Great Western Greenway (Newport to Mulranny)

mambo · 03-07-2010 10:43am #1

Anyone cycled the Great Western Greenway, from Mulranny <-> Newport?

http://www.discoverireland.ie/Great-Western-Greenway.aspx

We're thinking of heading down to Mayo from Dublin for a weekend, and including a cycle along this route, the longest dedicated walking/cycling route in Ireland, 18km long...

oscarBravo · 03-07-2010 2:33pm

I've walked parts of it, and I know several people who have cycled it. It's definitely worth the trip.

nuac · 03-07-2010 7:16pm

Yes - have walked parts of it. Very scenic. Well worth doing. Planis to extend it up to Westport.

happyoutscan · 03-07-2010 8:58pm

Have cycled it a few times and it is amazing. Within a year or so the sections between Westport-Newport and Mulranny-Achill should be complete. If you're staying in Westport try Clew Bay Bike Hire, they'll run you out and collect you from the Greenway for the price of a full day bike hire per person.

http://www.clewbayoutdoors.ie

mardybumbum · 04-07-2010 7:08pm

That looks like a very nice route. Must give that a lash myself.

RoadKillTs · 04-07-2010 9:46pm

Parts out it go through our land. Its a really good track. So many people cycle down to Mulranny and the roads are just too dangerous these days.

westtip · 05-07-2010 11:08am

Its a great cycle ride - we need more facilities like this off road as the roads are just too dangerous and this does bring visitors to the area.

The should do the same with the Collooney- Claremorris old railway line and forget all the nonsense about it ever being re-opened, it won't happen and in teh meantime the alignment is in serious danger of being lost in parts.

checkour www.sligomayogreenway.com to see what people are saying about it.

irishgeo · 07-07-2010 12:08am

westtip wrote: »

Its a great cycle ride - we need more facilities like this off road as the roads are just too dangerous and this does bring visitors to the area.

The should do the same with the Collooney- Claremorris old railway line and forget all the nonsense about it ever being re-opened, it won't happen and in teh meantime the alignment is in serious danger of being lost in parts.

checkour www.sligomayogreenway.com to see what people are saying about it.

rumours they want to bring it to achill but there is a load of bridges need rebuilding and i am sure its land grabbed in parts.

mardybumbum · 07-07-2010 1:26am

Where exactly does the Newport - Mulranny route begin in Newport? Is it near the town itself?

RoadKillTs · 07-07-2010 7:40am

Where exactly does the Newport - Mulranny route begin in Newport? Is it near the town itself?

Its just outside the town. You go out the Mulranny road about a quarter or a mile and there is a sharpish corner ahead. The start is just before the corner on the left. Its marked. Should be some parking available on the right.

oscarBravo · 07-07-2010 10:07am

irishgeo wrote: »

rumours they want to bring it to achill but there is a load of bridges need rebuilding and i am sure its land grabbed in parts.

They'll have similar problems bringing it to Westport, but I really think it's worth it. As for landgrabs, they got a lot of co-operation from landowners on the existing route. It might be trickier for the new phases - as best I can track it, it actually goes through people's gardens in places - but hopefully they'll get similar levels of co-operation.

RoadKillTs wrote: »

Its just outside the town. You go out the Mulranny road about a quarter or a mile and there is a sharpish corner ahead. The start is just before the corner on the left. Its marked. Should be some parking available on the right.

It could be better signposted, alright.

mardybumbum · 07-07-2010 3:23pm

RoadKillTs wrote: »

Its just outside the town. You go out the Mulranny road about a quarter or a mile and there is a sharpish corner ahead. The start is just before the corner on the left. Its marked. Should be some parking available on the right.

Thanks.
I'd often travel through Newport on my way to Mulranny.
Not once have I noticed a cycling track, but then again I haven't been looking for one.
Think I'm going to cycle this route next week if the weather holds up.

