The clocks have gone back, the days are drawing in but there’s still no excuse not to get out and about and enjoy what Sligo has to offer. Just last week the Irish Independent listed Union Wood as one of the best places to walk in Ireland, but how many of us living in Sligo have taken in this scenic walk?
Union Wood is one of several walks which feature in the Sligo Walks video – head over to sligowalks.ie to see it, and it’s little wonder. Plenty of parking, clearly marked pathways, a good variety of trails within the woods, and a boardwalk which brings you to the summit, where you can enjoy spectacular views across Sligo Bay and the countryside.
Details about all of the organized walks taking place in Sligo are now available on the Sligo Walks website, and these range from short social walks to longer, more demanding ones. On Saturday next, for example, Sligo Walking Club will do a 3 hour walk over 10km around Dunmoran and Aughris in west Sligo. Details on slightly less arduous walks are also available, and we will keep this content updated as the walking clubs send details on their walks to us.
We had a great response to our recent Sligo Walks competition, which had 2 backpacks as prizes. These were designed and sponsored by the Atlantic Equipment Project in Strandhill and carry the Sligo Walks logo, thanks to Ashleigh Smith for providing these and well done to our winner Laura Robinson from the Rossnowlagh Ramblers walking club in Donegal.
Laura told us that up to 40 walkers head out together every week and that their team backpacks, used to carry first aid equipment, high vis vests, etc., are all but falling apart, so they are delighted to have won 2 new backpacks, which I’m sure will be put to use very soon. We recorded a short video of the prize draw itself, which was done by Dorothy Clarke of Sligo County Council, it’s available on the Sligo Walks social media pages.
We had hundreds of entries for the competition, and while many of you were no doubt left disappointed, the good news is that we will have another Sligo Walks competition very soon. The best way to stay up to date on all of our competition giveaways is to find us on Facebook or Twitter. We are also on Instagram and we welcome photos from those of you who get out walking. So tweet us your walking photos to @sligowalks and we’ll post a collection of these to our website.
Finally, as we are in holiday mode with Hallow’een upon us, we’d expect that many of you will be out and about in the coming week. It’s important to take some simple precautions, especially as the evenings are shorter. Whether you are walking or running the roads, make sure that you wear a high vis reflective jacket and if you are on the bike ensure you have a flashing light front and rear. There are a number of important safety measures you also need to consider if you are heading out for a walk, these are available on the website too. Enjoy the week, and we’ll be back with news on getting involved in orienteering next week.
For all of the news you need on walking in Sligo check out SligoWalks.ie and to submit items for inclusion here, email news@sligowalks.ie.