A-B. Facing the Tourist Office, turn left and follow the purple (and green and blue) arrows for 50m to reach stone steps and a laneway on your right. (The green and blue arrows are for shorter loops). Climb the steps and follow the laneway via the Heritage Centre to join a surfaced road where you turn right. After 300m watch for a roadway on your right at Joe Wattys Bar. Turn right here and, after only 50m turn left again. You are now on the ‘lower’ road.
B-C. Follow the lower road for 1.5km to a junction with a roadway on your left signposted Teampaill Chiarain - turn left here. After 50m pass Teampaill Chiarain on your left as the loop swings right and uphill. After 50m veer right onto and follow a laneway for 500m to rejoin the lower road where you turn left. After 200m pass a signpost for Teampaill Asurnaí and shortly after watch for a stony laneway on your left. Here the Green Loop turns left - but you proceed straight ahead following the blue and purple arrows.
C-D. Follow the surfaced road for 150m to reach a grassy laneway where the loop turns left. Follow this laneway for 500m to exit again onto the lower road at a lake (Loch Phort Chorrúch) and turn left. Pass a viewing point for the seal colony on your right and watch for the ruins of a stone building on your left. The Blue Loop turns left here - but you continue straight ahead.
D-E. Follow the lower road for 600m to reach a grassy laneway on your left - turn left here and follow the laneway as it ascends to reach a stone gap where you turn right onto a grassy track. Follow the grassy track for 1km (passing a Megalithic Tomb on the way) and join a stony laneway which takes you down again to rejoin the lower road. Turn left and follow the road for over 1km to reach a 5-road junction. The road straight ahead takes to Cill Mhuirbhigh (500m) if you fancy refreshements, and to Dún Aonghasa (1.5km). The loop, however, takes the stony roadway (second on your left).
E-F. Follow the stony roadway for 1km before turning right onto a grassy laneway. After 600m you reach a T-junction where a 1km detour to your right takes you to Poll na bPeist. The loop turns left, however, and passes through the village of Gort na gCapall to rach a monument for he local poet Liam O Flaihearta. Turn right at the monument and continue to follow the surfaced road as it ascends for 2km and changes to a stony roadway. At a ‘crossroads’ it rejoins the Blue Loop (coming in from your left) and continues straight.
F-A. The loop begins to descend as it makes its way back to Kilronan. Over the next 2km you pass a number of tracks - continue straight at all of them. You reach a sandy beach at a T-junction (An Poll Mór) where you turn left. Enjoy the last 1km back to the village.
Trail details
- Type:
- Walking Trail
- Location:
- Inis Mor Loops
- Grade:
- Moderate
- Format:
- Loop
- Length:
- 14.70km
- Ascent:
- 180m
- Dogs allowed:
- No