Walking through Mayo
in the West of Ireland
Walking in Achill |
North Mayo Guide Book |
Achill Island Walking Tours |
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Caocháin WalksArticles on Walking in Mayo - by Brian Hoban
Historical Walking Tour of Castlebar
A Guided Historical Walking Tour of Castlebar takes place every Tuesday and Thursday during the months of July and August. The tours commence each evening at 7pm from The Imperial Hotel, The Mall, Castlebar. Guide is 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 in Mayo
County Mayo with its large variety of landscapes offers numerous choices of walks, hikes and excursions. Stretching from the mountainous parts of the west coast to the low-lying plains, dotted with lakes, to the east of the county, each excursion can be a completely new discovery.
The experienced hiker will be delighted with the many challenges on his chosen route while the occasional walker will not be disappointed either, as he can walk at his own pace in less challenging terrain. There are many areas in Mayo where hikers can walk by themselves and listed below is a brief description of the main places visited by amateur hikers in the county of Mayo.
Achill Island
The island has 14 paths marked out, charted and classified into easy, average or difficult. Some of these are mountain hikes.
The Bangor Trail
This famous 48km trail starts out from Newport and arrives at Bangor, in the barrony of Erris. Passing by Nephin Beg mountain this trail promises the hiker spectacular scenery of nature at its best.
Croagh Patrick
Croagh Patrick, (765m) is often referred to as the 'holy mountain' of Mayo and thousands of pilgrims ascend Croagh Patrick each year. An arduous enough task, this is a trail for the experienced walker who should be very well equipped, especially with good walking shoes.
The views from the top are truly breathtaking and on a clear day Clare Island is visible to the north west, and the 365 islands in Clew Bay can be seen to the north. The nearby islands of Inishturk and Inishbofin are surrounded by the powerful waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Foxford Way
The Foxford Way, from Foxford to Kilsheshnan to Straide to Derryhick and back to Foxford is a total distance of 56 miles. This long distance walk complements the Mayo Western Way, 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. The Ox Mountains provides the highest peak on the walk at 1177 ft.
The Western Way
Beginning on the shores of Lough Corrib and winding its way through Connemara's Highlands this famous trail affords the walker magnificent views of mountains, lakes and coast, including the great fjord of Killary harbour. Continuing on into County Mayo through Leenane, across the Sheffrey Hills and along by Croagh Patrick one can savour the breathtaking views of Clew Bay, on to the picturesque town of Westport. Following the old bog roads to the north Mayo coast the trail veers east finishing in Ballina.
These are examples of some of the main trails and walks in Mayo. There are guides indexing all the marked out paths and these can be otained from your nearest tourist information centre.
