A wild coastal loop on the remote Mullet Peninsula, pairing a vast low-tide beach with dunes, a lake, and the haunting ruins of Cross Abbey — where Atlantic scenery and Celtic legend collide.
The dunes and fields around Cross Lough are a rare machair habitat — shell-rich sandy grassland grazed in winter. Look for Barnacle and Grey geese, swans on the lake, Irish Hare, and in summer the rare Great Yellow Bumblebee. Orchids, Kidney Vetch, Wild Thyme and Harebell flower through spring and summer.
The shorter of the two waymarked loops: follow green arrows from Cross Abbey car park along Cross Beach for 2.5 km, then turn inland through dunes to Cross Lough, where picnic benches overlook the lake. Return via a farm track to the abbey ruins. Allow 1.5 hours. Best done at low tide.
Follow blue waymarkers for the longer option. This route circles all the way around Cross Lough before returning, adding extra shoreline and farmland terrain. Allow 2.5 hours. The extended loop gives more time with the lake's birdlife and the machair grasslands.
The walk begins and ends at the atmospheric graveyard and remains of Cross Abbey, an early Christian site perched beside the sea. Pause here before or after your walk to absorb the layered history of this far-flung corner of Erris.
The first half of both loops follows Cross Beach (Cross Common), a fine sandy strand stretching about 2.5 km. At low tide the beach is broad and firm underfoot, with views of the Inishkea Islands, Inishglora and Inishkeeragh offshore. At high tide much of the beach is submerged — time your visit accordingly.
Load the interactive map to explore this place location.
