When the Parade has passed and you’ve set aside the green leprechaun hats and oversized glasses, it’s time to get into the second part of the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day. After hanging around waiting for the floats to pass and feeding the kids ice cream and crisps to pass the time, what better way to walk – or run – off some of those calories with a ramble around Sligo’s walking trails? And the good news is that many of the walks are nearby, accessible and suitable for all, children, pets and grandparents included.
SLIGO TOWN: The main St. Patrick’s Day parade takes place in Sligo itself starting at 12pm midday. There’s a Queen Maeve theme this year, so what better way to celebrate our all-powerful mythological queen than to head up Knocknarea afterwards to visit her final resting place. As the main walk up from Strandhill is currently closed due to storm damage, you can only access the mountain via the mountain path on the Glen Road. This is probably the toughest of all the walks we mention and is graded as strenuous. While we’ve seen many children and older walkers on the Queen Maeve Trail over the years, it does need a degree of fitness and allow for sufficient time for all to ascend and descend in good time. Wear suitable hiking boots as some of the terrain can be slippy after rain. The 360 degree views from the summit make the walk very worthwhile and remember not to climb the cairn.
Link: https://sligowalks.ie/walks/qmt/
GRANGE: The 20th edition of this north Sligo parade begins at 2pm, so you might need to get organised for a quick walk afterwards. The good news is that there’s a multitude of beautiful walks within easy distance. Bearing in mind that sunset is officially at 6:42pm on St. Patrick’s Day, you should have plenty of time to walk the Benbulben Forest Walk at nearby Gortarowey. Heading back in towards Sligo, the turn is signposted to your left some 3km from Grange Village and the walk begins just a few hundred metres after you park up in the large car park. This is a looped trail and gives stunning views not only of Benbulben itself but also over Donegal Bay.
Link: https://sligowalks.ie/walks/benbulbin-gortarowey-looped-walk/
BALLYMOTE: This one has a late start at 3:30pm so maybe you’d be better off taking in the local Ballymote Heritage Trail in the morning in advance of the parade, and what a treat this walk is. One of the most scenic as well as interesting urban trails anywhere in Sligo, you begin at the Community Park on the Sligo side of town, walking past the Friary, the statue of Brother Walfrid, then on past Ballymote Castle and the Cornmill before ending at Emlaghfad Church. Note that this is a linear walk and that some of it is on the public road so wear a hi-vis jacket. After this walk you’ll have lots of interesting stories to tell while you wait for the parade to kick off.
Link: https://sligowalks.ie/walks/ballymote-heritage-trail/
ENNISCRONE: The parade in this seaside town starts at 1pm and there are three different walks you can do here. And while the beach itself is magnificent – at 5km it’s Sligo’s longest beach – and the coastal walk is also lovely, we’ve selected the Castle Field, a looped urban trail in the middle of town. It’s flat and therefore will suit everyone, and is also full of interesting places, not least O’Dowd’s Castle, the ring fort, Megalithic tombs and the ruins of Valentine’s Church near the entrance. This is a short walk so you should have plenty of energy to extend your walk onto one of the aforementioned coastal routes.
Link: https://sligowalks.ie/walks/enniscrone-castle-field/
EASKEY: Just up the road from Enniscrone the parade begins in Easkey at 3pm. As some people might be hoping to make both parades, we’ve selected another short walk here which begins in the centre of the village and heads towards Easkey Castle which overlooks the sea. This is a linear walk and you can decide yourself how far down the adjacent road you want to go. Take in some superb Atlantic views as the surfing community ride the waves in one of Ireland’s best surf hot spots.
Link: https://sligowalks.ie/walks/easkey/
ACLARE: Setting off at 4:30pm the Aclare parade will take place just a few minutes drive from Lough Talt, which is a recently extended 8km looped walk. The lakeside part is flat – obviously! – but the newer section extends into the uplands which provide wonderful views of the lake. If the weather cooperates, there are few more beautiful views on a sunny day. Again, allow time for this walk, which might be undertaken in advance of the parade. It will tire small feet so bring a few treats along with you to keep the younger folk going.
Link: https://sligowalks.ie/walks/lough-talt-walk/
GURTEEN: Starting at 4:30pm, the walk we recommend in advance of the parade in Gurteen is the Keash Hill Trail, which leads to the remarkable Caves of Keash. These caves are reputed to have been the birthplace of Cormac Mac Airt, the first High King of Ireland and we could put him in the same bracket as St. Patrick himself for his power and influence on our ancestors. However as Patrick came to spread Christianity, he probably would have frowned at the idea that Cormac was reared by wolves who captured him from one of the caves! There are 17 caves in all – care must be taken particularly on loose gravel and please bring suitable footwear.
Link: https://sligowalks.ie/walks/keshcorran/
For information on over 50 walks in Sligo, visit SligoWalks.ie and follow our social media channels. We wish you all a happy St. Patrick’s Weekend and if you do get out and about, we’d ask you to write a review of any of our walks in the Comments Section of the Sligo Walks website.