Horn Head signal tower walk
About 3 km return ·
About
From the small car park by the ruined coastguard station on Horn Head, below Coastguard Hill, a path heads north over open moorland to the stone signal tower and on to the viewpoints at the northern tip. Measured on the mapped path it is about 1.5 kilometres each way, so roughly 3 kilometres there and back, with little climbing but a lot of wet ground. This is open, unfenced cliff-top country and the path is faint in places. Stay well back from the edge and keep children close; dogs are not allowed on the trail from 1 September to 30 April and must be on a lead from 1 May to 31 August (Sport Ireland's trail listing). Turn round if cloud comes in, because the head disappears in mist quickly and the path is hard to follow in it. In late spring and early summer the cliffs below hold a protected seabird breeding colony; watch from the top.
Highlights
- ✓The stone signal tower on the northern end of the head
- ✓The ruined coastguard station at the start
- ✓Cliff-top views west to Tory Island and east over Sheephaven Bay
Tips
- →Wear boots: the ground between the car park and the tower is wet and boggy for most of the year.
- →Stay well back from the cliff edge. There is no fence.
- →If mist comes in, turn back the way you came. In an emergency on the cliffs dial 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard.