enough. It’ll wait for you.