Bob the Builder · 07-07-2010 4:31pm

oscarBravo wrote: »

They'll have similar problems bringing it to Westport, but I really think it's worth it. As for landgrabs, they got a lot of co-operation from landowners on the existing route. It might be trickier for the new phases - as best I can track it, it actually goes through people's gardens in places - but hopefully they'll get similar levels of co-operation.

You'd be surprised how easy most, if not all people have co-operated with it. There were something like 49 landowners house-visited and using an incentive from the Dept. of Rural Affairs, everyone was extremely co-operative..

It could be better signposted, alright.

That's in the process of happening. Or at least was. Should be on course in the next few months.

happyoutscan · 07-07-2010 6:51pm

If you're coming from the Newport direction it's handier to start the cycle at the 7 Arches Bridge. This is located about 1 mile outside Newport, you'll see the impressive stone bridge on your right hand side. Turn right there and there is room for parking. From here the Greenway is all scenery and in my opinion the best place to start your cycle.

As far as I know they are making great progress and are hopeful to have most of it completed within a year or so.

oscarBravo · 07-07-2010 7:06pm

I came across a drawing somewhere that showed the route of the planned Westport-Newport section. I was delighted to see it linking with the end of the existing railway line walk, crossing Altamont street via the old railway bridge, over the viaduct across the river, and out along the old railway alignment past Allergan. The crossing of the N5 will be an interesting problem, but I suppose not much worse than where the Greenway crosses the N59 at Burrishoole.

mambo · 10-07-2010 3:02pm

Thanks for all the feedback.

We cycled the full length of the greenway this morning, Mulranny to Newport and back. Most of the route, particularly in the middle section, is on the old railway line, so it's fairly straight with gentle gradients. The surface is mostly kind of tarmac-cum-gravel.

Small bits of it are actually public/private roads, where you might conceivably meet a car, but we didn't.

The signposting is generally good, though at the Newport end it just kind of stops (or starts, depending on which way you are going) without any prominent signage at all! :-(

All in all, a great resource for the area, and the country. We need more of these!!

dec25532 · 11-07-2010 7:13pm

Am going to give it a go some weekend soon. Sounds great. One question though, any dogs en route? We not good on dogs after a bad experience a few years back.

mambo · 12-07-2010 8:00am

dec25532 wrote: »

Am going to give it a go some weekend soon. Sounds great. One question though, any dogs en route? We not good on dogs after a bad experience a few years back.

We passed on or two people out walking with their dogs, on leashes, from what I remember.

Flygroove · 28-01-2011 12:41pm

Is the route smooth enough for road bikes? thin wheels

Can you cycle both ways or is it a one way route?

Thanks

mambo · 28-01-2011 12:49pm

Flygroove wrote: »

Is the route smooth enough for road bikes? thin wheels

I would say so, yes. The surface is a kind of a compacted fine gravel - you can see it on the right in this pic:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=462180948522&set=a.251883313522.170631.251848623522
or in this pic:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=251890943522&set=a.251883313522.170631.251848623522

Can you cycle both ways or is it a one way route?

Both ways no problem, though at the Newport end the start was not too well signposted (in summer 2010). But it's not hard to find, take the Mularanny road and keep an eye out for it a few 100 metres from the town centre.

yop · 28-01-2011 3:38pm

Thanks for those, its a wonderful amenity to have in the area. Will be able to get some nice long runs in on that path!

Connacht · 28-01-2011 7:04pm

There are now, to my knowledge, at least these three bicycle hire businesses on the Greenway :
http://www.newport-bicycle.com/
http://www.clewbayoutdoors.com/
http://www.electricescapes.ie/
Other outdoor activity businesses based around the Greenway include these guys :
http://www.irelandwestseakayaking.com/
http://tourismpurewalking.com/
The Newport to Westport and Mulranny to Achill stretches are both supposed to be open before summer this year, bringing the greenway to 42 km long.

irishgeo · 28-01-2011 7:12pm

Connacht wrote: »

