This was day two of our Ireland trip and our northwest Ireland road trip in a single day: from Roscommon to Sligo by van, through three counties, with a forest park, a coal mine, a cliff-lined valley and one of the best scenic drives of the whole trip. This post is the overview. For every stop you get the short version here and a link to the full post with parking, costs and our honest take.

The Route: Roscommon to Sligo

We started at Lough Key near Boyle, drove up into the hills on the Roscommon–Leitrim border for the Arigna Mining Experience, and stopped for lunch. On the way north we pulled in briefly at the Lough Allen Viewpoint, a small roadside car park above the lake in County Leitrim. From there we followed the R280 to Glenade Lough and finished the day on the Gleniff Horseshoe in County Sligo.

Stop 1: Lough Key Forest and Activity Park

Our first stop of the day was this former estate turned forest park on the shores of Lough Key, near Boyle in County Roscommon. Parking right by the lake and visitor centre is paid; we paid €5. The visit did not go entirely to plan, which is exactly why the full post is worth reading before you go.

→ Read the full post: our visit to Lough Key Forest and Activity Park.

Stop 2: Arigna Mining Experience

Tucked into the hills on the Roscommon–Leitrim border, this turned out to be a real highlight: a proper underground tour of about an hour, led by a man who worked in the mines himself. As a family of two adults and one child we paid €35 at the time of our visit.

→ Read the full post: the Arigna Mining Experience tour, tickets and what to expect.

Stop 3: Glenade Lough View

After lunch we headed north into County Leitrim. The plan was simple: a small car park just off the R280 at the southern end of Glenade Lough. Our sat nav had other ideas, and the wrong turn ended up showing us more of this cliff-lined valley than we had bargained for.

→ Read the full post: Glenade Lough View and the wrong turn worth taking.

Stop 4: Gleniff Horseshoe

The last stop was the highlight of the day: a single-lane loop road through a glacial valley in County Sligo. We drove it counter-clockwise, which worked well. It is doable in a van, but the road is narrow and there are not many places to pull over, so take your time.

→ Read the full post: driving the Gleniff Horseshoe in a van.

The Whole Day on Video

All stops are in one video. Jump straight to the part you are interested in:

• Lough Key Forest and Activity Park – watch from 00:44
• Arigna Mining Experience – watch from 01:55
• Glenade Lough View – watch from 04:12
• Gleniff Horseshoe – watch from 05:34

Our Honest Takeaway

This day had a bit of everything: a park visit that did not go entirely to plan, an underground tour that turned out to be a real highlight, a wrong turn that was worth taking and a narrow loop road we would drive again straight away. If you only have time for two of these stops, we would pick the Arigna Mining Experience and the Gleniff Horseshoe.

---

Planning your own Ireland road trip? Continue with day three, our Connemara road trip from Galway to Leenane, see every stop on our interactive Ireland road trip map and check our Ireland facts before you go.