Great Western Greenway (Newport to Mulranny)

oscarBravo

dec25532 wrote: »

The reality is that two families would pay for the cost of one of the bikes in one day through rental charges.

Excellent. Now you can open a bike hire business as well as a restaurant, and really clean up.

yop

dec25532 wrote: »

The cost of living maybe higher here than in Spain or Portugal but not double the amount. And to take the argument a bit further, is the cost of living more expensive in Mayo that it has to charge higher prices than Kerry or Clare, for example. The reality is that two families would pay for the cost of one of the bikes in one day through rental charges.

Cost a family, ok so we say a family of 4, which is 2 adults and 2 kids.
That would be MAX 80 euro.

Now go and find me a bike, an not a pile of Halfords, a Giant bike (which a lot of them use) for 80 euro.....

Your arguments are getting boring at this stage. For your own sanity you may as well head to Kerry or Spain or where ever. Then you won't be pulling your hair out at the price of things in Mayo.

westie

I will be taking a holiday in Mayo for a week from 6th June. Could anyone please tell me when the remainder of the greenway will be open?

alex73

westie wrote: »

I will be taking a holiday in Mayo for a week from 6th June. Could anyone please tell me when the remainder of the greenway will be open?

Not sure, but the Newport-Mulranny part (18K) is complete and worth a go.

dec25532

yop wrote: »

Cost a family, ok so we say a family of 4, which is 2 adults and 2 kids.
That would be MAX 80 euro.

Now go and find me a bike, an not a pile of Halfords, a Giant bike (which a lot of them use) for 80 euro.....

Your arguments are getting boring at this stage. For your own sanity you may as well head to Kerry or Spain or where ever. Then you won't be pulling your hair out at the price of things in Mayo.

In fairness, it was your colleague moterator who suggested that the provision of services in Mayo might be dearer than anywhere else which seems a bit ridiculous. Your defence of high prices is about as boring as my insistance that they are. Just own up to the fact bike hire in Westport/Newport is a couple of euro more than it should be.

happyoutscan

dec25532 wrote: »

Just own up to the fact bike hire in Westport/Newport is a couple of euro more than it should be.

From reading some of your previous posts/threads it is quite clear that one of your favorite hobbies is moaning about the price of things, whether it be bike hire, restaurants, auto repairs/tyres etc.


You don't need to own up to that fact though, it's plain for all to see.

yop

happyoutscan wrote: »

From reading some of your previous posts/threads it is quite clear that one of your favorite hobbies is moaning about the price of things, whether it be bike hire, restaurants, auto repairs/tyres etc.


You don't need to own up to that fact though, it's plain for all to see.

He is a jealous Galway man. Nuff said.

If you don't like it, stay away, there are plenty more visitors to Westport to make up for the few "grudge" euros you pay.

nuac

In fairness to Dec25.. (s)he does seem to vist the area often, and has made some complimentary remarks e.g about the Greenway, and an establishment in Newport.

The complaints about pricing do appear somewhat OTT. E.g.

1. that restaurant prices in Westport were "shocking" - this turned out to be a difference of 3 or 4 euro between the price of an Italian meal in Westport as opposed to one in Sligo

2. That €12 for a bike for a day was "steep". From other comments since that also seems to be OTT.

I am not in the tourism or hire business of any kind, but know many who are. I do think Dec25... comments are unfair to these.

oscarBravo

dec25532 wrote: »

Just own up to the fact bike hire in Westport/Newport is a couple of euro more than it should be.

No, sorry. Unless you run a business in Westport, you can't dismiss the cost of doing business in Westport. If you feel that Westport businesses are ripping people off, then set up in competition with Westport businesses and help drive prices down, or vote with your feet and stop spending money in Westport. One way or another, please stop with the constant griping about how you're being ripped off.

yosemite_sam

oscarBravo wrote: »

No, sorry. Unless you run a business in Westport, you can't dismiss the cost of doing business in Westport. If you feel that Westport businesses are ripping people off, then set up in competition with Westport businesses and help drive prices down, or vote with your feet and stop spending money in Westport. One way or another, please stop with the constant griping about how you're being ripped off.

