Rambling through town and country
The hills and plains of Mayo offer a variety of walking and cycling experiences for visitors, both fitness fanatics and Sunday strollers alike, writes Anton McNultyWALKING is fast becoming one of the most popular pastimes among Irish people who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and escape to the countryside and discover what nature has to offer. Whether you are an experienced walker or a novice, Mayo – with its spectacular scenery and variety of terrain – has something for everyone to enjoy.
For years, tourists have came to Mayo to walk on the open hills and mountainous terrain but in recent years determined efforts have been made by local authorities, community and tourism groups to develop walking trails in the county. Mayo County Council has backed Mayo as a walking destination by appointing a full-time walking officer, Anna Connor, to make Mayo the walking capital of Ireland.
In 2007, a number of looped walks, taking in breathtaking and unspoilt scenery around Mayo, were developed, offering a range of experiences to suit the hill-walker and the rambler. The Burrishoole Loop Walk is one of the newly-developed walkways which incorporates some of the famous Bangor Trail which was the ancient roadway from Erris to Newport. The Bangor Trail is 26km in length and considered one of the most beautiful in the county as it meanders its way through the isolated Nephin Beg Range.
The Burrishoole Loop Walk consists of 12 trails in total covering 111km between Newport and Mulranny. The new walks, which are fully sign-posted and mapped out, are in Mulranny (two), Tiernaur (three), Derradda (three) and Newport (four). All the walks in each area start and finish in the same place and with no more than ten per cent of each on the main road, they offer walkers the peace of mind to take in the breath-taking views of Clew Bay. The walks all vary in length and difficulty and are colour-coded, which allows them to be easily distinguished from each other.
Anna Connor, the Mayo Walking Officer, explains that Mayo has so much more to offer walkers than many other county in the country. “Mayo is such a large and unspoilt county and there is so much variation for walkers. The scenery is unique and there is so much heritage for people to take in. We have miles of spectacular coastline and rolling hills that are unrivalled anywhere else. Mayo is a leading destination for walkers and a trip to Mayo will make for an unforgettable experience,” she says.
Although the scenery in Mayo is rugged, the hills and mountains are relatively low, so experience in hill climbing and mountaineering is not essential. One of the most famous mountain walks, which attracts thousands of people every year, is the ascent of the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick. Rising to 762 metres, Croagh Patrick is a favourite all year round but on the last Sunday in July thousands of pilgrims flock to it to follow in the footsteps of Ireland’s patron saint, who is said to have prayed on the summit for 40 days and nights. A small church is located at the summit which offers views of the Mayo countryside for miles around. If the climb to the top sounds too daunting, you can also follow the traditional pilgrim’s trail from Ballintubber Abbey. However, the ancient, route known as Tóchar PhΡdraig, passes through private land and can only be walked on official dates.
The great outdoors is also celebrated in several parts of the county, with walking festivals offering guided tours of some of the most scenic routes. In March each year the Achill Walks Festival offers visitors stunning views over the Atlantic with little or no traffic and in many cases only the sheep for company. Slí Acla offers a number of looped walks around the parish of Achill from Curraun to Keem Bay. The looped walks take in a number of historic aspects of the island, which include the old railway line, Captain Boycott’s estate, the tower built by the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley, the Deserted Village, megalithic tombs and the Mass Rock near Keem Bay, where Mass was celebrated in secret during the Penal Laws of the 18th century.
The oldest walking festival in Ireland is the Castlebar Four-Day Walks Festival and this June it will be celebrating its 41st anniversary. The festival attracts hundreds of walking enthusiasts from around the world who have forged friendships because of the festival. The organisers say the walks are all about having fun and, as well as walking, they also enjoy the craic with music, song and dance after a day’s rambling.
There are 10km, 20km, 30km, and 40km walks, as well as a six-hour ramble. The walks start off at the Welcome Inn Hotel in Castlebar and the walkers are brought into the countryside outside the county town where they walk, talk, and take in the bogs, rivers, mountains and unspoilt beauty of the countryside.
“We have walkers from 23 different nationalities who love coming here year after year,” explains Elaine Devereux of the Castlebar Four-Day Walks Festival. “We have serious walkers and people who are not so serious but there is also a great social element to the week. We go over some breath-taking countryside and the walkers love it and they keep coming back year after year. Mayo has so much to offer with its physical landscape and it is hard to beat.”
While the Castlebar Four Days Walks is the oldest in Ireland, this May marks the first Leenane Walking Festival, taking in the region around the edge of Killary Harbour, Ireland’s only fjord. Surrounded by mountains in all directions, the walks have something for everyone with guided tours up Mweelrea Mountain, the highest in Connacht. Low-level walks are also available along Famine Tracks and the Western Way.
Gerry Greensmyth has been providing guided tours for visitors in and around Westport for the past 15 years and explained that the ‘Wild West’ offers so many options for walkers. Operating out of the Clew Bay Hotel in Westport, Gerry brings groups of walkers out on week-long tours of the county, incorporating Clare Island, Achill, Connemara and the Western Way.
