Visitor's Guide and Leisure Activities, Belderrig in Co. Mayo
Find out about places to visit in and around Belderrig.
Belderrig Pier
Used by local fishermen it has facilities for launching small boats in good weather. Pol A Sean tSaile, a natural swimming pool, in the rocks, behind the pier, provides a place to swim even when there are high seas in the bay. It has recently been upgraded, with steps all the way down to the pool, through the rocks.
Horse Island
This is a ten-acre island joined to the mainland by a short narrow causeway; it is an interesting bird nesting location, and a secret destination for seclusion.
At the island channel is an old copper mine last worked in 1830. Nearby on the eastern slopes of Benmore is "Cloch Bhain" a massive granite rock carried there by a glacier about twenty thousand years ago.
Ceide Cliffs
Three miles east of Belderrig you come to Céide Cliffs. Here you can view the towering cliff face, which is 365 feet high.
You also can enjoy the panoramic view sweeping from Belderrig over to Downpatrick headland where you can see the sea stack clearly severed from the headland.
Ceide Fields Visitor's Centre
The Céide Fields Visitors Centre in North Mayo will certainly give you a unique experience. For this is not just another archaeological monument or visitor centre.
Here you can indulge yourself in a vast prehistoric landscape, a natural wild ecology of blanket bog, dramatic cliffs and coastline, and a much acclaimed building, which has received Ireland’s most prestigious architectural award.
The centre is located half way between Ballycastle and Belderrig along the coast with a viewing point from the top of the cliffs which is spectacular on a clear day.
Visit the Céide Fields website.
Tír Sáile
North Mayo has one of the greatest concentrations of Stone Age tombs (megaliths) in Europe. It is now known to possess the intact farms of the tomb builders, preserved beneath the bog which covers the region.
Tír Sáile has created a trail of permanent sculpture from the Moy Estuary to the Mullet Peninsula marking in a contemporary way this ancient landscape.
Absailing and Mountaineering
Belderrig is a perfect location for these activities. The cliffs around Belderrig invite absailing.
The Mountaineer can face challenges offered by Benmore, Tawnaghmore, Tawnabull; each with its own unique and rewarding view from the summit.
Boating and Angling
Set as it is against a backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, Belderrig is a haven for fishermen and sea-angling enthusiasts. Click here for more information on boating and angling in the Belderrig area.
Walking
Walking along the cliffs of the north east of Belderrig, only birds and sheep compete with your solitude. The boggled, so typical of Belderrig, is covered by mosses, heathers, purple moor grass, and a range of plants, not found in a normal landscape.
You may walk across this land during a heavy storm or the finest summer weather and feel its special effect on you, inviting thoughts of Celtic mythologies. Click here for more information on walking, biking and hiking.
Dun Caochain Walks
The Dún Caocháin peninsula is an area of great physical beauty in the Barony of Erris, near Belderrig, and boasts five spectacular walks. They go through various landscapes such as spectacular cliff scenery, dunes and beaches.
These walks stretch westward from Belderrig to Porturlin, Portacloy, Benwee Head, Cornboy and further west to Rossport. It offers the most spectacular sea-cliff scenery in Ireland.
Diving
The clean waters of the bay make it an ideal location for scuba diving. The bay can also be used for wind-surfing while the occasional speedboat and skier has been spotted. Indeed, this is subject to a calm Atlantic.
Bird Watching
The cliffs along the coastline are home to numerous birds including Fulmers, Gannets, Razorbills, Puffins, Black Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Storm Petrols, and Great Northern Divers.
Gannets can be seen over the sea diving in kamikaze style straight into the water from a height of - to- 300ft. A memorable experience during hot summer evenings is provided by one of the smallest creatures, the Midge!
Other Leisure Activities in Belderrig
Clubs & Organisations
Check out these Belderrig Clubs and Organisations.