Walking through Mayo
in the West of Ireland
Walking in Achill |
North Mayo Guide Book |
Achill Island Walking Tours |
|
Dún
Caocháin Walks
The Great Western Greenway
The 42km Great Western Greenway from Westport through Newport to Achill is Irelands' longest off road cycling and walking facility.
Articles on Walking in Mayo - by Brian Hoban
Historical Walking Tour of Castlebar
A Guided Historical Walking Tour of Castlebar will be held each Tuesday and Thursday during the months of July and August. The tours will commence each evening at 7pm from The Imperial Hotel, The Mall, Castlebar. Your guide will be Brian Hoban, Local Historian & Bord Failte Approved Tour Guide.
Group tours may be arranged at other times by appointment. For details phone Brian at Tel +353 (0) 94 9021738 or Email: bhoban81@hotmail.com
General Information on walking elsewhere in Mayo
Because
of the large variety of its landscape, the county of Mayo offers
multiple possibilities as regards excursions. Indeed, one can pass
from a plain filled with lakes to the east, to a mountainous area on
the west coast. The experienced hiker will be delighted, because each
excursion will be a new discovery. The occasional walker will not be
disappointed either, because Mayo has plenty of places where hikers
can walk by themselves.
We will now give a brief description of the main places visited by the amateur hikers in the county of Mayo.
Croagh Patrick
Croagh Patrick, (765m) is the undisputed 'holy mountain' of Ireland. Thousands of pilgrims journey to the top of Croagh Patrick each year. The views from the top are really breathtaking.
The islands of Inishturk and Inishbofin are surrounded by the powerful waves of the ocean. Clare Island is north west, and Clew Bay with its 365 islands is north. It is a trail for the experienced walker. Walkers should be very well equipped, especially with good walking shoes.
The Bangor Trail
This path starts from Newport to arrive at Bangor, in the barrony of Erris, while passing by the mountain Nephin Beg. It is a distance of 48km the majority of which depicts wild, unspoilt natural beauty at its best.
Achill Island
The island proposes 14 paths marked out and charted. The walks are classified into easy, average or difficult. Some are true excursions into the mountains.
The Western Way
Beginning on the shores of Lough Corrib this famous trail winds its way through Connemara's Highlands including the great fjord of Killary harbour. Offering magnificent views of mountains, lakes and coast the trail then continues on into County Mayo, skirting Croagh Patrick with lovely views of Clew Bay, on to the charming town of Westport. The trail then follows the old bog roads to the north Mayo Coast before it swings east to finish in Ballina.
The Foxford Way
The Foxford Way is a long distance walk of 56 miles which goes from Foxford to Kilsheshnan to Straide to Derryhick and back to Foxford again. This trail complements the Mayo Western Way, Mayo's longest walk, extending it south through the Ox Mountains, from Foxford to Staide and around Lough Cullin. The route completes a circular tour of North East Mayo.
These are but a few examples of interesting and challenging Mayo trails. There are guides indexing all the marked out paths and these can be obtained from your nearest tourist information centre.
