Lough Talt – Gorterslin Road Walk

Walk Category: Rural Road Walk
Walk Grade: Easy
Walking Terrain: Grass Track, Country Road
Waymarking: Marked Trail
Trailhead: Joe Dans Bar

Length: 7km
Ascent: 130m
Time: 1.5hrs
Suggested Gear: Sturdy Shoes
Longitude: 54.069865
Latitude: -8.870086

Directions to Trailhead

Take the R294 sign-posted Ballina from Tubbercurry. Park at Joe Dann’s pub.

The Trail Map:- OSI Map Series 24

A walk on the hilly roads above Lough Talt. Lovely views of Lough Talt and the Gap. Care needed on the Ballina road.

The Route
Take the R294 or Ballina road from Tubbercurry. Park at Joe Dans pub. Continue on the main road for a few metres before turning right up a narrow road. This ascends through a forest before levelling out somewhat. Continue past the last house as the road turns into a rough track. Continue on passing the French Mans grave and follow the track veering to the left and downhill. Pass through the timber gate to reach the main road. Turn left onto the main road and continue back to your starting point at Joe Dans.

Did You Know?
A Plaque located at the site of the French Mans grave in Gorterslin marks the resting place of many of General Humbert’s French Soldiers who landed at Killala, Co. Mayo and died on the mountain as they made their way to join up in Tubbercurry with Irish Rebels and fought alongside them in their cause for freedom.

Plan ahead and Prepare
Dispose of waste properly
Leave what you find
Respect wildlife and farm stock
Be considerate of others
Minimise the effects of fire

2 responses to “Lough Talt – Gorterslin Road Walk”

Colin Callanan

December 24, 2022

Lovely walk/ Run with magical views across the ox mountains. However, best to do an “over and back” on the trail instead of using the R294 for a loop. The R294 is not pleasant to walk on and doesn’t have a safe path for walkers. Cars go fast and it’s busy.

I still highly recommend the high trail over and back, it’s peaceful, unspoilt and had lovely views.

You could do a little walk by the west side of the lake afterwards if you want more distance… but again, over and back, there is no places for walkers on the east side along r294.

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Sheena Spencer

February 14, 2018

The R294 can be quite busy and indeed sometimes dangerous.
So we prefer to park by Lough Talt and walk west along the lake-shore, coming back to the car parks along the main road.
It’s probably a shorter walk, but much more pleasant and much safer, especially with a group.

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