“The ‘Wild West’ is a great place for walkers because it is not over-populated and there is so much to see and do. Many visitors find the experience exhilarating because they would not have experienced the wild Atlantic and the ruggedness of the landscape before. There is so much history in the landscape and we would visit historical sites like Grace O’Malley’s castle and Croagh Patrick. A lot of the walkers would have roots in the area and they like to get a hands-on experience of the area and get to visit these historical sites,” he explained.
With its quiet roads, grassy laneways, ancient trails and spectacular scenery, Mayo is an ideal location for a walking holiday. Whether it is a stroll on a quiet beach or a trek across the hills and mountains, the stillness and beauty of the county will never be forgotten.
CyclingWhile Mayo does not have an abundance of cycle lanes, the quiet roads and isolated boreens offer so much for a cyclist to enjoy. For many years cyclists from the continent have been a feature on Mayo’s country roads and in recent years more and more Irish people have taken up the option of going on a cycling holiday.
The rugged Mayo terrain offers a number of options for cyclists and holidays can vary from easy, leisurely hikes or rides to challenging routes through mountainous terrain. Bikes can be hired in many locations and cyclists can opt to go it alone or join an organised tour with experienced guides with extensive knowledge of local history
Mayo Leisure Cycling is based in Castlebar and has been providing leisure cycling, off-road mountain biking and island-hopping for the past ten years. The service includes guided group tours and luggage transfer and provides tours to the lake district in south Mayo, Achill and to the Céide Fields in north Mayo.
“Cycling is very popular in Mayo at the moment because of the quiet roads and we have cyclists from all over Europe coming every year,” explained Peadar Leonard of Mayo Leisure Cycling. “We travel on the quiet roads and this allows the visitors who come to Mayo time to take in the scenery on offer.”
The islands around the Mayo coast make a wonderful destination for cycling with stunning views over the Atlantic. The Atlantic Drive on the way to Achill is a very popular area for cyclists who can park up their bikes and have a packed lunched at the picnic tables, as the Atlantic crashes against the rocks below them. North Mayo is also a very attractive destination with trips around Lough Conn and the coast road near the Céide Fields favoured destinations.
While there are many quiet roads in Mayo, there are very few designated cycle trails, although FΡilte Ireland are trying to rectify the matter. One of the way-marked trails is the scenic Humbert Route which begins in Kilcummin, near Ballina. Cyclists can follow in the footsteps of the French forces of General Humbert who landed at Kilcummin in 1798. The trail stretches from Mayo to the scene of the general’s final defeat at Ballinamuck, Co Longford.
Where to join cycling groupsWHILE there are not many specialised cycling tours for those on holidays, there are a number of cycling clubs in the county who welcome tourists who would like to join them. However, it is advisable that only those with some cycling experience and a good level of fitness join clubs on their tours.
One of these clubs is the Western Lakes Cycling Club, which is based in Ballinrobe in the south of the county. The majority of the members of the club are interested in the leisure aspect of the sport and regular tours of the region are organised. The club meets on Sunday morning at ten o’clock at the Cornmarket, Ballinrobe and in the summer time they also meet on Wednesday evenings at seven o’clock, at which time their route is decided. There are ten different routes based around Ballinrobe, which cover north Galway, Connemara, Lough Mask and Lough Carra.
For more information and contact details go to,
www.westernlakescc.com.
The Covey Wheelers Cycling Club in Westport has leisure tours every Sunday commencing at nine o’clock at the Town Clock. However, the tour is taken seriously by the members who travel at an average speed of 15mph. During the summer they travel up to 60 miles on any one day with only one scheduled stops along the way. The routes they travel take them to Croagh Patrick, Louisburgh, Leenane and Tourmakeady. Anybody interested in joining the Covey Wheelers should contact Stephen Breheny at 086 6081890 or Martin McNally at 087 2226260.
The Annagh Wheelers Cycling Club in Ballyhaunis is organising a Leisure Tour of Mayo which will take place on Sunday, May 25. Cyclists will meet up outside the Ballyhaunis Swimming Pool where they will have a choice of entering the 200km or 100km spin. The tour takes place once a year and the route generally takes in south and west Mayo before returning to Ballyhaunis. The club also meets up every Sunday morning at 9am for a 50-mile cycle and non-members are more than welcome to join. For more information on the Tour of Mayo and the Annagh Wheelers Cycling Club contact Martin at 086 0575885 or Mike at 087 2473913.
In many cases insurance may have to be obtained for tours.
Organised walksThe Clew Bay Heritage Centre in Westport organises guided walks of the historic planned town of Westport, during which participants are taken on a journey back in time to when the O’Malley Clan, of Grace O’Malley fame, ruled the area right through to its current development. The walks take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in the months of July and August, commencing at 8 o’clock from the Town Clock. Walks can also be organised by appointment at other times of the year. The walk finishes where it starts and takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.
Guided walks of the old railway line through the town can also be arranged and further information can be obtained by contacting the Clew Bay Heritage Centre at 098 26852 or by e-mail at
westportheritage@eircom.net.
An overview of some of Mayo’s favourite walking and cycling experiences through the county’s hills and plains
