Overview
Aughris Head has the highest sea cliffs in County Sligo – 30 metres of them – and a short loop walk that ties a cliff-edge ring fort, a WWII lookout and a holy well together before dropping you at a thatched pub on the sand. It sits at the south-western corner of Sligo Bay on the Wild Atlantic Way, a designated discovery point, with two beaches either side of the headland: Aughris Beach below the pier and Dunmoran Strand around the far side. On a clear day you can see across the bay to Knocknarea and Benbulben, and out to the Donegal hills beyond. It’s about 30 minutes’ drive from Sligo town, or 20 from Easky.
If you’ve only half an hour, walk out from the Beach Bar to the ring fort and the lookout post – that stretch of cliff is the best of it – and leave the rest for another day.
History and heritage
The name comes from the Irish Eachrois, meaning ‘point of the horses’. The headland has a cliff-edge ring fort – a promontory fort using the sea as one of its walls – which points to occupation well back into the early medieval period, and there are older earthworks along the coast path.
Aughris Pier drew big political crowds either side of 1900. Charles Stewart Parnell spoke here in 1890, and an Irish-language rally followed in 1901 – a reminder that this quiet spot was once a gathering point for the whole district. The pattern days lived on longer: the area kept up its summer Lughnasa traditions, with rounds made at St Patrick’s Holy Well and dancing and matchmaking on the headland into the last century.
Up on the cliffs sits the concrete shell of a World War II coastal lookout post, one of the chain of neutral Ireland’s watch huts that ringed the coast. It’s the clearest man-made landmark on the walk, and it still commands the view the watchers had.
The coastal walk
The Aughris Head loop is an easy walk of about 4km with only 20 metres of climbing, and most people do it in an hour. It starts either from the Beach Bar car park or from Aughris Pier. It isn’t formally waymarked, but the route is hard to lose: keep the sea on your side and follow the cliff edge round.
What you pass along the way:
- A clear sea-cove and caves – about 700 metres from the start, with two small caves at the water; the larger caves further round are reachable only by kayak.
- The cliff-edge ring fort – the high point of the walk for the view, with the Ox Mountains inland and Benbulben across the bay.
- The WWII lookout post – perched right on the edge with the full sweep of the Atlantic in front of it.
- St Patrick’s Holy Well – a quiet, flower-fringed spot said to have a connection to the saint.
- The remains of a deserted village – stone foundations of a settlement that once worked this coast, including old booley huts.
- A wooden bridge back towards Dunmoran, closing the loop.
Walkers often point out a large lichen-covered rock along the cliff that locals call the giant’s footprint, credited to Finn McCool.
One caveat: the ground is uneven with steep, unguarded drops, so it’s no place for standard pushchairs or wheelchairs, and it isn’t one for small children off the lead of your attention.
Beaches and water sports
Aughris Beach is a long, stony strand with a sheltered harbour at the pier – a reliable spot for mackerel and pollack off the pier wall, and calm enough for stand-up paddleboarding.
Dunmoran Strand, sheltered behind high dunes, has a gentler slope and steadier rollers, which makes it the better of the two for beginners on a board or a windsurfer. Instructors run group and private sessions from around the Beach Bar through the summer, with board and wetsuit hire. Stronger surfers tend to wait for the autumn and winter swells, which come in hardest at the more exposed Aughris break.
Wildlife and nature
Grey seals haul out on the rocks at low tide and dolphins turn up off the point often enough to be worth watching for. In the breeding season the higher crags hold razorbills, guillemots and kittiwakes. Late spring runs a carpet of wildflowers across the dunes and pasture – the salt-marsh, dune grass and cliff face pack a lot of different ground into a small headland.
The Beach Bar
The Beach Bar is a thatched pub built right on the sand at Aughris Pier – there aren’t many like it. It does food, drink and a few B&B rooms, with a beer garden angled at the sunset, and there are live trad sessions on some summer evenings. Food runs roughly 1pm to 8pm in summer; check ahead off-season, as the hours shorten. For something lighter, Loveen’s Tasty Treats sells ice-cream and pastries from a stall near the end of the loop.
For an overnight, Aughris House B&B is a short walk from the pub, and Cawley’s Guesthouse, a few kilometres inland, can arrange meals at the Beach Bar for guests. Both fill up with surfers and walkers.
Practical information
- Parking: Free. Space at Aughris Beach is limited, so on a busy day head for Dunmoran Strand, which has more room, or use the roadside near the pier. Turn off the N59 at the Aughris junction and follow the narrow single-track road down.
- Opening hours: The headland and path are open all year, day and night. The Beach Bar runs roughly 1pm–8pm in summer (shorter off-season); the surf instructors work from about May to September.
- Dogs: Dogs are not allowed on the headland walk – sheep graze the open fields and signs say so. They’re generally tolerated on the beach, but keep them under control.
- Tides: Explore the sea-cove and caves at low tide only. Check a local tide table first; a rising tide can cut off the coves.
- Safety: Stay back from the cliff edge, mind slippery rock, and don’t climb on the WWII lookout structure.
Best time to come is a bright evening: walk the head while the light’s on the cliffs, then take the Beach Bar’s garden as the sun goes down over the bay. Order at the bar before the trad starts.