Kayaking Kilkenny: Nore Tours and County Options

Kilkenny has three kinds of kayaking on three bodies of water, and the tours sold under “Kilkenny” are not all on the same river. In the city, guided tours on the River Nore start under Kilkenny Castle. At Castlecomer, a boating lake has sit-on-top kayaks for hire by the half hour. Day trips on the River Barrow start in the south of the county. This guide sorts them by river, price and who they suit.

We checked every operator’s own page on 6 November 2026. Where two pages from the same operator disagree, the text says so. Seasons are the biggest question in November, so there is a section on what we could and could not confirm. This guide is not a substitute for a guide’s judgement on the day, and it does not cover the River Suir, which sits in our Blueways guide.

Kayaking in Kilkenny at a Glance

Most of what people search for under “Kilkenny kayaking” falls into the first three rows of this table. The Barrow rows are included because they start in the county, but they are on a different river and run from different villages.

Prices are the figures each operator published on 6 November 2026. They can change, and several depend on group size or date, so check the booking page.

What Can You Paddle in Kilkenny in November?

Less than in July. We could confirm winter operation for none of the operators from their own pages, so here is what each one actually says.

• Riverbend Adventures says “Open: 7 Days a Week” in its header and lists no winter timetable. Its city tour page gives times of 12pm, 2pm and 4pm on one page and 2pm on another. Call before you travel: +353 86 380 9900.
• Go With The Flow lists The Kilkenny Trail as available April to October. That season has ended.
• Pure Adventure says its Graiguenamanagh loop runs at 10am daily and at 2pm on weekdays “for the summer months of June, July & August”. It does not give an autumn or winter timetable.
• Castlecomer Discovery Park carries a banner saying it is open weekends only to the general public. Its kayaking page says kayaks are “available Thursday to Sunday”. Its FAQ says outdoor activities have seasonal opening hours. Those three statements do not agree, so confirm the day you want before you drive.

Colder water changes the day even when a tour runs. A guided tour supplies buoyancy aids and, for the city tour, a jacket and over-trousers. After heavy rain the Nore can run higher and faster, which is why the guide’s call on the morning matters. The OPW’s water level site carries a gauge named John’s Bridge on the Nore in Kilkenny, and watching its trend over several days tells you whether the river is rising or falling. We cannot give you a safe level, because none of the operators publish one.

Kayaking on the River Nore in Kilkenny City

The Nore runs through the middle of Kilkenny, past the castle, under several bridges and over a series of weirs. Riverbend Adventures is the only operator we found selling tours that start in the city itself. Its own page describes the trips as led by “qualified and experienced instructors who have local knowledge”.

What is the Kilkenny City Tour like?

It is a gentle, mostly upstream paddle in a double kayak. Riverbend says the tour starts and finishes 300 metres downstream of Kilkenny Castle, under the castle walls. You paddle upstream past the castle weir, Kilkenny Castle, St John’s Bridge, the Carnegie Library and the former Smithwick’s Brewery, towards Greens Bridge with a view of St Canice’s Cathedral. The guide talks about the city’s history, and Riverbend says you may spot ducks, swans, and perhaps an otter or kingfisher. The return is downstream.

The price is €49 for an adult and €39 for a teenager or child, with a minimum age of 8. You do not need special clothing, because Riverbend supplies over-trousers, a jacket, a buoyancy aid, a double kayak and a paddle. A reviewer on Riverbend’s own page mentions hot showers and towels at the end. We found no minimum fitness or swimming statement on the tour page, so ask when you book if you are not a confident swimmer.

This is the tour for a first trip on a river. It is not a quiet-water paddle in the sense of a lake, because you are working against the current going upstream, and the weir beside the castle is a feature of the route rather than something you avoid.

Is the Wild Kilkenny tour worth the extra money?

At €80 per person it costs more than the city tour, and it covers more water. Riverbend describes it as a 6 km downstream tour, starting at the Bleach Road weir north-west of the city and finishing below Kilkenny Castle, taking in “3 small weirs” along “a windy route through the city and under the castle”. The session lasts about 3 hours from arrival to leaving. You use double kayaks or canoes, and Riverbend provides the safety equipment. You need shoes that can get wet, and a wetsuit is described as preferable if you have one.

Riverbend’s two pages disagree on how often it runs. The tours page says it runs once a week on Wednesday evenings at 5:30pm. The tour’s own page says it is “organised on request or may be posted as a bookable event on occasions”. Treat it as a trip to ask about, not one to turn up for.

Riverbend describes it as suitable for beginners and calls the weirs small. A guide shows you the line to take at each one. That is what you pay for, and it is why we would not read this as a route for a novice to try without an instructor.

What is the Bennetsbridge tour?

