Stop 1 - Into the Woods!
Welcome to our unique walk through Blane-more Forest. The entrance is situated at the end of the bog road, through Garry-na-gran townland. Our tour will take you back through 6000 years of history, as the ancient archaeology is revealed by turf cutting and forestry clearance, and visible above the modern soil surface. Past the first information display our walk proceeds along the forestry road deep into the trees. Follow the green arrows of the walk which has a series of information displays near each stop (make sure to read FRONT and BACK!) to help make your walk more interesting. The red arrows are for the walkers of the 16km Moy-gown-agh loop walk as they navigate through the woods on their longer trail..PLAY AUDIOPLAY VIDEO
Stop 2 (A) Ancient Walls
Our walk departs from the forest road and passes by the information point, over the small wooden bridge and gurgling stream. Here begins our boardwalk of wooden sleepers with a rubber mat surface. As the walk turns we come to stop 2 (A) which has the remains of a pre-bog wall running under the boardwalk. This wall is made up of a rough line of large rocks which has been revealed by the forestry machines travelling over the bog surface. These walls were constructed by the stone-age farmers as they cleared the fields of loose rocks and created pasture for livestock..PLAY AUDIOPLAY VIDEO
Stop 2 (b) Court Tomb ruins
As we continue to Stop 2 (b) along the boardwalk we arrive at the first ancient tomb at Blane-more. This is the remains of a circa. 5500 year old ruined Court-tomb, of which the Killala bay region has the highest concentration of such megalithic tombs anywhere. The tomb consists of an 'arc' shaped open entrance to an originally earth-stone covered chamber(s). Another field wall is seen nearby on the other side of the boardwalk. The granite boulders were preferred by the Neolithic builders, but are also mixed with some conspicuous red sandstone rocks.. PLAY AUDIOPLAY VIDEO
Stop 2 (c) Pre-Bog walls
The boardwalk begins to ascend Blane-more ridge through a clearing in the trees. About half-way we come to Stop 2 (c) where another pre-bog wall runs through our walk before disappearing into the bog again. As the surface rises, the bog surface becomes thinner and the original light gravelly soil becomes evident.. PLAY AUDIOPLAY VIDEO
Stop 3 The False Man
At Stop 3 at the top of the boardwalk we can take in the sight of the valley below, which you have just walked up, (or take a rest on the wooden seat!). Here dramatically positioned at the top of the ridge, in a small hollow, is the 'false man'. This bronze-age granite standing stone, has a remarkable vein of quartz running through the centre. The stone was erected about 4000 years ago and intended to dominate the surrounding low-lands.. The walk continues past the information point, along the top of Blane-more ridge, and onto the gravel path and forestry road.. PLAY AUDIOPLAY VIDEO
Stop 4 Black Dog & the Lake
The walk continues to Stop 4 by Lake na-weela (The lake of the Seagulls) where there is some welcome seating opposite the information point! . Please do not approach the lake except by the wooden platform as the lake edges are very unstable. This landlocked lake takes its dark brooding appearance from the peat-layered bottom. Make sure to read about Sherlock Holmes's Black Dog on the back of the information point! This mythical creature gave its name to the townland where you have been walking through - Tawny-waddy-duff or the 'mountain field of the black dog'. The walk continues along the gravel road where you will eventually come to a T junction. Keep left (following the green arrows) to come to the final two stops. The red arrows are for the longer 16km Moy-gown-agh walk, of which Blane-more forest is just a part thereof.. PLAY AUDIOPLAY VIDEO
Stop 5 (a) Celestial Stones
The final two stops of our walk are accessed through the short boardwalk, behind our last information display board. Stop 5 (A) is the remarkable Bronze age stone row, which is roughly of the same date as the Standing Stone of stop 3. This row is aligned towards Neph-in mountain (which is now obscured by the trees). The row is of four visible stones, peering over the deep bog surface and which may conceal more archaeology underneath. It is believed that the row may mark an important celestial event of the winter solstice, as the sun 'appears' to roll down the side of Neph-in as it sets - from the vantage point of the row.. PLAY AUDIOPLAY VIDEO
Stop 5 (b) Secret Tomb
Stop 5 (b) is our last stop and marks the second Court-tomb at Blane-more Forest. At a much deeper level than the later stone row, we can see a portion of the collapsed inner chamber of this Neolithic tomb. Unlike its sister tomb of stop 2 (b), this tomb appears more intact and a small tunnel can be seen running past the jamb stones of the chamber, into the cairn of stones and earth surrounding it. The huge granite rocks making up the tomb were deliberately chosen by the Stone-age farmers, and split using only fire, wood and water to get the smooth inner-facing sides. The enormous human-hours of work required to create the court tombs indicates how much value our early ancestors put on such monuments. The walk now ends by proceeding back to the forestry road and continuing along until you arrive back at the entrance gate and car park.. PLAY AUDIOPLAY VIDEO
Leaving the woods!
Congratulations! You have now finished our guided walk. Continue on the gravel road to return to the main exit. Thank you for your visit and we hope that you enjoyed your time here. Be sure and stop at the village supermarket and cafe in Moy-gown-agh Village on your way home for refreshments. All the work on the walk has been carried out by local volunteers so please give us a like, and subscribe to our facebook and youtube channels to learn of more such walks and videos as they are added. Tweet or post your photos and videos on our walk to facebook and twitter via the links below. If you are in a generous mood we'd be thankful of a small donation via the upcoming paypal link!Thanks again, and safe travels..PLAY AUDIOPLAY VIDEO