Westport is a great town but very dear to live in, my brother built a house there and it cost him 350,000 euro. I think it is well worth supporting Irish business and people should pay up and not moan.

yosemite_sam

dec25532 wrote: »

nuac, you are so defensive it is quite fascinating. In Clare last year we got bikes for €8 a day and did Doolin and the cliffs, it was grand. In Killarney it is €10 a day but Clew Bay bikes seem to have it all on their own and charge €12. Take a couple and two kids, that is nearly €50. Am only sayin'

Clew Bay bikes, he would have to pay 400 euro a week rent I pay 4000 euro a year rates to MCC he would pay a similar. Lets say he has three staff on the MW 36 euro an hour, run a van for picking up the bikes. Insurance in case someone falls off one of his bikes. Can you now begrudge him getting 12 euro a day off of someone like you.

yop

yosemite_sam wrote: »

Westport is a great town but very dear to live in, my brother built a house there and it cost him 350,000 euro. I think it is well worth supporting Irish business and people should pay up and not moan.

350k to build a house!!!! :eek:

What was it, Knockranny House!

We build for 126k and it was 2100 sq ft!, must be some castle he built

yosemite_sam

yop wrote: »

350k to build a house!!!! :eek:

What was it, Knockranny House!

We build for 126k and it was 2100 sq ft!, must be some castle he built

Some house alright, that does include the site cost of course. Sweeping oak staircase, bespoke handmade kitchen a real palace. You are not far away with the adress either

yop

yosemite_sam wrote: »

Some house alright, that does include the site cost of course. Sweeping oak staircase, bespoke handmade kitchen a real palace. You are not far away with the adress either

Ah, I was wondering. Sites were nuts when we were building 7 years ago, 250k for 1/2 acre site where I am from originally.

dec25532

yop wrote: »

He is a jealous Galway man. Nuff said.

If you don't like it, stay away, there are plenty more visitors to Westport to make up for the few "grudge" euros you pay.

Childish comment. But anyway I have booked my week in Mayo at the end of June, three days in Westport and three in Mulranney with bikes attached to the back of the car. Can't wait to get on the Greenway. Have been saving the few euro over the past couple months to be prepared for the Westport restaurants whose prices may have mellowed since I was there in January. We live in hope.
Ye could do a whip around in advance of my arrival !!!!

yop

dec25532 wrote: »

Childish comment. But anyway I have booked my week in Mayo at the end of June, three days in Westport and three in Mulranney with bikes attached to the back of the car. Can't wait to get on the Greenway. Have been saving the few euro over the past couple months to be prepared for the Westport restaurants whose prices may have mellowed since I was there in January. We live in hope.
Ye could do a whip around in advance of my arrival !!!!

We will throw you a few euro when you are up Dec

I think you will find prices are still the same, so make sure you bring the money box

nuac

Hope you enjoy your visit here Dec255. Enjoy, chill out

dec25532

yop wrote: »

I think you will find prices are still the same, so make sure you bring the money box

Dammit, better bring the flask of tea as well.

dec25532

nuac wrote: »

Hope you enjoy your visit here Dec255. Enjoy, chill out

Thanks nuac, will do. But in my spare time I will do a quick analysis of restaurant scene in Westport and give a fair assessment of why I believe it is more expensive than most towns of its size . . . despite the assertion (by oscar bravo) that it costs more to provide a service in Westport than other tourist destinations in Ireland.

oscarBravo

dec25532 wrote: »

...despite the assertion (by oscar bravo) that it costs more to provide a service in Westport than other tourist destinations in Ireland.

Whoah, back up. You've claimed - with little in the way of supporting evidence - that you're being ripped off by businesses in Westport. I've advanced an alternative hypothesis, which is that Westport prices are higher because the cost of doing business in Westport may be higher than elsewhere.

Now, as someone who owns a business in Mayo and lives in Westport, it's possible that I know of what I speak. But, leaving that aside, if every business in Westport is making extraordinary profits (which is the logical corollary to the accusation of ripping customer off) then it's clearly an attractive place to do business, and as such there should be a queue of entrepreneurs lining up for a slice of the lucrative Westport tourist-gouging action.

My understanding of the laws of supply and demand, coupled with the fact that you seem prepared to repeatedly spend money in Westport but unwilling to set up in competition with the robber barons who are ripping you off hand over fist, lead me inexorably to my own personal conclusions, which others are free to arrive at independently.

MayoForSam

OK, so we went on a wee family outing today on the Greenway so I though I'd share our experiences.

Weather wasn't fantastic but it remained mostly dry throughout with the odd very light shower - this definitely helped.

Brought 2 bikes on the back of the car, hired another one in Newport - the lad in the hire shop was very friendly and helpful.

