Achill is Ireland’s largest island and a haven for walkers, cyclists and adventure sports enthusiasts alike. Situated in the far north-west of County Mayo, Achill boasts some of the wildest, unspoilt scenery in western Europe. The east of the island also has a thriving Irish language community and rich reservoir of culture.

It was also my next destination on a whirlwind tour of Mayo. On the way, I stopped off at the town of Newport for a delicious fish chowder soup. While walking back across the historic bridge, I spotted an information board promoting the Great Western Greenway. This world class, traffic-free, walking and cycling trail follows the route of the Westport to Achill railway line which closed in 1937. The 42km long Western Greenway is now the longest off road trail in Ireland with plenty B&B’s to stay in along the way.

I had the sensation of driving through wilderness on the winding road from Newport to Achill Sound and could scarcely believe when I reached the bridge at Achill Sound, that I still had a 20 minute drive to my B&B across darkened mountains and moorland. Along the way I passed a huge floodlit map of Achill Island in the middle of a dark bog, which  looked straight out of a C.S. Lewis fantasty.

The lights of Keem and Dooagh, far below me, then came into view. I drove to the West Coast House B&B where I was greeted at the front door by my hosts, JJ and Teresa Mc Namara. After settling into my new surroundings I enquired how near the local pub was. J.J. kindly volunteered to join me for a pint and we went walking down through the village. The talk in the pub was all about a local developer who had built a replica of Stonehenge on a mountain overlooking Keem Bay. The next day the story made the national headlines on both TV and print media!

The next day I drew open the curtains of my room and realised that I had a view of not only the village below, but also Keem Bay and towering Croaghaun mountain, which swept down to the ocean, to form some of the highest sea-cliffs in Western Europe. Over breakfast, Teresa and J.J. explained to me that Achill has always been popular with walkers from abroad, but in recent years, more and more Irish people are also taking trips to the island for walking and cycling

Achill Island now boast several popular annual walking festivals such as Féile Siúloidí Acla, held over the May Bank Holiday Weekend and Féile Siúloidí Na Lúnasa, held over the last weekend in August. A full schedule and booking details of all walks are available on www.achilltourism.com. You can also download and print off an impressive list of hillwalking guides, ranging from an easy 3 hour road walk around the highly recommended ‘Atlantic Loop’ to a more strenuous 7km Keem Valley loop walk, which will take you along a ridge of spectacular sea-cliffs rising 668 metres above the raging Atlantic Ocean. Another must see, is the view from Minaun Heights.

J.J. then summed up the advantage of staying in a B&B when visiting Mayo and Achill, “When you are from an area, you naturally grow up with the knowledge of the place. When people come to visit, I am able to explain to them how people make a living here or share the cultural traditions of the area. We keep a large selection of maps and I’m happy to show guests, from my own experience walking the hills, what routes will best suit their fitness.”
Teresa then added, “When visitors cross over the bridge, they leave their troubles behind. People are drawn to the unspoilt beauty of Achill.”

When I told J.J. how well I had slept overnight he laughed and said, “that’s the advantage of B&B’s I suppose! A lot of people come to the island to relax and catch up on sleep and we are happy to provide the peace and quiet!” What started as a quick cup of tea, soon became an engaging chat with J.J. and could scarcely believe that 2 hours had passed when I looked at my watch! I still had time to check out the Atlantic Drive. Although rain and wind now swept in from the ocean, it only seemed to amplify the rugged and wild beauty of Achill. I was very impressed with the number of information boards and signposts for walkers and cyclists alike along the way. My last stop on Achill was to visit the well preserved castle of Grainne O’Malley, the famous 16th Century pirate queen, who so impressed Queen Elizabeth with her bravery and independent spirit.

Driving back across the bridge, on my through North Mayo, I wondered had I entered some Celtic dream-time, such was the sense of wild scenery and absence of towns or modern development.