Blanemore Forest Walk

Walked the trail yesterday and it was glorious.



The quality of "roads" to the trail head are pretty poor, think bog-roads with plenty of pot holes, so take it easy on the drive in and beware if you're cycling - it'll be an adventure in itself!



There is a small area where you can park but I could see it becoming awkward if there were many people there....I suspect that doesn't happen. This is a great trail and so interesting but it's certainly off the beaten track.



There is good sign posting of the various sights and an app (but we didn't go that far as to download it, I'm sure we'll check it out at home and can use the info for future visitors).



When you come into the forest at first the trail is like an old road, we took a right off this to the bog wall so moved onto the boards with the non-slip surface. Be warned this is little more than a foot and a bit in width. No prams or cycling (unless you're an experienced trail biker) and you should be pretty good on your feet.



This section was the prettiest for me. When we rounded back up onto the trail-road again, turning left, we met the lake on our left. What a view. I would have loved to sit and wait for the otters. There are benches dotted around the trail and here there is a bench and a table for some scenic picnicing.



We carried on from here, there's a little climb in the trail before coming back down. We felt very adventuresome and enjoyed watching the birds and insects flit around. And we kept spotting some very shiny stones in the trail (time for more research!).



The walk back wasn't as rich in views (we were a bit spoilt at the start really) but it was lovely to be outside and enjoying nature. On this "return" stretch we got to view the tomb and the stones. Very interesting stuff and bravo to those that worked on this project. Again these sections are built with the boards and non-slip surface but there isn't much room. If you did have a pram you could enter the forest and walk straight instead of taking the first right that we did and turn back on yourself when you're done walking and it's time for refreshment!



From here we drove to Ballycastle, walked around Down Patrick head and took a meandering drive along the coast to Killala. There are plenty of stunning sights and lovely villages. We popped into the shop in Ballycastle to a friendly greeting and secured some well needed ice-creams.



I'll admit I wouldn't like to see a trail like this over run but it would be nice for more people to get to appreciate the great work done.