A short post to share some pictures I’ve recently taken out hillwalking here in Mayo. The weather has been incredible these past few weeks, with very little rain and nice bright, crisp blue-sky days in the hills. Great weather for hiking Mayo’s hills and higher mountains, so “Get Out There !” and go walking.

Mayo’s mountains tend to be wet and boggy places, with only a few boasting truly rocky summits. Our highest peaks reach modest levels between 700m and 814m for Mweelrea, Connacht’s highest point. Mountainous areas are to be found mostly in the south and west of the county, while the north and east are more flat landscapes.

The great attractions of Mayo’s mountains are twofold. First, this is a truly rural, little populated part of Ireland. You’re unlikely to meet anybody on any Mayo mountain, with the obvious exception of the ‘holy mountain’ of Croagh Patrick. Second, it is from the summits of our mountains that you can best appreciate the extraordinary landscapes of this west of Ireland place.

Look down from a mountain on our beautiful and varied coastline, our vast blanket bogs, our tiny villages – indeed our deserted villages – and across the surrounding mountains with their superb examples of corrie lakes.

You’re welcome to Mayo.