There are now, to my knowledge, at least these three bicycle hire businesses on the Greenway :
http://www.newport-bicycle.com/
http://www.clewbayoutdoors.com/
http://www.electricescapes.ie/
Other outdoor activity businesses based around the Greenway include these guys :
http://www.irelandwestseakayaking.com/
http://tourismpurewalking.com/
The Newport to Westport and Mulranny to Achill stretches are both supposed to be open before summer this year, bringing the greenway to 42 km long.

achill is work in progress, they have a few bridges that are knocked to fix up yet though.

mambo · 28-01-2011 8:04pm

http://www.mulrannyparkhotel.ie/cycling-mayo
also rents out bikes (perhaps to guests only??) and is right on the greenway.

happyoutscan · 28-01-2011 9:55pm

mambo wrote: »

http://www.mulrannyparkhotel.ie/cycling-mayo
also rents out bikes (perhaps to guests only??) and is right on the greenway.

Clew Bay Bike Hire are going to be operating in Westport, Newport, Mulranney and Achill for the coming season including drop-offs and collections from all the depots, meaning you could leave Westport and cycle to Achill and be driven back etc.

happyoutscan · 28-01-2011 9:58pm

Flygroove wrote: »

Is the route smooth enough for road bikes? thin wheels

Can you cycle both ways or is it a one way route?

Thanks

I know a few people who cycled the Newport-Mulranney section on road bikes and they didn't think they were suited to it. As far as I know (although I haven't seen it myself) some - if not all - of the Westport-Newport stretch will be tarmac and not the 'grit gravel' surface used on the Newport-Mulranney section

RMDrive · 28-01-2011 10:47pm

The surface is fine for a road bike but there's a pile of cattle grids to cross and I don't know how well a road bike would take those.

westtip · 15-02-2011 10:38am

Its a fantastic facility and we need more of its kind in the West and North West - and even to have greenways running parallel with our existing railways - Thankfully both Sligo and Mayo County council are now supporting the idea for the same execution on the Claremorris - Colooney line - see the web site

www.sligomayogreenway.com

happyoutscan · 15-02-2011 3:11pm

westtip wrote: »

Its a fantastic facility and we need more of its kind in the West and North West - and even to have greenways running parallel with our existing railways - Thankfully both Sligo and Mayo County council are now supporting the idea for the same execution on the Claremorris - Colooney line - see the web site

www.sligomayogreenway.com

I've heard they are also looking into the possibility of converting the Ballinrobe-Claremorris line into a Greenway. There is great potential with these in promoting the west for tourism, something that's badly needed seeing as our industries are suffering. Would be great to get a jump start on the rest of the country!

Esroh · 15-02-2011 10:02pm

happyoutscan wrote: »

I've heard they are also looking into the possibility of converting the Ballinrobe-Claremorris line into a Greenway. There is great potential with these in promoting the west for tourism, something that's badly needed seeing as our industries are suffering. Would be great to get a jump start on the rest of the country!

As far as I know they are having unofficial talks with landowners. If you did not know it was there you would be hard pushed to tell in places on the few miles from Roundfort to Ballinrobe.

westtip · 15-02-2011 10:49pm

I reckon we might see this along the whole of the Western Rail corridor from Collooney to Athenry, the FG manifesto is hardly a ringing endorsement of the supposed phase 2 and 3 of the Western Rail corridor (phase 1 was ennis Athenry) phase 2 is supposed to be Athenry Tuam then phase 3 Tuam Claremorris but the FG manifesto says:

From the back pages (page 79) of the FG manifesto:

the Western Rail Corridor, which will be subject to a cost benefit

analysis by independent experts

Hardly a ringing endorsement for trains to Tuam and Claremorris and as for Claremorris to Collooney, well that truly is a piped dream. it sounds to me like FG are trying to get off the hook with the help of independent experts, don't blame them can't see the rest of the country putting up with money being spent on a pretty pointless rail line from Athenry to Claremorris.

Great Western Greenway (Newport to Mulranny)

Comments