Lough Easkey

Lough Easkey

Walk Category: Lakeshore Walk
Walk Grade: Moderate
Walking Terrain: Country Road, Lakeshore Track
Waymarking: Purple Arrows
Trailhead: Carpark

Length: 6km
Ascent: 20m
Time: 2hrs
Suggested Gear: Hiking boots, fluid, phone
Longitude: 54.159016
Latitude: -8.844680

Directions to Trailhead

Take the N4 toward Dublin, after approximately 5km take the N59 signposted Ballina. Just after Dromore West village, take the first left, sign-posted Tubbercurry continue for approximately 11km until you arrive at the lakeshore trail head and car-park.

The Trail Map:- OSI Map Series 24

UPDATE: Dogs are not permitted on the off road sections of the trail as it crosses open farmland.

This walk traces the shores of Lough Easkey, a peaceful and scenic lake surrounded by forest plantations. The blanket bog on this route is designated a special area of conservation boasting rare types of moss and threatened bird species like the Greenland white fronted goose and Irelands only native reptile the common lizard has also been spotted here.

The Route
Starting from the carpark on the left, this remote nature trail crosses blanket bog with a combination of of forest tracks, laneways and minor roads, leading walkers into the Ox Mountains, offering stunning lakeshore views from part of the Sligo Way.

Did You Know?
The name ‘Easkey’ means ‘Plentiful in Fish’, and the lake is fittingly abundant in salmon and trout.

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7 responses to “Lough Easkey”

  1. Paul Murray

    Lough Easkey is wild and beautiful and well worth a trip – better enjoyed if you are not in a rush. It’s a much longer walk than is suggested here – safer to leave two hours at least, so that you can enjoy the scenery. However, it’s particularly worth nothing that if you attempt the loop by starting on the road/path to the right, as you stand with your back to the lake, then the walk seems comparatively easy until you reach the tumble-down cottage. After that point, there are only sheep trails and the land is very boggy, even at this time of year – June 2024. It took us 90 minutes to get back to the car park from the cottage. The terrain is more mountain like, bog and stone, although no incline or decline. There are many little bog streams and only some have plank bridges.Make sure you wear proper footwear. The signage is a bit random, but it doesnt really matter, as the lake is your guide – always to your right. There are no shortcuts. Some of the stiles are a little shaky, so just be careful.
    Finally, there are a lot of sheep and even if your dog is well behaved, it is wise to leave them at home. Phone signal here is very random too. Bring food/drink as, rightly, there are no facilities here. It is raw wildness – that’s its beauty. Enough time, good boots and maybe a pole stick and you will have an unforgettable day.

    Reply
  2. ADS

    Did this a couple of days ago – nice and dry and a few weeks without any rain – lovely walk, including an abandoned village (now occupied by sheep)
    Best to do it anti clockwise for the purple signage
    An impressive number of maintained planks to cross streams – but you can see how some sections would be wet in normal weather!
    Very quiet – we encountered just one (Breton) couple in the 100 minutes it took us to walk the 6.6km

    Reply
  3. Ray

    An absolute joy ! Stunning scenery and a good test for your waterproof hiking boots ?

    Reply
  4. Altivo

    I was planning to go, but now it is off the list. I do not understand why dogs on a leash are not permitted.

    Reply
    1. Adrian

      If you went and did the walk, you would understand why dogs are not permitted. There is sheep everywhere on the route and road and although the dog might be on a leash, there is not much space to pass the sheep to run on the road

      Plenty of places for walking dogs around Sligo, this is one of the very few places that it just doesn’t suit

      Reply
    2. Tom

      So you would give this amazing location a one star rating, having never even visited it. Wow. Another selfish dog owner who doesn’t get it. Sheep are easily spooked by dogs on a leash too – it’s not all about dogs chasing after them. This is a real problem during lambing season. There are sheep EVERYWHERE on this route, including on the trails.

      Reply
  5. Karen

    The scenery here is just amazing, I would take the drive just to see it. The loop is very marshy right now, if you want you test just how waterproof your boots are try this walk! The fact that a lot of the loop is so wet its not the easiest walk, maybe it will be dry in the summer… also the route is shared with a lot of sheep!

    Reply

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