Organisers estimate 1,000 people have used tourist bus serving Tipperary's Lingaun Valley

The orbital free minibus service that has brought tourists from all over the world to the Lingaun Valley’s attractions this summer, continues up to the end of September.

Lingaun Valley Tourism estimates about 1,000 passengers comprising a mixture of local people and tourists have travelled on the seven-day a week hop-on-hop-off bus since it began operating on Saturday, May 31. Carrick-on-Suir is one of the stop's on the service’s 50km bus route.

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A report on the pilot four-month long Lingaun Valley Loop bus service will be prepared by its providers once its inaugural tourist season ends.

The bus service is being piloted by Kilkenny LEADER Partnership in association with Lingaun Valley Tourism and the TFI Local Link Bus Service and is co-funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development. 

It’s hoped the report will lead to the service returning next summer or persuade transport authorities to provide a more permanent public service bus route serving the Lingaun Valley’s key sites.

Jimmy Walsh of Lingaun Valley Tourism said the bus service has been used by tourists from Kenya, the US, Australia, Canada, Britain, the Canary Islands and Sri Lanka as well as Irish tourists and local people.

He reported that one man from Clare has travelled on the bus service on four different trips getting off at different stops on each occasion to visit the local sites.

Lingaun Valley Tourism has gathered together a team of volunteer tour guides to take turns in travelling on the bus’ daily runs to give tourists information on the valley’s attractions. They have proved very popular with passengers.

Mr Walsh pointed out the bus service is particularly useful for visitors wishing to climb Slievenamon.

The loop bus drops them off in Kilcash village and they can catch it again in the village when they return from the hike.

He said the bus highlights a public transport gap serving this area as well as Ahenny where the Ahenny High Crosses and Slate Quarries are located.

“For those who wish to climb the Slievenamon mountain from its base in Kilcash, the nearest public bus stop is eight kilometres away at Ormond Stores in Kilsheelan.

“For the lively walker it would add at least one and a half hours just to get to Kilcash on the route that has a serious incline from Ballypatrick to Kilcash, before then climbing the mountain and travelling back to meet the bus.”

He said the service has also highlighted the need to make Kilcash Castle available to tourists to visit. The bus has to pass by the castle and its adjacent church ruin as there is no access to the site for the public.

Mr Walsh said the Lingaun Valley loop bus service has brought extra business to Carrick-on-Suir where the parkside bus stop is one of its stop offs. It has also brought extra business to Dovehill Shopping Centre near Carrick, which is another stop off point and the Windgap Tearooms in Kilkenny.

The Lingaun Loop orbits the area five times a day, starting at 9.30am and finishing just after 5.20pm.

Stops include Tullahought, Kilkieran High Crosses, Parkside in Carrick-on-Suir, Dove Hill Centre, Kilsheelan, Kilcash Village, Kilcash Castle, Grangemockler, Killamery, Windgap, Knockroe Passage Tomb, Slate Quarries and Ahenny High Crosses.

The full timetable and details about how to link with the loop are available on the Lingaun Valley website.

Lingaun Valley Loop Bus travellers from Waterford pictured on a stop off at Windgap in south Kilkenny. Pictures courtesy of Lingaun Valley Tourism 

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