Our Wild West Mayo Guided Cycling Tour is like stepping back 20 years in time to an Ireland before the Celtic Tiger!
It is the quietest of our routes in terms of traffic and offers up a wild windswept landscape full of changing light. You will get to visit the largest Stone Age site in Europe, an ancient cattle field system and also spend your rest day on Achill Island with its wonderful mountains and white sandy beaches as well as its breathtaking cliff walks. This is also the country of Grainnuiale, a famous female pirate in the 16th Century whose ships attacked fleets all along the coastline and we visit one of her fortress houses. Finally we stop at a wonderful early Christian monastic site situated in a most peaceful setting, before heading back to Westport and the less mystical real world.
MAKE AN ENQUIRYDay 1 – Saturday
You meet up in a hotel close to the rail and bus station, for a welcome drink from our guide.
Day 2 – Sunday
Leaving the town on the Castlebar road, after a mile we turn onto the Western Way walking route. The route takes us along quiet backroads passing by lakes and bogland to our lunch stop After lunch there is some nice lakeside cycling around Lough Conn and then onto Lough Cullin, which brings us to our Hotel in Foxford.
Day 3 – Monday
We continue by the shores of Lough Conn to the historical village of Killala where the French landed in 1798 spreading the French revolution to Irish revolutionaries.
Day 4 – Tuesday
Heading West on the coast road with wonderful views looking out over the Atlantic, we come to Ceide Fields site of an ancient 5000-year-old cattle field system. It is the largest stone age site in Europe and there is an excellent interpretive centre here, which outlines the history of the site. Continuing on from the centre there is a dramatic cycle across open bogland with more wonderful coastal views all the way to the town of Belmullet.
Day 5 – Wednesday
There are two main options for the day, one of which is to cycle out on the isolated peninsula beyond Belmullet and take a fishing boat from Blacksod Point across the Bay to Doogort on Achill Island. From here it is a short cycle to the village of Keel where we spend the next two nights. The other equally attractive option is to cycle around the Atlantic Coast through a wild barren landscape , past freshly cut fields of peat, to the village of Mulranney and from there cycle onto Achill Island.
Day 6 – Thursday
There are several dramatic cycling routes around Achill the most impressive being the Atlantic Drive, with its wonderful coastal views and beautiful landscape.. You can also head to Keem bay for a swim on its white sandy beach . For those feeling energetic you could climb to the top of the nearby cliffs some of the highest in Europe, where you are rewarded with the most breathtaking views of the week.
Day 7 – Friday
Leaving the Island via the bridge at Achill sound, we continue along the Clew Bay coast road and visit a 16th Century Tower House, one of the chain of forts built by Grainnuaile, a female pirate who controlled this whole region. We then visit a small but beautifully situated early Christian monastic site, before heading to Newport for lunch. In the afternoon we return to Westport for a final night on the town together.
Day 8 – Departure Day
After a final breakfast you start your journey back home.
Mileage information
Day 2 – 36 miles / 58 kms
Day 3 – 30 miles / 38 kms
Day 4 – 42 miles / 68 kms
Day 5 – 45 miles / 72kms
Day 6
Day 7 – 34 miles / 43.5 kms
