A national trail centre in the Ox Mountains
Coolaney holds one of only five national mountain-bike trail centres in Ireland, and the only one in the northwest. The trailhead sits about 750m from the village, an easy spin up the road onto the wooded lower slopes of the Ox Mountains. Forest-road climbs feed into tight, twisting singletrack, then fast descents and rocky, technical sections. The routes are waymarked in one direction, so you follow the arrows rather than picking your own line.
The centre grew out of a community effort. Coolaney Development Company and the North-West MTB Club worked with Sligo County Council to build it, funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and Fáilte Ireland. What was a village of around 200 people in 2006 has pushed hard for visitors since, and the trail centre is the clearest result.
The trails and grades
Three grades share the hillside. The blue route is the gentle option – a 5km loop through forest and heathland, an hour or so at a relaxed pace. The red trails are the heart of the place, three named routes (Baywatch, Buzzard Aldrin and Doomore) running anywhere from 10 to 23km, with views north over Ballysadare and Sligo bays and, on a clear day, as far as Slieve League in Donegal. The black routes are short and sharp, built for expert riders who want something genuinely technical.
One honest word of warning. The upper slopes are exposed and can be very windy, and the grading is not for show – the reds run to ‘difficult to severe’ and the blacks are expert-only. If you are new to off-road riding, start on the blue and build from there. Wear a helmet, and expect to share the forest roads with vehicles and walkers.
Getting there
Coolaney (Cúil Áine, ‘Áine’s corner’) sits in south Sligo at the foot of the Ox Mountains, with the Owenbeg river running through the middle of the village. It is about 18km by road from Sligo town, a short hop from Collooney and Ballysadare just to the north. The trailhead car park has toilets, picnic tables and information boards.
Beyond the bike
If you would rather walk, a quiet riverside path follows the Owenbeg past the remains of an old mill, its sluices and outfalls still visible in the water. For higher ground, the Ladies Brae road climbs over the Ox Mountains on a seven-mile stretch of the Sligo Way and gives some of the best views in the county without leaving the car. Nearby Union Wood, a Coillte forest on Union Rock, holds a patch of old oak woodland fenced off from deer.
Bike hire and facilities
Bring your own bike if you can. If not, Chain Driven Cycles in Sligo hires mountain bikes from about €25 a day and will deliver them to the Coolaney trailhead and collect them afterwards – worth arranging ahead rather than turning up and hoping. The village has a shop and a pub or two for after your ride; its Tidy Towns committee has taken the Tidiest Town in Sligo title more than a dozen times, so the place is well kept.
A final tip
Check the trail grades before you set out and match them honestly to your ability – the reds and blacks are no place to learn. Park at the trailhead rather than in the village, wear a helmet whatever the grade, and if the wind is up on the tops, keep to the sheltered blue loop in the trees.