A SUMMER CYCLE TOUR IN MAYO, IRELAND

Sometimes a photo asks a question. In this case, where in the World is this?

It could be the Med or the Bahamas or Broome on Australia's north coast, all exotic places and a long way from home. This is Elly Bay on the Atlantic coast of Erris Island in Co Mayo, Ireland. It is still a long way from Devon but you don't need a plane to get there. Erris Island was named as the best place to go wild by the Irish Times in 2014


Mayo thinks of itself as the adventure capital of Ireland. It sits on the north west coast looking out into the Atlantic and this is where I visited next with my bike tour around Ireland's coast. It is an understatement to say that the coastline is enormous. It weaves in and out like the tentacles of a giant drunken octopus. Islands are everywhere you look. Some are connected with bridges, others require a ferry and with some you need your own boat to get to there. Inland there are vast areas of bog and ranges of hills spring up randomly. I would like to say that the coastal strip is flat and mostly it is but now and again there are big hills to be climbed. My passion is cycle touring but here is photo of others enjoying the great outdoors

I enjoyed earlier seeing Galway Hookers, the traditional fishing boats in Galway Bay. In Mayo, they still use currachs, albeit today their skins are fibreglass and here are two in the foreground tied up ready for use

Coming up the coast from Connemara' national park, a fjiord and Mweelrea Mountain, 819m high, block the way into Mayo so a detour inland is required. On route to Westport, another mountain, Croagh Patrick comes into view. Nicknamed the Reek, it is 764m high and a pilgrimage for many Irish people. It is a long bike ride around Clew Bay and I enjoyed a day off in Westport. Achill was worth the detour with spectacular cliffs and kite surfing

I could have spent three weeks just cycling the entire coastline of Mayo but I only had one week so some places have been left out. It was gorgeous and happily the weather was mostly fine so long as the wind was accepted. I weaved in and out of tiny lanes on route to Bangor and twice took wrong turns. I just had to visit Belmullet and Erris Island and here is a photo of Achill taken from Black Sod, the southern tip of Erris

Sadly I missed a section of the north coast, primarily because I could not find any accommodation but it enabled me to see Mayo's spectacular wilderness centre with a backdrop behind of the Nephin Beg mountains, said to be the loneliest area in Ireland

I am keeping daily photos and maps of my route on https://twitter.com/cycle770 so please keep following