Trails and Viewpoints in Co. Galway
6 places
1.Knockma Forest Trail
Fairy legends, Bronze Age cairns, panoramic views
Knockma, the Hill of Maeve, is a Coillte forest walk 8 km west of Tuam where hazel and oak woods climb to two Bronze Age cairns and one of the widest panoramas in the west of Ireland. Legend says Finvarra, king of the Connacht fairies, holds court here.
- Highlights
- Free entry, open all year round
- 4.2 km looped forest trail with four sections
- Two Bronze Age cairns said to be Queen Maeve's grave
- Facilities
- Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
2.Knockma Wood
Cairns, fairy doors and a Burren-like summit
Knockma, the legendary Hill of Maeve, rises above native woodland near Belclare in east Galway, where a short loop of forest track leads to Bronze Age cairns, Burren-like limestone and one of Ireland's grandest panoramas.
- Highlights
- Panoramic summit views towards Galway Bay and the Burren
- Two Bronze Age cairns linked to Queen Maeve and Ceasair
- Home of Finvarra, king of the Connacht fairies
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
3.Barna Woods
Ancient oaks and a 1.6 km woodland trail
A 35-hectare remnant of ancient broadleaf woodland on the western edge of Galway city, laced with easy trails, a holy well and newly carved tree sculptures.
- Highlights
- Oaks among the oldest in the west of Ireland
- Saint Enda's Well, a 5th/6th-century holy well
- 1.6 km easy, family-friendly biodiversity trail
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
4.Pine Island Viewpoint
a lone pine island mirrored in a Connemara lake
A tiny stand of Scots pines on a dark Connemara lake, mirrored in still water beneath the Twelve Bens — the view that has become shorthand for the west of Ireland.
- Highlights
- Iconic Scots pine island on Derryclare Lough
- Reflections of the Twelve Bens on calm mornings
- Short path down to the shoreline
5.Quiet Man Bridge
John Wayne's 1952 film bridge beside the N59
A humped-back 19th-century road bridge over the Leam River that became a piece of film history in John Ford's 1952 classic The Quiet Man. Today it is an easy, free roadside stop on the N59 through Connemara.
- Highlights
- Filming location from The Quiet Man (1952)
- John Wayne commemorative plaque on the bridge
- Humped-back stone bridge with double Roman arches over the Leam River
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
6.Wild Atlantic Way Signature Discovery Point @Derrigimlagh
Two transatlantic firsts on one windswept bog
A lonely Connemara blanket bog where, within a dozen years, Marconi sent the first commercial transatlantic radio signal and Alcock and Brown ended the first non-stop transatlantic flight.
- Highlights
- 5km signposted loop through blanket bog
- Site of Marconi's 1907 transatlantic radio station
- Cairn marking Alcock & Brown's 1919 landing
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access