A 10 km family or group trip down the Nore from Kilkenny to Bennetsbridge, with a picnic stop. Riverbend’s tour page says you meet at Kilkenny Aqua Canoe Club on Canal Walk at 10am for coffee, move cars to the finish at Bennetsbridge at 10:30, and get on the water at about 11:15. It takes roughly 3.5 hours including a lunch break, and tea or filter coffee is made on a Kelly Kettle. You bring your own sandwich and a mat to sit on. Boats are double kayaks or open canoes, and a minimum of four bookings is needed to run it.

The tour page says “from €350.00 per group”. The summary on Riverbend’s tours page says “Prices on request”, so confirm the figure when you book. It is the best option in the county if you want a longer day on the Nore with a group of friends, and the only one we found that goes beyond the city weirs towards Bennetsbridge.

Can you paddle the Nore through the city on your own?

The weirs are the reason this is a question for a club or a guide, not a Saturday morning with a hired boat. Riverbend’s Wild Kilkenny route alone has three in 6 km. Thomastown Paddlers, a club on the same river downstream, says the Nore “contains stretches of both flat-water and numerous rapids and weirs”. We found no public launch, parking or take-out guidance for independent paddlers in the city, apart from what the operators and clubs publish for their own members and customers. If you own a boat and want to paddle the city, the sensible route is to join a club first, because a club knows which weirs to take, which to portage and which to leave alone at a given level. The club section below covers both of them.

Further downstream, our River Nore route page covers the Inistioge stretch, a gentler 9 km reach below the village’s ten-arch bridge. That is a separate trip from the city tours, and the route page, not this guide, is where its launch and take-out details live.

Kayaking at Castlecomer Discovery Park

Castlecomer is a different thing again. Kayaks here are for hire on the park’s boating lake, not on the Nore, and there is no guide. The park’s kayaking page says they are sit-on-top boats “easy to navigate for the inexperienced”, and that the lake has a view of the zipline overhead.

How much is kayak hire at Castlecomer?

A single kayak costs €12 per 30-minute slot, and a double kayak for two people costs €14 per slot. The minimum age is 7. Children aged 7 to 12 must be accompanied by an adult. These are the figures on the park’s kayaking page on 6 November 2026, and the page carries a 2023 copyright line, so ask when you book.

Half an hour on a boating lake is a short, low-stakes introduction to sitting in a boat. It is not a paddling trip, and it will not tell you how you cope with a river. It is a reasonable first half hour for a child who has not been in a kayak before. The park asks everyone to wear closed-toe shoes for all activities. Its visitor centre opens weekdays 9:30am to 3:30pm and weekends 10am to 5pm from May to August (10:30am to 4pm from September to April), and the woodland trails open daily from 8:30am until dusk, which gives you something to do around a short slot. The park is a not-for-profit social enterprise, and it says income from its car park supports that work.

When can you actually book it?

This is where the park’s own pages disagree, as the November section above sets out, and it is the main thing to settle before a visit. The kayaking page says “Kayaks available Thursday to Sunday”. A banner across every page says the park is open weekends only to the general public, and open all year for groups with pre-booking. The FAQ adds that outdoor activities have seasonal opening hours. If you are travelling in November, phone the park or book the slot online before you drive. The park’s terms also say any activity may be closed, altered or unavailable at any time because of weather or technical issues, without prior notice, so an outdoor slot is the kind of booking where a morning phone call saves a wasted trip. Groups can book all year but must pre-book.

Barrow Trips From Kilkenny

The Barrow forms part of the county’s eastern boundary, and the villages of Goresbridge and Graiguenamanagh, where most of these trips start, are both in County Kilkenny. These are not Nore trips, and the operators are not the same ones. If you search “kayak Kilkenny” and land on a Barrow page, that is why.

What does Pure Adventure offer from Graiguenamanagh?

A 3-hour looped trip by kayak or Canadian canoe. Pure Adventure says it starts in Graiguenamanagh, goes upstream through a wooded valley to a lock, passes through the lock into a stretch of historic canal, then rejoins the main river and returns to Graiguenamanagh “via some fun weirs and rapids”. The distance is roughly 6 km. It costs €50 for an adult and €40 for a child, and the operator says it suits ages 5 and up. Pure Adventure says the loop may become a Graiguenamanagh to St Mullins trip if river levels require it.

Trips run at 10am seven days a week, and at 2pm Monday to Friday “for the summer months of June, July & August”. For other dates, Pure Adventure’s page does not give a timetable, so contact the company directly. It also offers half-day and full-day river trips on request for groups of four or more, including Nore sections such as Thomastown to Inistioge and Kilkenny to Bennetsbridge, and the Suir between Clonmel, Kilsheelan and Carrick-on-Suir.

What is The Kilkenny Trail?

