• Top 5 Free Sligo Activities

    Free activities to try during your next visit to Sligo!

1. Benbulben Mountain

CLIMB BENBULBEN MOUNTAIN

Enjoy superb views of Sligo, Donegal, Leitrim and even Mayo from the top of Benbulben. This iconic 526m tabletop mountain is part of the Dartry mountain range and the most visible landmark and attraction in North Sligo.

According to local mythology, Benbulben was called after an Irish king called Conal Gulban and is also the setting of several Irish legends involving Fianna warriors such as Diarmuid and Gráinne.

Benbulben has some wonderful flora and fauna which you can keep an eye out for on your hike including wild hares and foxes. In addition, Benbulben is the only location in Ireland where Fringed Sandwort (Arenaria Ciliata) a perennial herb has been found.

Our Bed & Breakfast lies at the foot of Benbulbin and you can climb it from our front door. Talk to Marita & Ian about the best routes for your Benbulben hike.

2. Benbulben Loop at Gortarowey

WALK BENBULBEN LOOP AT GORTAROWEY

Gortarowey forest recreation area is only a 20-minute quiet laneway walk from our Bed & Breakfast.

Once at Gortarowey, there are two different trails that you can walk, a Cashel Blue Loop which is 4 km and a Red Benbulben Loop which is 5.5km. There is also a multi-access trail at the site.

It’s worth walking the Benbulben Loop for the amazing views of the northern side of the mountain. The Benbulben Loop also takes in the shorter Cashel Loop which includes a historical Cashel site, and all three trails have great views over the Wild Atlantic bays of Sligo and Donegal.

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3. The Devil’s Chimney

The Devil’s Chimney starts to flow at 492 feet on the south side of the Dartry Mountains and is thought to be Ireland’s tallest waterfall.

The waterfall’s Irish name is Sruth an Aghaidh an Aird which literally means flows backwards. The reason the waterfall is given this name is that during wet and windy weather the water can be seen blowing up and back over the mountain edge.

There is a small car park at Devil’s Chimney, and from there you can walk the short 1.2km trail up to a wonderful viewing point and get a closer look at the waterfall. The Devil’s Chimney is a 15-minute drive from Benbulben Farmhouse B&B.

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4. Glencar Waterfall

Glencar Waterfall on the Sligo Leitrim Border has been made famous by WB Yeats and his poem ‘The Stolen Child.

Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.

The waterfall is 50ft high and can be accessed by a short walk through picturesque woodland from a car park on the shores of Glencar Lake. Glencar Waterfall is a 17-minute drive from our Sligo Bed and Breakfast.

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5. WB Yeats Grave

Visit the grave of WB Yeats at Drumcliff Church, this famous poet was inspired by the beautiful landscape of County Sligo and spent many happy times visiting the area.

Yeats is buried at his chosen resting place at the foot of Benbulben mountain where his headstone is inscribed with the famous self-penned epitaph: “Cast a cold eye on life, on death, horseman, pass by.”

This site at Drumcliff also has the remains of a round tower and a high cross constructed in the 11th when there was a Christian monastery on site.

WB Yeat’s grave is a short 5-minute drive from our B&B.

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