10/06/2026
Is night hiking, light pollution awareness or dark skies tourism a new concept to you? Would you like to spend more time outdoors at night and take part in a free community walk with a fun bunch of people?
We are here every month! So if you're curious... heres a Q & A with Erris at Night 😊💭👣🌜
So why do we walk on a full moon?!
🌜The light is incredible. We need no torches, phones or artificial light. Even on cloudy nights, visibility is high, and as safety is paramount for our group, this night is perfect to meet and stroll. Stargazers ask why we go on the brightest night, when the stars are dulled by the light of the moon. It's because we are not standing around with telescopes. We're walking, talking, and socialising instead!
🔦 Why no torches?
Our eyes adjust to low light more efficiently than you might believe! While pupils widen within seconds in the dark, full retinal sensitivity takes 20 to 30 minutes. By the time we leave the carpark we are almost adjusted.
❓️Who is the walk for?!
Almost anybody! From children to teens, and friends, neighbours, and strangers and even your four legged friends... everyone is welcome to walk with us. We've had locals, visitors to the area, tourists from abroad, friend groups, families and even a bunch of Irish language students attend our events. It's perfect for solo walkers because there will always be someone new to walk with. We always say, it takes a special sort of person to want to walk at night in Mayo, so if that describes you, you'll definitely be in good company here 😆
💬 What do we talk about?!
Usually we start with a little chat about the moon and its news, some environmental updates affecting our area, any particular animal, creature, insect or habitat we are learning about, or any other topics of note. Light pollution is a repeat topic, including sharing tips and tricks to reduce light pollution from our own homes, as are night pollinators, nocturnal animals in Mayo, the sky, folklore, and answering Liz's many questions... like "where do birds sleep" and "why do we only ever see dead badgers" and "how can we tell the constellations apart easily, in a way we will actually remember?!" As we walk, neighbourhood catch-up chat usually takes over.
🥾What should you bring?!
Wear good walking shoes, waterproof or weatherproof outer layers, a hat and gloves (or a nice soft pair of socks for your hands, IYKYK 😆) and whatever you need to keep you warm and safe on a beach at night.
👣 How long is the event and how far do we actually walk?!
The beach itself is not long. We walk to one end, stop for a chat, do some light exercises (yoga as Gaeilge, if our resident yogini is in attendance) and down to touch the rocks (again, IYKYK 😆) and then we walk to the other end before heading back to the carpark. It's around 2.5-3km altogether and usually takes around an hour. It's not a race, quite the opposite actually, we often have to ask certain tall, long-legged people to slow down... 😆
📌 What's the point?!
When was the last time you walked on the beach at night? For most people, the answer is not anytime recently. We aim to show how accessible the beach is at night too. With safe and secure parking in a nice lot, complete with public toilets, and a long flat beach to walk, Mullaghroe is the perfect venue for a night time stroll! County Mayo is full of wonderful, accessible places that are often enjoyed in the day but empty at night. We are interested in encouraging the safe and sustainable usage of our outdoor environments in all seasons in a low impact and fun way!
⛈️ What about the weather?!
We walk, whatever the weather. As our regulars will confirm (we're looking at you, Hard-core Hannah 😆) we are not afraid of a little rain or a few gales and gusts. If we say we will be there, we will be there! Sometimes a bit rained on 😆
🏝 Why Mullaghroe Beach?!
We've had meetups in various places, but Mullaghroe is by far the easiest for most of the regulars. Its such a great resource, a pristine blue flag beach, and it should definitely be visited at night too. If you haven't experienced the long sandy strand at night before, youre missing out!
🤔 Can't make it to an event?
Why not go walking wherever you CAN that night instead? Try your local park, a boreen or wherever you usually take a stroll. So long as you've got the right gear to face the inclement weather, night walking is great fun. Invite your neighbour for company, take a cup of tea in a flask and make it an occasion. Before you know it, you'll have your own monthly walking group!
📆 We have been meeting monthly in Erris for over 3 years now. That's around 35 events, give-or-take, including walks, hikes, talks, presentations, lectures and astronomical watching parties. We've had guest astrophotographers, astronomers and nature enthusiasts speak. We've bussed the group up to Letterkeen to join Mayo Dark Skies on one of their epic guided night hikes through the Wild Nephin National Park. Once we saw a moonbow, hanging over Blacksod Bay. Once a BBC TV crew even showed up to watch an eclipse with us, and broadcasted it live on the BBC news to over 12 million people! That was amazing 📽
If you can't visit Mullaghroe with us, why not take the time to go another evening after dark, and share your photos here with us. These pictures below were taken between 10:05pm and 10:45 pm during our last full moon moon walk on the 31st May. The moon didn't show up but the community did, and that's what really matters 😊💭👣
We've got great plans for the future at Erris at Night. Local nature initiatives, beach clean-ups, kid focused events and much more. We're hoping you will join us, support us online, or spread the word by sharing our posts and our walking plans. The benefits of walking at night are astounding, for our health, both physical and mental, to balance our our oft- disregulated sleep patterns and circadian rhythm, and to strengthen our connections to our natural environment...
Come along to our next walk to see what it's all about! 😊
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