Headed off in the direction of Mullaranny, the cycle path is well signposted now a few hundred metres from the edge of Newport. The initial way follows the old railway line and the elevated views were great. The crossing over the old 7-arches bridge is especially picturesque. The first half of the journey is quite sheltered along wooded paths and through fields with the local livestock in full view. As you progress along the way, the vista begins to open up. The second half of the journey is more exposed over higher ground with little in the way of shelter. Quite a steep ascent in places. Stunning views over Clew Bay and Clare Island. It took us 2 and a half hours to get to Mullaranny, but that included a leisurely picnic lunch around the halfway mark. Brought the bike back to the depot at the back of the hotel, very handy in being able to drop the bike here and not have to return it to Newport.

Overall, a fantastic experience and credit to Mayo CoCo and whoever has been responsible in driving this project forward. Now if only the same logic could be applied to some other disused (and never to see a train running again) rail lines in the west of Ireland......

Plenty of folks out cycling and walking, all shapes, sizes and ages. I would have one minor criticism in that there should be a few more picnic tables and benches and perhaps the odd covered shelter along the route in the event of inclement weather.

fifilarue

I travelled up to Mayo with a couple of friends yesterday and walked this route. It was an absolutely brilliant day out, even though we got caught in a couple of fairly heavy showers in the afternoon. We honestly couldn't get over it. It was clean, safe, well-signposted and the views when the sun came out were amazing. Fair play to all involved, especially the landowners, as it's definitely a success from a walkers point of view (am also a member of a walking club and we'll be putting it on our schedule). The only criticism (if I could call it that) is that with my hood up, I couldn't hear the bikes coming up behind me, so maybe the hire place could invest in a few bells :D

dec25532

oscarBravo wrote: »

I've advanced an alternative hypothesis, which is that Westport prices are higher because the cost of doing business in Westport may be higher than elsewhere.QUOTE]

Christ this is like deja vu. First you admit that Westport prices are higher and then suggest that this is because the cost of doing business in Westport is higher than anywhere else. So you are saying that it is cheaper to operate a business in Dublin or Galway, where rents are still incredibly high, than in Westport. Ah c'mon. Give us some credit. Think you are just circling the wagons.

oscarBravo

dec25532 wrote: »

First you admit that Westport prices are higher...

Higher than what? I've paid much, much, much more for food elsewhere than I have in Westport. You've complained that you have paid more for food in Westport than in that mecca for tourists, Sligo. Why do you keep coming back to Westport? Why not holiday in Sligo? Why isn't Sligo a much more popular tourist destination than Westport? Why isn't Termonfeckin or Portarlington a more popular tourist destination than Westport?

...and then suggest that this is because the cost of doing business in Westport is higher than anywhere else.

I don't remember suggesting that the cost of doing business in Westport is higher than in Tokyo. If you're going to argue with me by misquoting me, save yourself the trouble.

So you are saying that it is cheaper to operate a business in Dublin or Galway, where rents are still incredibly high, than in Westport.

I don't recall saying that. I'm trying to get you to contemplate the possibility that there are other explanations for the cost of a main course being marginally higher in Westport than Sligo, or for the price of bike rental being higher in Westport than in the Algarve, than the one-dimensional caricature of fat-cat Westport capitalists ripping you off.

Do you know what it costs to do business in Westport? Have you ever run a business in Westport? Have you ever run a business? Why do you keep avoiding the question of why you don't run a business in Westport, since - by your own logic - it's a failsafe path to extraordinary profits?

I live in Westport. It costs me more to live in Westport than it would in (say) Ballinrobe. Why do I continue to live in Westport? Because I like it here. It's a cost-benefit analysis. People ask me how I like living here, and I tell them I enjoy it - I don't automatically qualify that remark every single time with "but Jaysus, the cost of living's a biatch." If I didn't think it was worth it, I'd live somewhere else.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who wonders, every time you complain about high prices in Westport, why you keep coming back.

kippy

Lads, just a quick query, is the greenway full operational now from Westport to Achill or are there still parts of it under construction?

hollypink

kippy wrote: »

Lads, just a quick query, is the greenway full operational now from Westport to Achill or are there still parts of it under construction?

Official opening is supposed to be in late July but I saw the following posted in mid-June on facebook and people have been posting photos of the Mulranny - Achill section:

Great Western Greenway (Newport - Mulranny) Cycling & Walking Trail
The Greenway will be safe for cycling between Westport and Achill on Friday next. We are currently completing some small works. The official opening will be in late July - details will be posted closer to the time. Please note that there a... 2km section of the Greenway between Newport and Westport (close to Newport Town) which will be completed later this Autumn under a road improvement contract. There is also a short section ON ROAD (700m) between Achill and Mulranny. ENJOY!See more
13 June at 13:01 · LikeUnlike · 1 person

afatbollix

I went back a few weeks ago from London and borrowed my neighbors bike to have a go on the track.

