Ervallagh Walk
This is a simple local walk. It combines foreshore with quiet country roads, and you get to see a bit of the village, too.
START AND FINISH:
At the Roundstone House Hotel Front door.
WALK:
As you go out the front door (A), turn right. At the fIrst road junction, bear straight on, down towards the castellated wall marking the entrance to the Michael Killeen IDA centre. Just at that entrance, there is a gate (B), with a stile beside it, to the right. Go in there (closing the gate if you use it rather than the stile). Now you're off, in a peaceful ambience of a grassy road between thick furze bushes. The road swings around" left, then follows three sharp bends, as it wends its way along towards the seashore. There are marvellous views up to Errisbeg on the right, and out over the coast towards Inishlackan.
The little road reaches the shoreline where houses stand at the shore (C) and here the road peters out. Continue along the shorefront on a grassy path, outside a low stone wall. You might have to step onto rocks here and there, just watch your footing if you do. A stream coming onto the stones can be crossed either by stepping-stones or by a short footbridge (I chose the stones because I'm no gymnast, myself). Soon after, you must cross a short low stone wall, but that is no great obstacle, and then the green path resumes to wind around to a small road at the back of the cove (D), in Ervallagh. This is an attractive little spot, with a small beach and a pier.
Turn right onto the narrow road; it ascends briefly and then you have excellent views towards the Twelve Pins, and the spires of the churches at Roundstone. The green-striped road wends between small reedy lakes and fields probably with ponies. It is a very tranquil setting, especially the morning I walked it at sunrise -when the blue of the night meets the gold of the day, and all that.
When you arrive up to a crossroads (E) on the main R341 road, turn right and now take care for then next ten minutes, because this road can be busy. Walk in single file on the right to face oncoming traffic. When you reach the "Welcome to Roundstone" stone, turn left just before it onto a welcoming side road, with a grassy stripe. This ascends in the gentlest of fashions, in a leafy rural setting. At the next junction (F), turn right, and this quiet road heads directly back for the village. The views just before you descend straight through the fmal junction (G) are marvellous, and then you arrive down at the harbour pier. The Hotel is just up the street to the right now.
*Footnote: If you want to extend this walk, my suggestion would be to do an out-and- back extension from that cove (D), walking on a really narrow road along Ervallagh for say 5 minute to (X), and then coming back to (D), and then finish the walk as described above. This obviously adds % hour. You can go all the way around the loop via the junction at (Y), but this entails more walking on the busy R34] road; and you'd miss the
