MAYO.MEA guide to the best looped walks and walking trails in Co Mayo
Diamond Hill, overlooking Connemara National Park Visitor Centre in Letterfrack, is one of the most easily climbed mountains in Ireland, rewarding those who venture to the summit with magnificent views in every direction.
It’s great fun to create a looped walk from scratch. Spread the Ordnance Survey Map out on the kitchen table and, as the radio jingle used to say, “let your fingers do the walking” while you set about discovering somewhere new to explore.
When the R312, linking Belmullet and the wider Erris region to Castlebar, makes the headlines it’s usually to do with justifiable calls to upgrade the road that takes motorists through many dangerous twists and turns on their journey to the county town.
Blanemore Forest Archaeological Walk near Moygownagh is another gem in Mayo’s treasure chest of extensive Neolithic sites – the best known of which is the Ceide Fields near Ballycastle.
The lovely aroma of Meadowsweet filled the air as I wandered through McMahon Park in Claremorris on a beautiful July Saturday.
I took advantage of the lovely early June weather to travel the Monasteries of the Moy Greenway, the walking and cycling route that will link Ballina and Killala when it’s completed.
The long drive from Ballina to the southwest corner of Mayo where the Mweelrea Mountains slope down to Killary Harbour is always a pleasure as we look forward to the magnificent Atlantic seascapes that await us.
Over the years, whenever I passed the road sign to Derryhick Lake near Pontoon, I made a mental note to check out this secluded lough at some stage.
I finally got around to walking the Castlebar to Turlough Greenway in mid-April and I wasn’t disappointed by the 7km trail that opens a door to the countryside for walkers and cyclists in Castlebar.
Ballina’s Salmon Weir Bridge looks splendid at night and especially on the days around St. Patrick’s Day when the footbridge over the River Moy is illuminated in green.
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