In this article we show you how to access one of Sligo’s longer walks – The Sligo Way – using public transport. Check out this short video which shows you all of the walk’s highlights as well as instructions on how to get to the walk. So love the car at home and let’s start!

One of the great pleasures of using public transport to access our walks is that the pace of the day slows considerably. The benefits of slow tourism for body and mind are well known, but we can often forget that meetings and deadlines aren’t the only things that are important in a working week, and that delving into nature can give a great balance to our busy lives. 

So last week, when most people were at work, I caught the 563 Local Link bus from Sligo Bus Station to Dromahair, to take in part of the Sligo Way. The bus itself leaves from the main road in front of the bus station and has several stops along the way, including the ATU, St. Angela’s College and Parke’s Castle. The buses run six times a day and the trip to Dromahair, having taken in a number of slight detours, lasts about forty minutes. 

The route I’d planned – a video on the Sligo Walks website shows the route – was to take the Sligo Way from Dromahair across the boardwalk to Slish Wood, then on through the Ballygawley Hills to Union Wood, and eventually catching the train back into Sligo from Collooney. 

So, with backpack and lunch, I disembarked at the end of the village in Dromahair and then backtracked around 300m until I got to the Abbey Hotel, where a signposted path to your left brings you onto a bridge that traverses the Bonet River and then within a few minutes to the first main attraction, Creevylea Abbey. This magnificent structure was built in the 16th century – it has the notable fame of being the last church built in Ireland before the dissolution of the monasteries began under Henry VIII. Despite being burned just a couple of decades after being built, the ruins are remarkable – the church, cloisters and what must have been living areas for the monks many centuries ago – all interlinked and nowadays all areas are grave sites, with some very recent graves among much older ones.

Moving on, quiet country roads leads through woodland to the viewing point of the Lake Isle of Innisfree – celebrated in verse by W.B. Yeats. One of fourteen locations on the Yeats Trail (other nearby places also include Slish Wood and Union Wood – also part of this walk), the island is located around 200m from shore. A nearby installation is in the shape of a teardrop – in acknowledgement that Lough Gill, according to mythology – was formed by the tears of the handmaiden of Gille.

You’re now hugging the southern flank of Lough Gill. After a brief section on open ground, passing through the Millenium Forest at Cullentra, you come to a timber boardwalk, which meanders its way over bogland as far as Slish Wood. On a good day there are beautiful views across the lake towards Benbulben, which was unfortunately under a shroud of mist the day I walked here. By now you’ll have walked a good 6-7km, so if the weather is fine there are a number of places to sit and have a snack and take in the views.

As you reach the end of the boardwalk, forest paths bring you through Slish Wood itself – a lovely section of native woodland is found along the lakeshore. When you reach Slish Wood car park, turn towards the main road, where a short path to your left provides a new access route to the Ballygawley Hills, past Lough Lumman. This is an isolated but beautiful spot, and although the new paths provide good terrain for walking, there are a number of boggy spots, so good hiking boots are recommended. After you pass Lough Lumman, take a look up the hills to your right – this is where the Cailleach Bhérra lived in ancient times, and tradition tells us that she would fly over the land on her broomstick. Despite walking here at Hallowe’en, not a sight of her was to be seen…

The trail is well marked – as well as timber and metal signposts, there are beautiful limestone markers along the path, clearly marking the distance you’ve come and keeping you on the right path. Walking through Ballygawley Woods, you cross the road into Union Wood. Follow the signs first for Union Rock, which brings you to the high point of this walk along a timber boardwalk. On your descent, follow the signs for the Oakwood Trail, which leads you to the exit closest to Collooney. Note that there are a number of looped trails in Union Wood, so care must be taken to ensure you stay on the right path. 

As you leave Union Wood, you cross a bridge and come to a minor road that approaches Collooney Business Park. Just as the buildings come into view, a road to the right brings you beneath the dual carriageway and right into the heart of Collooney Village. From here it’s a short walk to the train station and your return trip to Sligo via the Dublin-Sligo train.

All told, this walk was just over 21km in distance, including the trek up to Union Rock and when you factor in the public transport, it took more than 7 hours. At this time of year, that is most of the daylight hours available. I took the 9am bus from Sligo, starting the walk at 9:40 from Dromahair. It took 2 hours to reach Slish Wood and almost 3 hours to get from there to Collooney. There were a few stops involved to take a break and have a snack as well as taking some photos. The trains run every two hours from Dublin, so you’ll need to be conscious of that, although there are other transport options too by bus.

All told, this is a challenging enough walk, particularly with the terrain being wet at this time of year. Also, I’d recommend doing it with a friend (although I didn’t follow my own advice) as parts of the walk are isolated and if you slip or twist an ankle it’s always better to have some help. In Summer – it is part of the Sligo Camino – this would be a beautiful walk, but if we get a spell of nice and dry Winter weather and you can make full use of the daylight available, this would make for a lovely weekend walk.  

For more details on this section of the Sligo Way, as well as photos and public transport timetables, visit www.SligoWalks.ie.