OUTDOORS Festival invites walkers to take heritage trail

TRAIL BLAZERS?Walkers on the Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail during last year’s festival.

Festival invites walkers to take heritage trail


The sixth annual Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival takes place over two days on Saturday, March 22, and Sunday, March 23, covering a beautiful trail that takes in the wild Mayo landscape and spectacular views of Croagh Patrick. The organisers are again linking up with local heart and stroke charity Croí to create awareness of the importance of exercise and help raise vital funds for this worthwhile cause.
The Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail is a National Way. Marked way from the starting point in Balla the trail passes through deciduous woodland and across rolling fields and raised bog. The trail also utilizes boreens and ancient pathways as it makes its way through a number of picturesque villages towards its destination on the shores of Clew Bay.
The festival programme includes two great days of guided moderate to hard walks on the trail, including gentle local loop walks. Experienced guides will offer particular insights into the many heritage sites along the way.
On the Saturday, the guided walk on the trail is from Balla to Killawalla (29.5km), travelling over farmland and along boreens and minor roads. This walk is graded ‘hard’.
On the Sunday, the guided walk is from Aghagower to Murrisk (19 km) over minor road, forest and mountain track with spectacular views of Clew Bay. This section of the trail, which is graded ‘difficult’, finishes at the first station of Croagh Patrick. It does not include the ascent of the reek. Also the Sunday, the festival is hosting a  a guided family-fiendly walk of Murrisk Loop, with participants asked to meet at Murrisk Community Cafe at 2pm.
Transport will be provided each morning to ferry walkers from the meeting points to the start points, meaning that walkers’ personal transport will be at the end of their destination on arrival each day. With the help of the great communities along the trail, refreshments will be provided at the start and finish of each day and along the route. Fior Uisce of Tourmakeady is supplying fresh water along the route for the festival, and Kelly’s Butchers of Newport and Karma Granola Bars of Castlebar are also providing refreshments.

To register for the festival, visit Croi’s website, www.croi.ie/heritagetrail. The cost of taking part is €20 per day. For more festival details, contact Mairéad or Pat at Clogher Office on 094 9360891, email info@croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com or visit www.croaghpatrickheritagetrail.com or facebook/croaghpatrickheritagetrail