A 13 km trip from Goresbridge to Graiguenamanagh with Go With The Flow River Adventures, which is based in Borris, County Carlow and operates in the Kilkenny and Carlow area. Despite the name, it is on the Barrow. It takes 5 to 6 hours and costs from €55 for an adult and from €39 for a child. Go With The Flow lists it as for age 12 and over, available April to October, with a minimum of two people per booking. Children must be at least 7 and comfortable in the water, and a child under 12 cannot paddle a kayak on this trail because it is too long, so they go in a canoe with an adult.

The trail keeps to the quieter lateral canals, with a series of weirs bypassed by parallel lock canals. The company says the trip is suitable for beginners, and the page also says “It is possible the canoe may capsize on this tour. This is an adventure.” Participants must be able to swim. Transport back is not included. You either leave a car at Graiguenamanagh or pre-book a taxi.

Do you paddle through the locks on the Barrow?

On a guided trip the guide decides. Pure Adventure says its guides “bring you through the lock” on the Graiguenamanagh loop. On your own, the rule is different. Waterways Ireland’s Special Marine Notice No. 1 of 2026 says canoeists “must take extreme care near weirs, sluices, locks and during high flows”, that “shooting weirs is prohibited without permission”, and that “portage is required at unmanned locks”. Follow the portage rule on any trip you run yourself. Go With The Flow’s Kilkenny Trail passes Lower Ballyellen lock, Ballytiglea lock and Borris lock, among others, so a self-guided hirer meets this question more than once in a day. Pure Adventure’s page also says the loop may be changed to a Graiguenamanagh to St Mullins trip “should river levels dictate”, which tells you the river level can change the plan even on a guided trip. Our River Barrow route page covers the Graiguenamanagh to St Mullins stretch.

For multi-day Barrow trips with camping, see our kayak camping guide.

What Does Kayaking in Kilkenny Cost?

For adults, the cheapest way onto the water is half an hour at Castlecomer. The most expensive per person is the Wild Kilkenny evening tour.

We found no operator in Kilkenny city that rents a kayak for you to take out alone on the Nore, and none of the operators publishes a self-paddle hire price for the Nore. Hire is a feature of Castlecomer’s lake and of Go With The Flow’s Barrow trips, not of the city. For hire elsewhere, our kayak rental guide lists the operators we checked in 2026.

How Do You Get a Kayak on the Nore Without a Tour?

Join a club. Two clubs on the Nore teach beginners. Kilkenny Aqua Canoe Club says it is affiliated with Canoeing Ireland.

Kilkenny Aqua Canoe Club is on the Canal Walk at Dukesmeadows in Kilkenny city. Its website says it was established in 1998, and that it runs beginners’ and improvers’ courses throughout the year as well as kids’ camps in the summer. It covers kayaking, canoeing, freestyle, dragon boating, canoe polo and stand-up paddleboarding. Contact: hello@KACC.ie.

Thomastown Paddlers is in Thomastown on the Nore, and describes itself as the largest rural-based canoe club in Ireland. It was founded in 1996 and has up to thirty canoes and kayaks. Its website says its members paddle marathon, sprint and wild water racing, polo, freestyle, white water and sea kayaking.

Our clubs guide has the current details for both. For skills before any of this, read our beginners’ guide. Riverbend also lists learn-to-kayak classes and summer camps for 2026 on its home page, with its Bennetsbridge tour starting from the same club site on the Canal Walk.

What Should You Wear and Bring?

The operators ask for different things, so read the page for your trip. On Riverbend’s City Tour you need no special clothing, because it supplies over-trousers, a jacket and a buoyancy aid. On the Wild Kilkenny tour you need shoes that can get wet, and a wetsuit is described as preferable if you have one.

Pure Adventure’s Barrow trip asks for footwear you do not mind getting wet, old runners being the example it gives, along with swimwear, clothes you do not mind getting wet, a towel, water, sun cream and any medication such as an inhaler or epi-pen. It says it has wetsuits if you do not own one. For its Kilkenny Trail, Go With The Flow asks for spare warm clothes, a light rain jacket, food and water, and lists optional extras including a throw rope, whistle, first aid kit and a phone in a waterproof case. It provides a paddle, a buoyancy jacket, a helmet and barrels for your belongings.

In November, add a warm layer to leave at the finish, and a hot drink. The river is colder, and you spend time sitting still on the water while a guide talks.

Kayaking Safety on the Nore and Barrow

The Nore through Kilkenny and the lower Barrow are rivers, so the hazards are different from a lake. Water level changes, weirs and locks matter more than wind.

Do you have to wear a buoyancy aid, and is a permit needed?

