The Aughris Coastal Walk is a lovely 4km looped trail accessible for all the family. Take in the history of the small headland, learning about promontory forts, WWII lookout posts, holy wells, and the surrounding mountains.

Overview - Aughris Coastal Walk:

Distance: 4km
Format: Looped
Time: 60mins - 90mins (depending on route, fitness, and how long you want to take in the views)
Parking:
Space available for about 5 cars in the lay-by at the trail head.
Trail difficulty: Easy
The trail is well kept and waymarked. There are no climbs or descents. There are a few kissing gates along the way.
Read about trail grading in Ireland here.
Trail quality: 5/5
The trail is very well maintained. It is separated from the active farmland as much as possible, hugging the coastline.
Views: 4/5
Great views of the surrounding mountains and coastline. Lovely for such a small local trail.
Buggy/Wheelchair friendly: No
The majority of this trail is very flat and a easy, smooth gravel. However there are kissing gates and a couple of short sections along grassy cliffs.
Dogs allowed: No
The first section along contained trail may be dog friendly, but dogs are certainly not allowed on the farmland section of the trail.
Further Info:
Learn more about the trail on the Sligo Walks website, and on the community website The Chronicles of Aughris.

It’s an early evening in June as I pull into the small parking area across from the Aughris Coastal Walk info board. The sun is lowering but still has a few hours to go before I’ve to worry about it, instead providing dramatic light to spend the evening in.

The info board is right beside Aughris Pier, and the trail immediately turns off onto a well defined and maintained track. As I walk out along the trail, with every turn of the coastline I face a different view, and a different prominent peak. Along this trail you’ll get gorgeous videos of Knocknarea, Belbulben, and the Ox Mountains.

The trail hugs the waters edge as closely as it can, predominantly on a gravel track. After about 700m, the trail comes to a grassy rise overlooking a small beach. As you look across to the far side of the beach, you might notice a not-entirely natural looking shape to the headland. This is Aughris Promontory Fort, known locally as O’Toole’s Castle.

Promontory forts are ancient defensive structures built along steep cliffs. Shaped like rough semi-circles, they fence off parts of headlands behind big walls, meaning anyone wanting to raid you would have to scale the cliffs, or fight their way over the walls. Mainly found in Ireland, Brittany, and on the very westerly coastlines of the UK, most forts date from the Iron Age. Over 350 promontory forts have been identified along the coastline of Ireland. Aughris Promontory Fort is distinctive as you come to it - built up walls and defendable banks clear.

Legends tells that that back in the 9th century, when Vikings were plundering the Sligo coastline, a raid was set for the monastery on the Aughris. However, as the raiders approached from the surrounding islands, the monastery’s treasure was buried under the mounds of Aughris Promontory Fort. A curse was then placed on the treasure, proclaiming that in order to retrieve it, a life had to be forfeited. To this day, no one has disturbed the ground, or the curse.

After the fort the trail is less defined, crossing the sloping grassy fields. On a clear day, there are great views of Benbulben from here.

After about 1.5km, you arrive at St. Patrick’s Well. An early Christian site, this space was also used as a place to secretly practice Catholicism during penal times in Ireland. The wells are almost overwhelmed by the pile of stones in the middle of the space, made up of pebbles carried and cast in prayer.

Leaving the well, the trail returns to gravel underfoot. The next stop on the walk is a little past the 2km mark - the WWII Lookout Post.

This small concrete box is Look Out Post No. 67 - one of 83 built along the coastline to track the comings and goings of ships and aircraft. A picnic bench has been installed outside, and as I sat for a moment, the cows came to inspect who the latest outpost resident was. We chewed our respective cuds, and then it’s a short walk down to the lane, to loop back around to the start.

For such a short trail, the work that’s been put into it is fantastic. It’s a lovely way to spend an hour, and the history collected on the Aughris website is a great resource.