"Failte go dti an Dromainn" is the welcome you receive when you begin your trek at the Drummin forest recreation area which is supported and protected by Coillte.

Drummin Wood is located between Foxford and Pontoon nestled in the glen between the Ox mountains(Sliamh Gamh) and the lakes of Lough Conn and Lough Cullin with the two mountains of  Nephin and Croagh Patrick as a backdrop.

I begin my journey from the carpark with my friend Gerry  who hails from Drogheda in Co Louth (don’t mention the football) and travel up the forest track. Gerry is on a 3 day  walking package with Trek West Tours. The pathway is nearly overgrown which tells me that few walkers were here lately ,maybe due to the bad weather.  We climb upwards and after 1 mile turn sharp right at a junction protected by a barrier.

Every blog I now write will concentrate on one plant or animal we encounter on our journey.  Today we came across the Nettle which may be a humble weed but which was eaten during the Famine to survive.  It is packed with health-boosting minerals and vitamins.  The nettle (Urtica Diocica) is one of the world’s most common weeds, growing along roads, gardens, wastelands and woodlands.  Nettles quickly take over any patch of reasonably fertile and well-watered ground.  Nettle tea is one of the most popular and easy available herbal teas in health shops and supermarkets.  They can also be boiled for ten minutes adding honey and lemon to taste and then added to various dishes.

Back on the trail we travel down a bog boreen, opening gates and passing farms to our right arriving out on a small side-road.  We sip our water and nibble on some fruit as we make our way towards Shraheen school(built 1885) and turn left to face a big incline.  We shorten our steps to take on the hill and I give Gerry a little tip ie; walk backwards up the hill for a minute to rest your climbing muscles.

On arriving at the summit we are amazed with the view that awaits us.  We now know why Foxford is often called :THE KILLARNEY OF THE WEST. 

Lough Conn with its small islands and the contrast of the Nephin ridges can be seen gently sloping into the sheltered waters.As we descend Lough Cullin is to our left with Croagh Patrick in the distance.

We reach and take the left fork at a Y junction continuing our trek up a small road with grass in the centre.  A lonesome donkey gladly takes some of our dried apricot’s and luckily he was still alive yesterday when I met him. 

We’re ascending yet again to reach a big boulder, a gorgeous spot for taking photo’s where we are again reminded of the sheer beauty of this heavenly part of Mayo.

As we make our way back down the forest to our destination I am reminded that  this beauty is like when you were a little child and had toy dreams of a land of candy flowers, jellybean fields, lollipop trees and of  running along chocolate roads towards jelly mountains.

 Why not join us on our two day waking festival on the 2nd and 3rd of October.  More

 

One evening last week in Westport, as my wife shopped I walked the old Railway line that travels from the centre of the town to the Quay.

This was once part of a busy railroad system transporting goods and passengers to and from the docks.  It is now a peaceful corridor for wildlife and walkers. The tarmac on the path is beautifully painted using the Mayo colours,green for the cycling path and red for the walking trail.

The walk starts near the four sided clock where you climb a steep gradient ending at a stone bridge at the very top (known as High Street).  From here the next three miles are a beautiful example of Flora , Fauna and history along the way.

I met a group of young lads and one of them let me use his Glider which is a type of three-wheeled bike.  You just stand on it at the back and move your feet inwards and outwards and it can even go up hills.  Other people I met along the way were an elderly man with a stick walking his dog, while along the verges some horticulturists were sewing plants.

You pass under some old humpbacked bridges and eventually the smell and sight of the Sea can be obtained, and the old grain stores at the quay are clearly visible.  Wildlife spaces within and on the outskirts of towns throughout Ireland are an element of our natural heritage that must be cherished and preserved. 

Thankfully Westport Town Council has recognised this walk’s ecological and recreational value to the extent that they plan to preserve and enhance this important asset to the town.

 

 

Last Tuesday I was joined by two friends to trek The Bangor Trail in County Mayo.  Weather was perfect as we loaded our rucksacks with 2 litres of water each and enough food as we thought it would only take 6 hours. What we ended doing was a full Marathon across what must be some of the most mountainous bog in Ireland.

Starting in Bangor we headed into the Nephin hills along a boggy marshy track. It was very wet even though the track was all covered with small stones and loose boulders.

The scenery was spectacular with Croagh Patrick beckoning us in the far distance partly covered by the misty clouds.  A burial site made of large stone facings could be seen on top of one of the jagged peaks.
Our first stop for lunch was beside a beautiful river that was cut out by a glacier thousands of years ago.   It now meanders effortlessly through the bog. We cross a bridge and its then we all sigh, as one of the lads decides to walk a little further off the chosen path so as we can claim a full 26 mile Marathon route rather than 22  that’s on the map.

As we reach the summit of our journey we pass a small weather station that looks like an overgrown tree pot.  A waterfall trickles majestically downwards beside us as we photo Scardan lake full of brown trout,  Why? Because this area is so inaccessible.

The Rescue services say that The Bangor Trail is one of the most inhospitable places to get lost or injured in as no road or house can be seen within 10 miles of your position.  If a plane went down (God Forbid) the ground is so marshy that the only way in is by air.  This frightened me when I went up to my waist in a quicksand type boghole.  I was not badly injured but had to take small steps for the remaining 10 miles as I protected my ankle.

Spare dry socks are a must on this journey which some of us had to change beside a beautiful Ash tree, reportedly the only tree on this whole route.  Sandwiches came out again at the half way hut(pictured) in which hung a framed map which thankfully showed us we were 2/3’s of the way home.

Glorious gorges etched into the mountain side were covered with fern and heather.  Up ahead I could see Letterkeen Forest at Srahmore which was a welcome sight as I felt I was holding up the other two experienced trekkers with my small steps.

While the ascent on this trail was only 300 metres the terrain was very difficult having to watch every step leaving little time to view the scenery which at times was boring as it was all BOG.

After 9 hours I limped back to our car, which we had left near Newport earlier and there was not a happier man when I climbed into a hot bath at home prepared by my wife Nuala. (Brandy in Hand).  Home Sweet Home.

 

A cloudy Thursday morning turned into a glorious  summers evening as my friend Gerry and I travelled to Newport and Mulranny on our first visit to view the new Mayo Greenway.

This Greenway was originally a Railway which formed part of the once famous Westport /Achill Railway. It opened in 1894 and closed in 1937 a mere 42 years later.

Just a quick entry to let you know we have launched our new video which is now available to watch on you tube. The video gives an overview of the fantastic sights and scenery walkers can experience when they take a walking holiday with Trek West.

Click Here To Watch The Video

It was a beautiful spring morning on Thursday last 15th April.I headed out from Foxford with a group of walkers who all had different levels of fitness.Our aim was to walk the loop around Lough Muck.
The sun shone down heavenly on us although a gentle breeze meant we still needed a light jacket.

Having worked in the Motor Industry for twenty years I was always looking out from the inside of a glass showroom and wanted to be somewhere else ie breathing in the fresh air and enjoying either the sunrays or the rain drops out in our beautiful hills and valleys that surround us in North Mayo and South Sligo.