Trails and Viewpoints in Co. Galway
6 places
1.Knockma Forest Trail
170m fairy hill crowned by Queen Maeve's cairn
Knockma, the Hill of Maeve, is a 170m fairy-haunted hill 8km west of Tuam with free woodland trails, Bronze-Age cairns and a panoramic summit. Legend makes it the court of Finvarra, King of the Connacht fairies.
- Highlights
- Bronze-Age summit cairns — legendary burial place of Queen Maeve
- Finvarra's limestone 'gateways to the otherworld'
- Free entry and free parking
- Facilities
- Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
2.Knockma Wood
a free 4.2 km fairy-wood hike to Queen Maeve's cairn
Knockma, the Hill of Maeve, is a free 65-hectare Coillte forest park 8 km west of Tuam, where a 4.2 km looped walk climbs through native woodland to Bronze Age cairns, fairy doors and some of the finest views in Galway.
- Highlights
- Bronze Age summit cairns linked to Queen Maeve
- Fairy doors and a fairy school hidden in the woods
- Burren-like limestone pavement on Finvara's Trail
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Dog-friendly · Wheelchair access
3.Barna Woods
ancient oak woodland with a 5th-century holy well
A pocket of ancient broadleaf woodland on Galway's western edge, where some of the oldest oaks in the west of Ireland shade a 5th-century holy well — just minutes from the city.
- Highlights
- Ancient oaks — some of the oldest in the west of Ireland
- St Enda's Well, a 5th/6th-century holy well still in use
- Bluebell carpets in spring
- Facilities
- Wheelchair access
4.Pine Island Viewpoint
Scots pines silhouetted against the Twelve Bens
One of Ireland's most photographed landscapes: a small Scots-pine-covered island on Derryclare Lough, framed by the rugged Twelve Bens — a must-stop roadside viewpoint along the Wild Atlantic Way.
- Highlights
- One of Ireland's most photographed landscapes
- Iconic Scots pines silhouetted against the Twelve Bens
- Mirror-like reflections on calm days
5.Quiet Man Bridge
John Wayne's famous 1952 film stop on the N59
A small stone bridge on the N59 near Oughterard that earned screen fame in John Ford's 1952 classic The Quiet Man — the spot where John Wayne's Sean Thornton stops to look across the Connemara landscape. It is a free, easy roadside stop on the drive between Galway and Clifden.
- Highlights
- Free, 5-minute roadside stop on the N59 Galway–Clifden route
- Filming location of the 1952 Oscar-winning The Quiet Man
- John Wayne commemorative plaque on the bridge
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access
6.Wild Atlantic Way Signature Discovery Point @Derrigimlagh
two transatlantic firsts on one windswept bog
A windswept blanket bog outside Clifden where two transatlantic firsts happened within a few hundred metres: Marconi's 1907 commercial radio station, and Alcock & Brown's crash-landing after the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic in 1919.
- Highlights
- First permanent transatlantic commercial radio station, built by Marconi (opened 1907)
- Landing site of the first non-stop transatlantic flight, Alcock & Brown (1919)
- Easy 4.5-5 km looped trail with boardwalks and interpretation
- Facilities
- Good for kids · Wheelchair access