OUTDOORS Activity of the month – Beachcombing in Mayo

ALL-WEATHER WAGS?Eamon the Lab enjoying a winter stroll on snow-covered Keel beach.

Which kind of beachcomber are you?


Activities
Mick Kane

There has been a huge increase in the number of people walking for recreation over the past few years with the development of loop walks, greenways and long-distance walks, such as The Western Way. Mayo has been at the forefront of development and promotion of these activities, and while large numbers of walkers enjoy these options, our beaches are arguably the most popular choice all year-round. The coast may have just taken a battering, but it remains as beautiful as ever.
We have a total of 12 Blue Flag beaches, which are of the highest standard in terms of safe bathing, infrastructure and water quality. However, there are also many more beaches that are also ideal for walking and for shore-based activities.

Health benefits
The health benefits of beach walking far exceed the obvious. Walking on the beach differs greatly from flat ground. A recent study focused on running and walking on the sand found that walking on sand requires 1.6 to 2.5 times more energy than it takes on a hard surface.
“Our muscles perform more mechanical work when running or walking on sand than on a hard surface,” said study co-author Dr Thierry M Lejeune, MD. If treading on the unwieldy sand for too long sounds tiring, try alternating your walk or run on the more compact sand closer to the water, where the surface will be less challenging.

Beach people
During the holiday season the beaches were busy, despite the weather. Several different species of walker were drawn to the shores. There were those who tread the sand with their dogs every day, all year round, recognisable by their unnatural tan and their apparent lack of regard for the storm warnings. The family Christmas-walk brigade were out too, easily spotted running after airborne children in a gale and sporting their best Sunday clothes.
Now, the New Year resolution runners are also out in force. This group sports brand-new, brightly coloured running gear and a look of steely determination.
Look out too for the new-puppy families, who can be spotted waving arms and shouting at a small fluffy thing that absolutely will not come back to their master (dad), who incidentally was against the puppy idea from the start. I can empathise with this last group and have a long-suffering walking partner in the guise of an apparently overweight (big boned) Labrador. Together we have plodded an estimated 10,000 miles on Keel beach over the years.
That sounds excessive, but we walk three miles every day, all year round, and have done so for ten-plus years, which equates to roughly 10,000-plus miles. And for all you health fanatics out there, that is roughly 700,000 calories burned, which means that if I or Eamon (big-boned lab) did not eat accordingly during that time, we effectively would have disappeared.  
This Christmas, Keel beach also witnessed a new breed of walker – curious onlookers, who had come to gape at the awe-inspiring sight of the 20-metre fin whale that had stranded on the shore. The jaw-dropping damage wrought by last week’s storms on beaches like Bertra is also proving quite a draw.

Gifts of nature
We are so lucky to have these wonderful areas to enjoy and visit, but we shouldn’t take them for granted – as the impact of the recent storms  has shown. They are a gift and must be respected. Many groups around the county engage in clean-ups on a regular basis. Although a lot of rubbish is washed in from the ocean, there is still a lot of littering and dumping on our beaches. Please help keep our coasts clean by leaving nothing behind you when you visit.
There is nothing quite like taking a long walk on a west-coast beach. The clean atlantic air pushed in by strong winter winds is invigorating. The wildlife is abundant, and the views are  spectacular. Whatever your excuse for getting to the beach, take care when you’re out and about and be safe – especially when those powerful winds blow.

Mick Kane works for South West Mayo Development Company as Rural Recreation Officer. His job includes the development and promotion of water sports, adventure sports and walking and cycling trails throughout the county. He can be contacted at
living@mayonews.ie.