Gortarowey Forest Recreation Area


The best way to walk around within the shadow of Benbulben is by visiting this area within Benbulben Forest. There are three trails: the looped longer walks take you along the northern slopes of the mountain, affording spectacular views. The longest is the Benbulben Loop, which is clearly signposted, 5.5km long and takes around two hours to complete. Each trail starts and ends in the car park. Download a map from the website.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Yeats' Grave

2.37 MILES

Yeats was long believed to be buried next to the doorway of Drumcliff Parish Church, but recent evidence suggests that the bones shipped here from France…

2. Lissadell House

3.65 MILES

The imposing ancestral home of the Gore-Booth family is one of Sligo's top sights. Revolutionary nationalist and socialist Constance Goore-Booth (Countess…

3. Streedagh Strand

3.75 MILES

Curving, dune-backed, 3km-long Streedagh Strand occasionally sees parts of the Spanish Armada washing up on its shores from three wrecks offshore: La…

4. Lough Glencar Waterfall

5.63 MILES

The poet WB Yeats is among those who've fallen for this 15m tumbling torrent, set in the most beautiful area of Lough Glencar – it features in his poem…

5. Creevykeel Court Tomb

5.9 MILES

The neatly stacked piles of rocks here stretch some 50m along and sketch a shape similar to a lobster's claw. They outline what is one of Ireland's finest…

6. Sligo County Museum

6.27 MILES

The major draw of Sligo's small county museum is the Yeats room, which features photographs, letters and newspaper cuttings connected with WB Yeats. Also…

7. WB Yeats Statue

6.27 MILES

Erected in 1989, this abstract statue of Yeats – with broken glasses – in front of the 1863 Ulster Bank (a building he admired) is the source of much…

8. Hyde Bridge

6.28 MILES

This central stone bridge spanning the River Garavogue was built in 1845. It was originally named after Queen Victoria, then re-named after the first…