Sligo Way

The 81 kilometres long Sligo Way falls into three parts, the first is among mountains and by lakes (or loughs) often on gravel tracks. The second is on quiet roads through farmland raising cows and sheep. I thought the best part, and the one I recommend if you only spend one day on this trail, was the third section, from Collooney this went through woods, around mountains, by Lough Gill ending at the ruins of Creevelea Friary and the village of Dromahair.

The route is well waymarked with a walking yellow person symbol, although a map or GPS track is needed as waymarks may be missed or absent at critical junctions. Underfoot the trail is in good condition although there is quite a bit of walking on quiet roads. Accommodation can be an issue, I caught a train into Sligo from Collooney for one night. A visit to this town is well worth the diversion, as is a copy of poems by W B Yeats. More at https://johnpone2.blogspot.com/2022/04/start-of-sligo-way-to-ladies-brae-day-12.html and subsequent posts.

Group of 26 of us walked the section of the Sligo Way from Colloney to Slish on Sunday 24th March. Fantastic walk and very scenic even on a dull and windy day. Be warned though-make sure you have map, gear and food/drink as advised. Even though it's not high mountain, it is relatively remote in sections. A hidden gem.

Walked two sections of the Way in late September (Slish Woods to Dromahair and back and Collooney to Slish Woods, coming back via the roads) and I agree with other commentators that it is well worth the effort. Waymarking on Slish to Dromahair is fantastic, even excessive, with its finely sculpted stone kilometre posts and the boardwalk in the middle is invaluable, with good views over "the sleeping giant". Collooney to Slish Woods is even better, and the deviation to Union Rock a must. However (by way of constructive criticism), we found the path ostensibly blocked 1km before the R287 due to forestry activity by Coillte, To have obeyed the order "no access to unauthorised persons" would have meant a walk of several kilometres back over arduous ground, given that the two likely escape paths to the south of the route were (as we discovered) impassable.

I led a group of walkers (24 of us in all) from Slish Wood to Dromahair last Sunday (06/05/2018) as part of our club's weekend away in Sligo. We car pooled and happy to say there was safe and adequate parking at both ends. Route is well signposted and even on a warm and sunny bank holiday weekend morning, there weren't too many around. The first section of the route takes you along forest road with running river to your left and under some beech trees which had just come into leaf and were the greenest of green. Tantalising glimpses of Lough Gill through the trees kept us moving. Fork in the track well signposted (keep left) and, after crossing wooden bridge and following well-maintained boardwalk across a section of boggy ground up to a section of rock outcrop, we were quite literally silenced by the beauty of Lough Gill with Church Island to our left and Keelogyboy, Leean and Benbó mountains across the lake in the distance. After regaining our senses, we headed approx. E along the track, over stiles (in good condition) and through a farmyard, we lingered at the jetty overlooking the Lake Isle of Inishfree and thought of poetry and how, when we won the lottery we'd buy the house on the shore. After leaving the jetty, we headed along a boreen and as if by pure magic, a cuckoo started to call. You couldn't make it up. Turning left off the boreen, we headed off-road and had our tea break under the shade of some trees outside a deserted house. Although not as spectacularly beautiful as the first section, I loved this bit-it's not a long stretch but it's pure countryside-stone walls, fields, trees, birdsong, all in the heat of an early summer's morning. Absolute heaven. The next section takes you back out onto a quiet paved road and you follow that until you reach Creeveylea Abbey-not to be missed as it's an absolute gem. We lingered there for a short while but had to press on, following the route past a cottage under restoration and along a narrow path through evergreen trees, with the rushing Bonet River now on our left. We crossed the river over a bridge and without breaking pace, headed for Stanfords in Dromahair village for tea and sandwiches and pints. Twenty-four happy, relaxed people, all, without exception, bewitched by the beauty of Sligo (and a bit of Leitrim!). I did the recce for this walk a few weeks ago (in the freezing cold, gale force wind and pelting hail) in about 2 hours. However, with the group it took 3 hours and 20 minutes and was worth every second. If you want to feel to your heart's core why life is worth living, do this walk, preferably on a sunny day at the start of summer, in good company. We'll all be back.

I took the train to Colooney from Dublin and walked to Dromahair. It was a beautiful summer's day (24C) and had been fine for a few days so I wore trail runners and didn't have any problems really (a lot of the trail is on hard ground). It took me 7 1/4 hours including some short breaks. The trail is well signposted except for the entrance to Slish wood where you cross the road and turn right - this is far from clear from the signposts and indeed suggests turning left. Dromahair is a lovely village and the trail was very safe with little or no traffic.

Went with a group of 25 walkers from Navan Trekkers and walked the Sligo Way in 3 days over a long weekend westwards from Dromahair to Lough Talt. We organised a bus transfer each day to the start of that days walk. The trail was well sign posted and apart from a re-routing near Ballygawley lough which did not match a map download the sign posting was excellent. The boardwalks were in good condition. It was a shame the weather was poor, wet and windy for first 2 days but much improved on day 3. Lot of road walk on the middle section.

Recently completed the trail from Lough Talt to Dromahair over 3 days with 3 friends. Weather was amazing on our journey and it really made for an enjoyable walk! Some great spots from Lough Talt across to Coolaney with spectacular views of the sea and windmill farms.

From Lough Easkey all the way to Union Woods in Coolaney is on hard tarmac so be aware of this when packing (the hard ground makes for very sore feet).

1st day took us 8 hours to walk from Lough Talt to Coolaney where we stayed at The Mountain Inn bed and breakfast. Great hosts, great bed and lovely breakfast.

2nd day we made our way from Coolaney to Union Rock, taking us 5 hours but at a nice easy pace. Here we set up tent for the night, lit a small camp fire and enjoyed a bbq and beers. We enjoyed a lovely night sky with stars shining down on us.

3rd day we made our way from Union Rock to Dromahair taking us approx 4 hours. Great views to enjoy along this path including Slish Wood and Lough Gill. Highly recommended.

We also took a 2 hour break down at a pier beside the lake where we bathed in the sunshine and had lunch.

I walked the full Sligo Way in June taking three and a half days and it proved a really enjoyable hike through some wonderful countryside. The going is a mixture of tracks, forests, roadways and boggy mountain trails and alongside some of the most beautiful loughs to be found anywhere. I started at Lough Talt and finished at the town of Dromahair. The route has excellent waymarking and in places where boggy ground may be a problem, there has been a good attempt at making things easier with timber decking – especially between Lough Gill and Dromahair. There are not many towns or villages along the route, but Coolaney and Collooney are good stopping-off places; especially O’Grady’s pub and supermarket. Carrying a good supply of grub and water is essential and I would advise wearing good stout boots and have good waterproof clothing. On my first day walking alongside Lough Easky I endured a very spectacular thunderstorm! Walking the whole route requires some planning if you intend to get a comfortable bed each night. Luckily my sister lived locally so I was conveniently picked up at the end of each day and driven off to the nearest pub for a couple of pints. At the time I walked the Sligo Way, it was certainly not crowded; except for a couple of chatty farmers and some friendly dogs, and I didn’t spot one hiker! I’ll be back again to give it another go.

Just completed Dromahair to Slishwood section. Glorious summer's day. Peaceful quiet walk through Slishwood over Kilberry. Views of Lough Gill and Innisfree, .Benbulben and Glencar in the background - spectacular. Definitely an undiscovered gem of Sligo. Only one other walker on 18km round trip.

This is a lovely trail with stunning views over the surrounding countryside. The sections of the trail which are off road and cross bog land are not suitable for cyclists including the sections between Ballygawley and Dromahair.