There has been a lot of talk about lower level walks recently, and this is probably an area in which we will see MV grow in the near future. Coastal, canal and river walks can all deliver great days out, and with some tweaking, MV's technology has the potential to feature all these. It was curious so, that my purchase this week of Lenny Antonelli's book, 'East of Ireland Walks - On River and Canal', co-inciding with the periodic complaints from M that my walks never make concessions to her vertigo, had us headed Laois-wards with Mr. Antonelli's tome in hand.

The selected walk, the Old Mill Loop in Glenbarrow, in the foothills of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, is a 9k trek over a range of terrain, starting from a large (and full) carpark at N361 073. There is a very scenic stroll along the banks of the Barrow, clambering up rocks right along the bank, rising then through a range of forest roads to a lookout point on the Ridge of Capard, before looping down through mature forest to the carpark.

The walk is well maintained, well signed and well used, at least on a Bank Holiday. There are various stretches of boardwalk over most of the muddy bits. Unlike some loop walks, it has a little bit of a bite to it that keeps it interesting.