lough arrow lough gara drive

Follow the signs for Carrowkeel, west of the village is Castlebaldwin, as the tar road gives way to a grassy track the stark, jutting cliff faces before you have a cathedral majesty which must have held a magic for the great Stone Age architects of these remarkable tombs. You leave the car at the apex of this track and climb by foot the short distance to the top of Bricklieve Mountain. All but one of the cairns you see scattered over the hillside are passage graves; the other covers a court tomb. On a nearby ridge is what appears to be the remains of an ancient village. The commanding views from this hill are spectacularly beautiful and you can appreciate to the full this glorious lake-studded corner of Sligo. The road from Castlebaldwin to Carrowkeel is well signposted. Care should be taken, particularly when you leave the tarred road. After rain the surface can be slippery, and the narrowness of the track leaves little room for error. The wildness and excitement of the place will be better appreciated if you abandon the car in Castlebaldwin and walk the 6km to the tombs.