Mayo is a great destination for moderate level hill walking in Ireland. With mountains to no more than 820 m, many with fabulous sea views, this place gives the walker fantastic panorama views of the wild West of Ireland coastline and its vast internal blanket bogs. We enjoy large areas of upland and bog, not spoiled by roads cutting through them. We have nice moderate mountain peaks, perfect for hill walking over 5 to 8-hour days.
Spots like Achill, Clew Bay and around Leenane boast some of the finest hill walking in Ireland. Lesser known high points like Corrannabinnia, Barrclashcame and Maumtrasna offer so much more than the overused Croagh Patrick. Standing on top of Croaghaun, boasting some of Europe’s highest cliffs, is a real treat not to be missed.
Down below, lovely West Mayo villages and small towns, like Newport, Mulranny, Westport and Belmullet will entertain you during the evenings. Not to forget Cong, the prettiest village in Ireland, standing beneath the mountains of South Mayo and North Galway.
So far this year the hill walking has been great. The severe lack of rain in the first several months of the year, following the incredible big freeze over the New Year period, has left the ground quite dry. Even the recent June rain has done little to make the upland bogs as wet as they normally would be.
I had a big group up The Bangor Trail last weekend and, while there was of course surface water, there was not the usual energy sapping trudge through the peat covered hills. This walk brings you to no more than 320 m altitude, a low level example of what is on offer.
Here is a selection of photos of hill walking in Mayo. Enjoy. If ou’d like to conme hill walking in Ireland, do get in touch and we’ll organise something for you and your group of walkers.
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