Colmcille Climbers

Sligo.  Map OS 1:50,000 Sheet 16

Contributor Valli Schafer.

The Ride

This is a beautiful wood very convenient for Sligo, and popular for walking, cycling and many other activities.  There are a number of custom trails built and maintained by the North West Bike Club, which could be incorporated into this route making it a lot more technical.

Terrain

Mainly good forestry roads and well surfaced paths, but with one tough, rocky, boggy and technical section.

Time 2 Hours    Distance 15 km

Approach

From Sligo follow the R ? south to the roundabout at Collooney where is a filling Station, and turn left, and immediately left again and park at the Gourmet Café, which can be seen easily from the main road.  This is a good place for refreshments before or after.

Route

Cycle out to gate and turn left, following a  narrowing road, which becomes a forestry track as it enters Union Wood.  Take the first right through a gate and begin a stiff climb up a broad track which weaves its way uphill through the trees.  Turn left at the first crossroads and follow the, now level, track past some outcrops on your right, circling around the hill to rejoin the main track at a T junction,  Turn left, downhill, and go straight through the next  cross, continuing to meet a barrier and the tarmac road.  Cross with care to another track, as there is a blind bend nearby, and fork left immediately on a track running close to, and parallel with, the roadway.  At a turning area the track swings right, uphill, and follow this on grey screenings to where the track turns sharply right, again uphill.

 Only metres before this there is a log across the ditch on the right, and a narrow stoney path beside it, which goes uphill becoming increasingly difficult to cycle.  At the top, great views open up of the Sligo area, as you clamber back in the saddle and attempt to make your way across this rocky hilltop on a choice of faint tracks towards a line of pylons.  Just before reaching the pylons you will join a more distinct cart  track going downhill, on a combination of stone slab and mucky sumps. Enjoyable but pretty challenging, it joins the cinder track of the Sligo Way, which is zoomed down to the roadway crossing again.

You can return directly through the wood, (without the need to circumnavigate the hill again), or turn left at the point/ crossroads at which you took off around the hill, and take a custom built mountain bike trail on your right, which will bring you to the same place, should you survive.