Lissadell Beach

If you are looking for a secluded beach to walk Lissadell beach is perfect. It’s a lovely flat walk, so suitable for all abilities. To get there head out of Sligo town on the N15 and turn left just after Davis’s Restaurant (Yeats Tavern). Go through the pretty village of Carney and keep going until you see The Cake Lady on your right – it’s a premises by the way – not an actual cake lady 😉 You’ll see a sign saying Lissadell House 2km on the left so turn down there and you will come to a forest, keep going and you’ll get to the beach.

If you turn right walking along the beach you will come to a little ruined building. As far as I know this is the old changing room for swimmers.

From the beach you’ll have stunning views of Benbulben Mountain and the Blackrock Lighthouse.

If you turn left and head back out to the forest you will see a little track running parallel with the beach. Walk down this track, follow the sounds of the birds, over some wooden bridges and you’ll see a bird hide. It’s the perfect place for bird watching especially during November to April when you will see hundreds of barnacle geese at the Ballygilgan Nature Reserve. You will also see all kinds of other birds including Redshank, Greenshank, Oystercatcher and more….and you might actually see seals if you are lucky.