Great Western Greenway

The Great Western Greenway is a 42-km off-road cycling and walking trail along the north shore of Clew Bay in County Mayo, running from Westport at one end to Achill Island at the other and passing through the towns of Newport and Mulranny in between. It was opened in stages between April 2010 and July 2011, was named Ireland's EDEN winner in 2011 for the regeneration of physical sites, and remains the longest dedicated greenway in the country. It follows the trackbed of the Midland Great Western Railway's Achill extension, built in the 1890s for the seasonal harvest-labour traffic to England and the Atlantic fishing economy, and closed to passengers in 1937.

What makes the Greenway an undertourism destination rather than a generic cycle path is the landscape it crosses. Clew Bay is the wide drowned-drumlin Atlantic inlet from which Mayo's tourism reputation has always drawn — Croagh Patrick on the southern shore, Achill at the western end, Westport's Georgian streets at the eastern. The Greenway is the slow-tourism corridor across the bay's northern edge: a flat, tarmac-and-gravel surface that lets cyclists and walkers move through fishing villages, old cottage clusters and bog landscape without dealing with the N59 road. A 2013 study counted an average of 471 cycle trips per day, generating roughly €1.1 million annually for the local economy on a €5.7 million construction outlay. In October 2024, Europe's first dedicated children's disability cycling hub opened at Mulranny on the Greenway.

April to early November is the practical window — outside that, the Mayo weather makes the open coastal sections genuinely uncomfortable and many of the bike-hire operators close. May, June and September are the optimal months: the Atlantic light is at its sharpest, the daylight is long, and the trail is busy enough to feel social but not crowded. July and August carry the bulk of the family-cycling trade, and accommodation in Westport and Mulranny books out — reserve months ahead for these months. The Westport Cycling and Walking Festival usually runs in September (to verify 2026 dates). The trail surface is rideable in winter for the hardier, but expect strong winds along the open Mulranny-Achill section and short daylight. The accessible-cycling hub at Mulranny operates seasonally — confirm dates before booking a trip around it.

By public transport: take a train from Dublin Heuston to Westport on the Iarnród Éireann western line (~3.5 hours, 4 daily services Mon-Sat, 3 on Sundays). From Westport station the Greenway trailhead is a 1 km walk through the town. To reach the other end at Achill, Bus Éireann route 440 runs from Westport to Achill Sound via Newport and Mulranny — useful for a one-way trip where you ride the Greenway in one direction and bus back. Bike hire is available at multiple operators in Westport, Newport, Mulranny and Achill (Greenway.ie lists the regional hubs); most operators run a luggage-transfer service so you can ride point-to-point with a single overnight bag. The Aircoach service from Dublin Airport stops at Westport. Knock Airport is the closest regional airport.

Stay at one of the three intermediate towns rather than at the trailhead extremes. Westport (eastern end) has the deepest accommodation stock — from the Westport Plaza Hotel for the mid-range conference market to the long-running Old Mill Holiday Hostel for backpackers. Newport is the smallest of the three and the most atmospheric — the Mulranny Park Hotel and the Newport House (a Georgian country house with a salmon-fishing tradition; to verify operation) are the destination addresses. Mulranny itself has the Mulranny Park Hotel as the main option and several B&Bs along the bay. Achill at the western end is a destination in its own right and worth a separate two-night stay if you have time. For a Greenway-focused trip, splitting two nights between Newport and Mulranny gives you the best access to the rural sections of the trail without long transfers.

Mayo's food economy along the Greenway is shaped by the Atlantic fisheries and the upland sheep farms of the Nephin Beg range. In Westport, An Port Mór on Bridge Street is the long-running fine-dining option focused on Atlantic seafood; Sage Restaurant on High Street is the everyday mid-range. The Tavern Bar in Murrisk (just south of the Greenway start, near Croagh Patrick) is the pub-grub standard for after a Croagh Patrick climb. Newport has Kelly's Butchers, makers of the Newport black-and-white pudding and a working butcher's shop worth stopping at. Mulranny has Nevin's Newfield Inn for the casual evening meal, and the Mulranny Park Hotel dining room for the more formal option. At Achill, Calvey's Restaurant in Keel is the lamb-focused address. The Westport Saturday market sells regional cheese, baked goods and local fish.

Ride the Greenway end-to-end over two days, with an overnight at Mulranny — this is the canonical use of the trail. The route is flat enough for any reasonable adult cyclist and has been engineered with parents-with-kids and accessible cycling specifically in mind. The trail crosses several sections of restored bog landscape and salt-marsh that are excellent for slow ornithology. Combine the Greenway with a Croagh Patrick climb from Murrisk (a separate day; the Reek is the country's most-climbed pilgrimage mountain). At Achill, the Atlantic Drive loop and the deserted village at Slievemore make the western anchor of the trip into a two-day excursion. The accessible-cycling hub at Mulranny, opened in October 2024, offers tricycles and other adapted cycles for visitors with disability needs (verify current operating hours and booking process before relying on it).

Language: English; Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) at the Achill end. Currency: euro. Plug: UK/Irish type G three-pin. Cards accepted in bike-hire shops and hotels; cash useful for cafés and the smaller pubs. Mobile coverage: good in towns, patchy on the open Mulranny-to-Achill stretch. Bring a wind/rain layer year-round — the open coastal section is exposed.

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