A mile north of Jerpoint is THOMASTOWN . Formerly a medieval walled town of some importance, it's now simply a picturesque country town on the Kilkenny-Waterford train line. Minimal ruins of the walls, a castle and a thirteenth-century church (with some weathered effigies) remain, and in the Catholic church you'll find the high altar from Jerpoint.

A restored medieval tower, The Tower House , on Low St (tel 056/24500; £40-55/¬50.79-69.84) offers good quality B&B , as does Belmore , Jerpoint Church, an eighteenth-century hunting lodge a mile south of town in a picturesque spot (tel 056/24228, teesdale@trailblazers.ie ; £40-55/¬50.79-69.84). Several places serve pub lunches , and The Watergarden tearoom, run by the local Camphill Community, makes a refreshing place for a break combining a delightful, small ornamental garden with a craft workshop. There's also a couple of interesting little bars tucked away on Logan Street - Carroll's and O'Hara's .

Heading north, it's worthwhile stopping off to visit Kilfane Glen and its woodland garden (April-June & Sept Sun 2-6pm; July & Aug daily 11am-6pm; £3/¬3.81), a steep glen, complete with cottage orné , waterfall and hermit's grotto. It's an example of the Romantic craze for constructing "wild" landscapes in the back garden, although it's something of a rarity in Ireland. To get to the glen, turn right two miles north of Thomastown on the N9 (before you get to Kilfane), then right again, following the signposts. In KILFANE itself, a ruined church holds the fourteenth-century Cantwell Effigy , an impressive piece of stone-carving of a knight in full armour.

INISTIOGE , a few miles southeast of Thomastown on the R700, boasts a tree-lined square beside a fine stone bridge. The village is dotted with crumbling stonework, and little eighteenth- and nineteenth-century houses climb the steep lane that twists away from its centre. The grounds of the local estate, Woodstock, are open to the public if you fancy a stroll overlooking the neighbouring countryside, but the house itself was burnt down in 1922 after it had been occupied by the Black and Tans . Alternatively, there's a very pleasant walk along the riverbank signposted from the centre of the village.

For accommodation , the beautifully situated Kookaburra House B&B is on Rock Rd (closed Sept-May; tel 056/58519; £26-33/¬33.01-41.90) - head over the bridge towards New Ross, turn left, and follow the lane for just under a mile. The Circle of Friends (tel 056/58800) - named after the film starring Minnie Driver that was shot in the village - is a fairly formal restaurant with an interesting menu, they also have a good café downstairs serving homemade snacks, cakes and sandwiches.