One of the pleasures of accessing our walks is that, with growing frequency, we can use public transport to get there. It’s true that not all walks are served in this way, but the numbers are increasing. The growth in Local Link routes has opened up several of the walks like the Rinroe walk in Grange, Carney Village Walk, Mullaghmore Head Walk, Hazelwood, Coolaney River Walk and Carrowmore, as well as sections of the Sligo Way.
In addition, walks like the Ballymote Heritage Trail, Tubbercurry Trail, Rosses Point, Strandhill, Enniscrone and elsewhere have long been accessible either by bus or train. And of course, in Sligo itself, both the Garavogue River Walk and the Sligo Heritage Trail (run by our friends at the tourism office) are right here on our doorstep, and for the people living in town, require no transport of any kind.
So whether you have a car, or just want to leave it at home to take a greener walking option, why not check out the local public transport timetables available on the Sligo Walks website to access your favourite walks?
In this article, and over the coming weeks, we’ll give you some tips on walking in Sligo using public transport, along with some information on the places to stop at and things to keep an eye out for.
The first walk is probably the easiest one to access, heading from Sligo to Strandhill. Three of our most popular walks are located in the village, Strandhill Beach (taking in Culleenamore Beach and Shelly Valley), the Queen Maeve Trail on Knocknarea, and – for the purposes of this article – the Killaspugbrone Coastal Walk. These are all accessible using the S2 bus. Note that when you plan to use the S1 (Sligo Town service) or S2 (Rosses Point – Sligo – Strandhill) it’s better to buy a Leap Card, which is 30% cheaper than paying the standard fare.
The S2 bus stop is directly in front of Sligo Bus Station, outside of Centra on Knappagh Road. This brings you directly to Strandhill, the final stop is at the entrance to the public car park located 100m from the shore.
Walk down to the cannon, turn right and the entrance to the walk takes you through Strandhill Caravan & Camping Park. Keeping close to the beach, follow the clearly marked trails past the end of the runway at Sligo Airport and on towards Killaspugbrone Church. Named in honour of Bishop Bronus, a disciple of St. Patrick, this church was rebuilt several times – the present ruins date from the 12th century.
This area was once inhabited, but all of the people who lived in the areas around the church moved back to the more sheltered areas where Strandhill village now stands. The adjacent graveyard was used for centuries, right the way up to the 1960s. The Go Strandhill website tells us that a man named Thady Higgins was the last person buried here in 1961 and that a gravestone marks the final resting place of a person who lived until they reached the age of 102!
And while you take in the spectacular views across towards Coney Island and Benbulben from this elevated site, keep an eye out for the black and white Brent geese which will be back in Sligo waters for the Winter, following their long migration from Greenland and elsewhere. It is amazing that these geese fly to the same part of Strandhill each Winter – must be for the stunning scenery!
Moving past the church, a beautiful crescent shaped beach called Killaspugbrone Beach (or Nuns Beach) leads to a red and white marker, where you turn right, passing through woodland and towards the estuary at Dorrins Strand. From here, the path leads to a road which brings you back into Strandhill Village. Turning right you pass Dolly’s Cottage – a beautifully restored thatched cottage, which is open during the holiday season only. The original cottage dates to around 1800 and was owned most recently by Dolly Higgins and after she died in 1971 it was refurbished and is managed and maintained by the local branch of the Irish Countrywomen’s Association.
Immediately after Dolly’s Cottage, and across the road from Sligo Rugby Club, is the entrance to the Queen Maeve Trail. This is a wonderful (if strenuous) 8km looped walk which brings you to the summit of Knocknarea, where you’ll find an enormous Neolithic cairn, reputedly the burial site of the mythological Queen Maeve of Connacht.
Leaving the Queen Maeve Trail, the road brings you downhill and back towards the shoreline, passing the entrance to Strandhill Golf Club to your left. Having completed the walk, there are several cafes and restaurants serving wonderful food on the seafront, as well as bars and an ice cream parlour. And for those with some energy left after this 6.8km looped walk, there’s the option of taking a surf lesson at one of the surf schools located at the National Surf Centre, a recent addition to Strandhill. Follow this by a luxurious treatment or seaweed bath to finish off a special day, not forgetting to just sit and relax on the sea wall, taking in those incredible views.
When it’s time to go home, it’s worth knowing that buses come and go with good frequency, once every half hour or so, bringing you back into Sligo Town within around 15 minutes. Note also that the S2 bus actually goes through Sligo and on to Rosses Point, so that’s another great option for a day out, where beach walks, swimming (for the brave and hardy!), sailing and other activities are all available.
And if you visit the Killaspugbrone Coastal Walk, we’d love you to review it, either on the relevant walk page on the SligoWalks.ie website or on any of our social media channels. Use the #sligowalks hash tag when posting so that we can like and share your content. For all details on the Killaspugbrone Coastal Walk, including bus timetable, visit www.SligoWalks.ie/walks/killaspugbrone-coastal-walk.