Bree Hill Walking Trail

The Bree Hill Walking Trail features three looped walks which start at the trailhead in the car park of Bree Community Centre located in Bree village.

These individually waymarked routes provide 23 km of mixed forest trails, offering peace, tranquillity and beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.

It is important to note that Bree Hill is a designated venue for mountain biking. Though the mountain bike trails are not part of the walking routes, one needs to be aware that some mountain bike paths cross the walking trails at a few points and due care should be taken.

Bree Hill is a Coillte forest which is noted for its aesthetic and recreational value.

The geology of the hill is Ordovician rhyolite, a silica-rich rock which was produced by a volcanic eruption roughly 400 million years ago. During this period the newly formed hill was probably a small island surrounded by a warm, tropical sea.

The Ballybrittas Dolmen Trail leads to a portal tomb that dates from the Neolithic Period (4000-2500 BC) and is probably Wexford’s oldest standing structure. The Tomb consists of two large portal stones and a backstone that support a substantial roof stone. In addition, the dolmen has two  side stones and a sill stone, the latter located at the tomb’s east facing entrance. Together, these elements enclose a small rectangular chamber in which the burial remains would have been placed. This form of burial monument is known as a Portal Tomb.

Bree Hill was once part of the Alcock Estate at Wilton Castle. It was a working forest before Coillte took over management of the forest. There were two lodges on the hill for the foresters and the Beech trees seen on the Ballybrittas Walk and the Beech Walk were part of that forest. It is also interesting to note that a 17th-century road crossed over Bree Hill, the remains of which can be seen on the western side of the hill.

 

If you want to explore more Wexford walking trails, don’t miss our blog Best Walking Trails in Wexford