Boyle Curlew Walkers is an excellent local walking club, walking most Sundays during the walking season.
Arigna Miner’s Way and Historical Trail are a network of walking paths which wind their way through adjoining parts of Counties Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo. The Miners Way follows many of the paths used by the miners going to work in the Arigna coal mines. This section makes a circuit starting from Arigna and travelling via Keadue, Ballyfarnon and Corrie Mountain to return to Arigna. The Historical Trail section runs in a great loop, leaving the Miners Way at Keadue and running to Lough Key Forest Park, Boyle, Carrowkeel, Castlebaldwin, Highwood and returning to the Miners Way at Ballyfarnon. A third loop connects the Miners Way to Sli Liatroma and goes around Lough Allen by Drumkeeran, Dowra, Drumshanbo and back to Arigna. The Arigna Miners Way, including all links is 62km (39 miles) in length and ascends some 1300 metres. The Historical Trail is 56km (35 miles) in length and ascends some 850 metres. They are most suitable for a week’s walking but the visitor can pick and choose which sections to walk.. Camping is feasible but permission and water will need to be obtained from local farmhouses. Camping is prohibited in the state forest plantations.
For further information contact Boyle Tourist Office Tel. 071 96 62145 or Carrick-on-Shannon Tourist Office Tel. 071 96 20170.
It should be noted that these tourist offices open on a seasonal basis.
Ireland West Tourism Tel. 091 563091.
Suck Valley Way is a 100km Waymarked Walk Way which runs through the Suck River Valley, incorporating parts of counties Roscommon and Galway. It is unusual among Irish Waymarked Walks because for most of its length it lies across lowland farms. It also traverses the boglands and callows along the river Suck with their numerous lakes and drainage channels. The varied landscape includes gentle hills, forests, bogs, meadows and farmland, and the lovely Suck River is crossed no less than six times via old stone/dot.gif bridges. The monuments of history are everywhere and the bird and plant life offer a delightful study for the botanist, ornithologist and anyone who loves nature.
The Way passes through “The Nine Friendly Villages”, Ballygar, Creggs, Glinsk, Ballymoe, Ballintober, Dunamon, Castlecoote, Athleague and Mount Talbot.
Contact:
Angling Visitor Conference Centre & Riverside Cafe, Athleague, Co. Roscommon.
Tel: 090 66 63602 Fax: 090 66 63014 E-mail: info@suckvalley.com
Web: www.suckvalley.com
Mote Park Heritage Walkway Mote Park, the seat of the Crofton Family from the 16th century up until the 1940s is a gateway to heritage, history, flora, fauna and the environment. Located in the heart of County Roscommon, it is an ideal venue for outdoor activities for children and people of all ages. Mote Park is now widely known for its forests, an important amenity for Roscommon town and surrounding areas. These forests total 650 acres and provide habitats for many species of wildlife, both common and rare. The forests add greatly to the unique character of the area and are providing opportunities for many forms of outdoor pursuits including hiking, walking and animal bird-watching.
There are two way marked trails, the Crofton and bluebell loop walks.
Also a local heritage trail goes through the forest property and has a number of new stops.
St Colmans loop is in nearby Derrydonnell Wood and it can be accessed from Roscommon town by foot.
Sliabh Bán – Walking Through Time – Strokestown
Embark on a “Walk through Time” which will demonstrate the fundamental links between the natural history and the cultural development of an area over time. In the Strokestown district, the geological foundations provide the underlying shape of the landscape, dominated by Sliabh Bán mountain to the south east of the town. More recently, the Great Ice Age carved out the modern landscape, leaving behind a legacy of hills (drumlins), lakes, soils and bogs which have directed the patterns of human activity over the centuries. In particular, the major change in the course of the River Shannon during the Ice Age can be observed in the current pattern of the Kilglass Lakes system. Experience 3 walks through this unique landscape.
For further information contact: Pat Compton on 087 236 1794