You must wear a buoyancy aid, and you do not need a permit. The Pleasure Craft (Personal Flotation Devices and Operation) (Safety) Regulations 2005, S.I. No. 921 of 2005, require a suitable personal flotation device to be worn on an open craft under 7 metres while under way. That covers every kayak and canoe. Tours supply buoyancy aids, and Go With The Flow’s page says you are required by law to wear them at all times while canoeing.

Waterways Ireland’s FAQ says: “If you are simply looking to go paddling as an individual, no license or express permission is required.” That is separate from the annual permit it issues for powered or moored boats on the Barrow Navigation, which does not cover a kayak or canoe. The Special Marine Notice above applies to Waterways Ireland’s navigations, and the Nore is not one of them. Its advice on weirs and high flows is still sound on any river.

How do weirs and high water change the picture?

A weir is a low wall across a river. Riverbend’s Wild Kilkenny route has three in 6 km, and Thomastown Paddlers describes the Nore as containing “numerous rapids and weirs”. After heavy rain, the flow over a weir increases, and the back-current below it can hold a boat or swimmer. Do not run a weir you have not inspected, and do not paddle a river you have not checked against recent rain. Ask the operator on the day whether the river level has changed the plan. Pure Adventure says the Graiguenamanagh loop can be switched to a St Mullins trip, and Riverbend’s Bennetsbridge page says the finish and car shuttle are explained on the day. On a river, the guide’s plan on the morning is part of what you are buying.

Our kayaking safety guide covers the basics before any trip. Wind is less of a factor on the Nore than on a lake, and cold water is the thing to plan for in November, with a wetsuit or the layers a guide supplies.

Common Mistakes When Planning a Kilkenny Paddle

• Booking “Kilkenny” and arriving at the wrong river. The Kilkenny Trail is on the Barrow, and the City Tour is on the Nore. Read the start point before you book.
• Assuming a canoe is a kayak. Several of these trips offer open Canadian canoes as well as sit-on-top or sit-in kayaks. If you want a kayak, choose it when booking.
• Turning up in winter on a summer timetable. Go With The Flow’s season ended in October, and Pure Adventure’s extra 2pm slot is June to August.
• Taking Castlecomer’s lake as a taste of the river. Half an hour on flat water tells you nothing about weirs.
• Taking the Wild Kilkenny route as a first independent paddle. The guide is the safety on that stretch.
• Forgetting the return lift on the Barrow. Go With The Flow does not include a taxi. Arrange one or leave a car.
• Copying promotional wording into a risk decision. “Suitable for beginners” on a tour page means beginners with the guide, not beginners alone.

6 Frequently Asked Questions

Can you kayak in Kilkenny city? Yes. Riverbend Adventures runs a guided City Tour in double kayaks on the River Nore, starting 300 metres downstream of Kilkenny Castle. It costs €49 for an adult and €39 for a teenager or child aged 8 and over. Check the timetable before you travel, because the operator’s two pages list different start times.

Which river is best for kayaking in Kilkenny? It depends on the trip. The Nore has the city tours and a 9 km reach below Inistioge that our route page rates Beginner, covered on our River Nore route page. The Barrow has longer day trips from Goresbridge and Graiguenamanagh. Neither is better in the abstract, so choose by where you want to start and what you want to see.

Can beginners kayak on the Nore in Kilkenny? On a guided tour, yes. Riverbend describes its tours as suitable for beginners and says an instructor leads each one. Independent beginners should join a club first, because the Nore has weirs at several points, and a guide or instructor teaches you how to take them.

Is Castlecomer Discovery Park good for kayaking? For a short first go, yes. It rents sit-on-top kayaks on its boating lake from €12 for 30 minutes (€14 for a double), for ages 7 and over. It is not a river trip. The park’s opening pages disagree about days, so confirm before you drive.

Can you hire a kayak in Kilkenny and take it out yourself? We found no operator that rents boats for independent use on the Nore in the city. Castlecomer rents on its lake, and Go With The Flow rents canoes and kayaks for self-guided trips on the Barrow from Goresbridge. To paddle the Nore in your own boat, contact Kilkenny Aqua Canoe Club or Thomastown Paddlers.

What can you do on the water in Kilkenny in winter? We could not confirm a winter timetable for any operator from their own pages. Riverbend says it is open seven days a week without a season, so phone first. Go With The Flow’s season ended in October. Castlecomer lists weekend opening to the public. Clubs run courses throughout the year, according to Kilkenny Aqua Canoe Club.

Also Read

• River Nore Route: Inistioge Paddle — the gentler 9 km stretch below the ten-arch bridge.
• River Barrow Route: Graiguenamanagh to St Mullins — the Barrow trip in detail.
• Kayaking Clubs in Ireland — Kilkenny Aqua Canoe Club, Thomastown Paddlers and more.
• Kayaking for Beginners in Ireland — the skills to learn before you go on a river.
• Kayak Camping Ireland — overnight Barrow trips and camping rules.