The Great Western Greenway in County Mayo is one Irish gem you don't want to miss.
The award-winning Great Western Greenway is a 43.5km traffic-free route that stretches through some of Ireland’s most beautiful scenery.
Beginning in the popular seaside town of Westport, you will traverse through the quaint towns and villages of Newport and Mulranny before coming to a gentle finish at Achill Sound.
The Great Western Greenway offers mild gradients, courtesy of its origins as a railway line, with magnificent landscape backdrops including Clew Bay, Clare Island, the mythical holy mountain Croagh Patrick, and the Nephin Beg Mountains.
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You will travel through bogs, woodlands, and active farmland, spotting wildlife and flora along the way. The Greenway has something unique for each and every visitor.
County Mayo also has so much to offer walking enthusiasts, with its largely unspoiled, clean countryside, varied landscapes, unique scenery, and rich heritage and folklore, making it the ideal walking destination.
If you're looking for meal recommendations to refuel along the way, the Gourmet Greenway food trail, which showcases wonderful artisan food in the vicinity of Mulranny, Newport, Westport, and Achill, is a great map to consult.
Fun fact: The Great Western Greenway was voted one of the top three cycle trails in the world by the "New York Times".
What is a Greenway? These are trails built exclusively for cyclists and pedestrians, and they are a fantastic way to see the beautiful Irish countryside. Greenways have also become very popular on old disused railway lines.
Find out more about the Great Western Greenway by clicking here.
* Originally published in 2024 and updated in March 2026.