I can do about 30-40 miles in London no problem so guessed the 45 miles from Westport to Achill could be done.

Unless you start down at the quay it is hard to find the start as its a old out of the way route. Even tho Im from the area I still had to visit the tourist office for info.

So off I went it is off road out of Westport on the old railway line it is tree lined along the track for the first few miles. Then you are beside the road, you have to cycle through some gates and roads on this part of the route.

All very easy so far no up hills and the majority of it down hill. Then you cross the road at Killmeena, new track has been laid and there is a few bridges that you have to slow down for as they are very humped.

About 1.5 mils from Newport the track stops. It looks like a farmer has said no as it goes to his boundary and then stops. The road is ok as it wasent that busy.

I stopped in Newport for a few minutes before heading off again. There is no track through the town so you have to stay on the road be careful of parked cars coming out of spaces its a bit of a free for all.

Out of the town you join the Newport to Mullranny part of the track. The first few miles are nice and scenic.


After the half way point its a bit open though the bogs and after a small climb you cycle into Mullranny down hill. On a windy day you will find it hard.



You can cycle right through Mullranny with out joining the main road the track is all finished through the village ( I did stop tho for more water in the local shop)

Now for the easy part the Mullranny to Achill part is about 90% completed. It is mostly all flat or downhill even tho I was 40K into the cycle I was getting my highest KPH average on this part of it.

It does end abruptly as a local German Women wont give over the land or so a local I talked to told me. You have to finish the last few miles on the main road.

In total it took me 2:15 to do Westport to Achill its just under 50Km long it was the fastest cycle Ive ever done.. So well pleased.


I even then decided to do Atlantic drive which killed me! New arse please!

LeoB

Done the Newport to Mulranny section during the week and in a word EXCELLENT.

I really enjoyed the leisurley spin with kids and had a nice little pit stop along the way.There is some beautiful scenary along the way.
[EMAIL="<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25899546@N03/5919752379/&quot; title="Mayo Newport - Mullaranny 061 by Leo Bissett, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/5919752379_ffa6cf7bd1.jpg&quot; width="500" height="256" alt="Mayo Newport - Mullaranny 061"></a>"]<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25899546@N03/5919752379/&quot; title="Mayo Newport - Mullaranny 061 by Leo Bissett, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/5919752379_ffa6cf7bd1.jpg&quot; width="500" height="256" alt="Mayo Newport - Mullaranny 061"></a>[/EMAIL]

Its an excellent route but I would make 1 or 2 changes.

Just after picture #1 you have to cross the road and this judging by what I saw driving (or how they drive) could be dangerous. So perhaps a set of flashing warning lights...........

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The weather was fair when we done the trip but it did get quite windy near the end. We had our snack with us but there was not enough benchs along the route

There is quite a steep winding climb in the second half and this was the only spot that I felt needs a bit of work as the surface was not great.

At the end of this leg there should be a gate to make cyclists dismount. There is a sign in Irish and English but unfortunatley the french lad I saw had little or none of either and nearly had what could have been a nasty fall.

I would highly recommend this as a great way to spend a few hours. Well done to all who have develped this and I hope it continues to grow. As for the German lady who wont allow the greenway through her land, can Mayo C.C not put C.P.O on here ground? In the interest of the public having a healthy lifestyle:)

LeoB

Some of the stunning views along the Greenway

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Oh a big thanks to J.P O'Halloran in Clew Bay cycle hire who made a few adjustments to my daughters bike. Very helpful and friendly in the Newport shop.

mel.b

Road the greenway from Newport to Mulranny and back yesterday as part of a hen's weekend. Other than a teenage boy nearly crashing into me as he wasn't watching where he was going as he was cycling two abreast it was a great ride - so peaceful and scenic. I really hope more of these do open up throughout the country. There were loads and loads of people out doing it and I can see how the path would have really helped tourism and businesses in newport and mulranny.

I felt the track, or more accurately the weeds alongside the path on the first couple of Km's outside of Newport could do with some attention. It was difficult to ride two abreast there as it was getting quite overgrown with some big sharp weeds.

Also that steep little section before Mulranny where it looks like part of the track was washed away in a flood or something. I think they could really do with asphalting that section as I think maintenance there will be an ongoing issue othewise.

Looking forward to heading back and doing the whole Westport - Achill trip