Writing about the best walks in Roscommon brings back some amazing memories for me. I spent a lot of time in Roscommon in my youth. My parents would regularly drop me off in my Aunt Helen and Uncle Ted’s house in Roscommon town. For a few days or a week I would become part of their family and have the best time with my cousins Edwina and Laura.
I have lovely recollections of bike rides, board games and a general sense of fun. We seemed to fill our days with activities and just let our imaginations run wild. I know my cousin James got the same welcoming treatment on a regular basis too – sometimes our stays would overlap and it was a real riot of fun as us children played together.
We spent our time enjoying the sights and sounds of Roscommon town – the little park, the Abbey, and the streets and lanes became our playground. It makes sense so that I have a real fondness for this part of the country.
As an adult, I have come to realise, the town is a great base for exploring the rest of this county which acts as a gateway into the west. Sometimes overlooked, Roscommon has some fantastic walks – here’s my review of the best walks in Roscommon.
Lough Key Forest Park
Lough Key is really fab. Located near the town of Boyle, Lough Key offers a whole host of activities such as a visitor centre and restaurant, tree canopy walk, a viewing tower, outdoor play areas and audio tours. Plus lots more! Check out loughkey.ie for more details.
Of course, given the beautiful lakeside and woodland surroundings, Lough Key also has fantastic opportunities for walkers. You have 3 marked trails to choose from:
- Drummans Island Trail (2.7km)
- Bog Garden Trailer (3.9km)
- Lough Key Slí na Sláinte (3.8km)
On the other hand, you can also just wander around the beautiful forest and lakeside trails at your leisure.
Kilronan Castle
Set on the shore of Lough Meelagh, the Kilronan Castle Estate provides some lovely walking trails. The castle operates as a Hotel and Spa but the walks are open to the public also. Alltrails.com provides a good 5km route which offers a lovely mix of forest and lakeside views.
The Golden Mile
Roscommon’s Golden Mile is a one mile trail starting from the White Bridge in Athlone and then along the River Shannon and canal and back. I would recommend extending this walk and completing the Golden Mile Loop – at just over 5km it provides a bit more substance to discovering the western side of the Shannon in Athlone.
Seltannasaggart – Roscommon’s Highest Point
If you want to tick off Roscommon’s highest point, then the Seltannasaggart walk is the one for you. On the border of Roscommon and Leitrim, the highest point of Seltannasaggart is actually on the Leitrim side. So, the highest point in Roscommon is actually on the slope up to the top. Nonetheless, this is a pretty walk and a nice easy one to achieve a county top.
Roscommon actually has one of the smallest county tops in Ireland – the lowest being Mullaghmeen in the beautiful County Westmeath. They both are a contrast to other Wild Irish Walks County Tops walks completed such as Carrauntoohil or Lugnaquilla where the high mountain peaks are spectacular because of their altitude. Despite this, given the flat lowland surroundings, these midland peaks offer some pretty good views.
Again alltrails.com provide a good route for this pleasant walk.
Mote Park Heritage Walkway
Starting from Roscommon town, visitroscommon.ie provides a nice map of the 11km Mote Park Heritage Walkway. As you might guess, Mote Park is popular among locals and well known as a lovely forest trail.
Lough Meelagh Loop
A lovely 11km looped walk. The Lough Meelagh trail takes in parts of Miner’s Way and Historical Trail. The Miner’s Way is a long distance national way-marked trail which runs through Cavan, Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo. Previously, I’ve written about the 45 National Waymarked Trails in Ireland – check it out if you are interested in multi-day hikes.
For me, the nice part of this walk is that it creates an accessible walking route which can be completed in a few hours yet still hits some of the highlights of the longer Miner’s Way route. If you are in this area, you should also check out the underground tours at the Arigna Mining Experience.
So there it is – my opinion of the best walks in Roscommon. A beautiful county where the best walks centre around the amazing rivers, lakes and forests on offer as you cross the River Shannon and enter Connacht.