Suck Valley Way - Slí Gleannta na Suca
Long Distance Waymarked Way · Galway and Roscommon
Suck Valley Way - Slí Gleannta na Suca is a 123.9 km moderate waymarked loop in Galway and Roscommon, starting near Ballygar.
Notice from the trail operator
Please note the following temporary re-routes are in place on the Suck Valley Way: Mount Mary to Creggs section - Follow signed alternative road route as land section is temporarily closed for enhancement works. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.
As recorded in the register on 2026-08-13. Check with Suck Valley Way Development Co-Op & Roscommon LEADER Partnership Company before travelling.
Grade
| Activity | Grade | Difficulty | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking | Moderate | Moderate | 5 days |
Getting there
Starts at Ballygar.
- Trailhead coordinates
- 53.52382, -8.3227
- Irish Grid reference
- M 679 793
- Ordnance Survey sheets
- Discovery Series Sheets 39 and 40
The National Trails Register's own latitude and longitude fields are empty for all 1,186 trails on it. This trailhead comes from Sport Ireland's separate Trailheads dataset, matched to this trail on its register ID.
Public transport
At Castlrea: Daily express bus service and local service. Check details at Bus Eireann. Also daily train service - check details at Check with Irish Rail. Flights to Ireland West Airport Knock, 30mins drive away. Check details at www.irelandwestairport.com.
About the trail
The River Suck drains Lough O'Flynn, 7km west of the town of Castlerea, County Roscommon, and flows through sweeping meanders and past many little islands to reach the Shannon a kilometre below Shannonbridge. The Suck Valley Way is a circular route that runs up the west side of the Suck from Mount Talbot to the outskirts of the town of Castlerea and returns, with one brief interruption, down the east side, taking in €˜The Nine Friendly Villages', Ballygar, Creggs, Glinsk, Ballymoe, Ballintubber, Dunamon, Castlecoote, Athleague and Mount Talbot. The landscape is a typical river valley one of bogs, callows, woods and unspoilt traditional farmland of many tiny fields, and makes for wonderful and varied low-land walking. The terrain consists of a pleasant mix of cross-country paths through fields and woods, quiet side roads and there are a number of stretches along the banks of the river itself. As is common with countryside that has not been agriculturally over-developed, there is a rich heritage of the remains of monuments and buildings of the past to be enjoyed along the route, including ringforts, castles, ancient churches; you can't miss the unique La Tí¨ne Stone, an ovoid boulder of granite richly carved and dating from the Iron Age, close to the route at Castlestrange. To add to the pleasure of this route, the frequent villages provide plenty of opportunities for relaxing along the way. The route can be subject to flooding so please check locally. See The Suck Valley Way website www.suckvalleywaywalk.ie for more details. Draenálann Abhainn na Suca Loch Uí Fhloinn, 7km siar ó bhaile an Chaisleáin Riabhaigh, Co. Ros Comáin, agus sreabhann sí trí luba fairsinge agus thar go leor oileán beag chun an tSionainn a bhaint amach ciliméadar faoi dhroichead na Sionainne. Is slí chiorclach í Slí Ghleann na Suca a shíneann suas taobh thiar na Suca ó Mhun Talbóid go dtí imeall bhaile an Chaisleáin Riabhaigh agus filleann sí, le briseadh gairid amháin, síos an taobh thoir, thar 'Na Naoi Sráidbhaile Cairdiúil', An Baile Gearr, Na Creaga, Glinsce, Béal Átha Mó, Baile an Tobair, Dún Iomáin, Baile Mhic Oireachtaigh, Áth Liag agus Mun Talbóid. Is gnáthghleann abhann é an tírdhreach ina bhfuil portaigh, calaí, coillte agus talamh feirme traidisiúnta gan mhilleadh ina bhfuil go leor páirceanna bídeacha, rud a fhágann gur siúlóid iontach agus éagsúil í seo ar thalamh íseal. Tá an tír-raon comhdhéanta de chosáin tras-tire trí pháirceanna agus choillte, taobh-bhóithre ciúine agus tá roinnt stráicí feadh bhruach na habhann féin. Mar is gnáth leis an tuath nach ndearnadh ró-fhorbairt talmhaíochta déanta uirthi, tá oidhreacht shaibhir d'iarsmaí séadchomharthaí agus foirgnimh an am a chuaigh thart le taitneamh a bhaint astu as feadh an bhealaigh, lena n-áirítear liosanna, caisleáin, séipéil ársa; déan cinnte go dtabharfaidh tú cuairt ar Chloch La Tène, bolláin ubhchruthóideach snoithe eibhir ón Iarannaois atá gar don bhealach ag Caisleán Stráinse. Chun cur le taitneamh an bhealaigh seo, cuireann na sráidbhailte deiseanna ar fáil chun scíth a ligean ar an tslí. D'fhéadfadh tuilte a bheith ar an tslí, mar sin seiceáil go háitiúil. Féach ar Iáithreán gréasáin Shlí Ghleann na Suca www.suckvalleywaywalk.ie le haghaidh tuilleadh sonraí.
Before you go
37 kms or 35% of this route follows local roads. ***Dogs are not permitted on the Suck Valley Way Walk***
- Waymarking
- Yellow arrow on black background
- Dogs
- No
Who manages it
Suck Valley Way Development Co-Op & Roscommon LEADER Partnership Company
Rural Recreation Officer, Kyly Flynn, Roscommon LEADER Partnership, Unit 12 Tower B, Roscommon West Business Park, Golf Links Road, Roscommon Town, Co Roscommon, F42 TD98. E-mail:[email protected] Web:www.discoversuckvalleyway.ie Community Group Suck Valley Way Development Co-Op email - [email protected] Phone - Anthony (086) 7866774 / Gareth (087) 6747290
Conditions and closures change. The operator is the authority on both, not this page.
Trails nearby
Measured trailhead to trailhead, in a straight line.
- Aghrane Castlekelly Loop 704 m away · 4.1 km trail
- Aghrane Loop 704 m away · 5.6 km trail
- Mote Park - Bluebell Loop 15 km away · 1.5 km trail
- Mote Park - Crofton Trail 15 km away · 2.1 km trail
- Mote Park - Heritage Trail 15 km away · 12.5 km trail
- Brideswell Nature Loop 17 km away · 13.4 km trail
Common questions
How long is the Suck Valley Way - Slí Gleannta na Suca?
123.9 km, recorded as a loop on Sport Ireland's National Trails Register. It climbs 580 m in total. Sport Ireland estimates 5 days.
How hard is the Suck Valley Way - Slí Gleannta na Suca?
Sport Ireland grades it Moderate. Grades are set against national criteria, so they are comparable with other registered trails.
Where does the Suck Valley Way - Slí Gleannta na Suca start?
Starts at Ballygar. The trailhead is at 53.52382, -8.3227 (Irish Grid M 679 793).
Can you bring a dog on the Suck Valley Way - Slí Gleannta na Suca?
No. The register records dogs as not allowed on this trail.
Can you get to the Suck Valley Way - Slí Gleannta na Suca without a car?
At Castlrea: Daily express bus service and local service. Check details at Bus Eireann. Also daily train service - check details at Check with Irish Rail. Flights to Ireland West Airport Knock, 30mins drive away. Check details at www.irelandwestairport.com.
Who manages the Suck Valley Way - Slí Gleannta na Suca?
Suck Valley Way Development Co-Op & Roscommon LEADER Partnership Company. They are the authority on current conditions and closures, not this page.
More in Galway and Roscommon
Trail data from the Sport Ireland National Trails Register, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Trailhead coordinates from the companion Trailheads dataset. Snapshot taken 2026-08-13.