Western Way - Oughterard to Leenane

Bugsy2000

Anyone here ever walk this route. Its a mixture of raodway, forest track, bog & foothills through the Mamturks. Its a National Waymarked Trail so I'm assuming that means its all accessible to the public & doesn't traverse private land. I'm just wondering if it is all passable? As sections of it pass through bogland I'd be afraid I'd get 8 or 9 miles in only to have to turn back.

Western Way Map

Bricriu

Yes, you can walk right through unhindered; but be very careful on The Leckavrea Boardwalk in Maam area.

I went walking on The Leckavrea Boardwalk last year, and nearly broke my neck half a dozen times on it, it was that slippery.

The problem with this boardwalk is that the planks used to built it were planed, when they should have been left rough an unplaned, to provide a good grip for walking boots. Either that, or chicken wire mesh should have been nailed to them, like the ones in Wicklow.

Bugsy2000

Thanks for that. It's just the type of info I was after. I think I'll give it a rattle over the next month or so. I'm hoping to split it into two sections (either side of Maam) and maybe run a section on different days. And maybe (big maybe) run it all in one go towards the end of the summer when I'm familiar with it.

galwaycyclist

There have been access issues in the past at the back of Leckavrea. I'm not sure who you could ask re current situation? A quick phonecall to Keanes pub/shop in Maam might be a good bet.

Some of the section in the Inagh valley (to west of maamturks in linked map) can be very wet - bit of a bog slog.

galwaycyclist

galwaycyclist wrote: »

There have been access issues in the past at the back of Leckavrea. I'm not sure who you could ask re current situation? A quick phonecall to Keanes pub/shop in Maam might be a good bet.

Actually looking at that map it looks like they are now routing it away from the disputed section so you should be ok.

Sponge Bob

Feshtival in early May

http://goconnemara.com/browser.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.leenanevillage.com%2FWalking%2520Festival.htm&exit=L2RpcmVjdG9yeS9kZXRhaWxzLzQ2MS8=&id=461

They seem to have special access permissions in place.

Bugsy2000

galwaycyclist wrote: »

Actually looking at that map it looks like they are now routing it away from the disputed section so you should be ok.

Irish Trails Website
Map 2

I was wondering about that alright. I noticed on one of the detailed maps (Map 2 above) that the trail looped around the back of Lackavrea but the marked route brought you around the front of it & back onto the main Maam - Maam Cross road. It's a pity, you'd like to spend as much time off the roads as possible.

galwaycyclist

Bugsy2000 wrote: »

Irish Trails Website
Map 2

I was wondering about that alright. I noticed on one of the detailed maps (Map 2 above) that the trail looped around the back of Lackavrea but the marked route brought you around the front of it & back onto the main Maam - Maam Cross road. It's a pity, you'd like to spend as much time off the roads as possible.

Well if you want real adventure you could just cross the road and go straight up Corcog and follow the ridge to Maumean which is the valley where the Trail enters the Inagh Valley. But that is proper mountaineering - there are no tracks to follow and you would need to know how to use a map if the weather closed in

The road from Maam Cross to Maam shouldn't be that busy- but you could contour between Leckavrea and the lake and stay away from the road but it could be a bog slog.

Sponge Bob

Anyone doing this over the next few weeks, can they trace the entire route using a GPS tracker ( turn it on and log every minute or so) and upload the track file to the INTERNET somewhere. Then post in here. I'll try to get it marked onto Openstreetmap as a track.

The stretch between Oughterard and Maam as a priority, part of the rest exists on OSM.

Bugsy2000

I intend on doing it over the next while but most of my weekends till near the end of May are taken up with various races etc. I may be able to run it the end of April, if not it will be end of May. I'll post the garmin tracker up here when I have it.

Sponge Bob

I'll keep an eye for it but feel free to PM me when you have the trace in dropbox or something. Walking and Cycling trails are underrepresented in Openstreetmap so if any reader has a Garmin or another satnav OR even your smartphone which is well able to do this nowadays then they should feel free to use it at 1 minute logging intervals to record these assets in Galway. I'll gladly upload them to OSM and tag them.

You are travelling slowly so a 1 minute logging interval is quite enough and easier on the battery. If you are driving twisty boreens you should log at 5-10 sec intervals. I would also ask for car parking and staging areas to be noted separately ...being mindful of constraints. If you have a carpark area simply turn on tracking at 5 sec intervals and walk the perimiter of the car park or staging location. If the staging location is NOT a car park that is fine...it may be for leaving bikes an walking...not leaving cars an cycling.

Also note that trails can vary in terms of usability, if you are following difficult stretches and you know it then stop logging at the end of an easy stretch and start logging again so we can sub classify. Here is a guide.

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Key:trail_visibility

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Approved_features/Hiking

The SAC classification change is not final but can be added as free text pending final approval.

But we still gotta tag it all accurately and the start point is always you and your Satnav.

Sponge Bob

Right so. Cleaned up Connemara best as I could. Someone sent me the GPS traces please.

Try to stop recording at the beginning of the boardwalk, start it again and stop at the end and repeat. I want to 'mark' Irelands Longest Bridge separately.

noddyone2

Done most of it, well worth doing, fantastic views and history.

ching

Hi all, im new on here and for the past few weeks have been really interested in the western way after a recent visit to the hill of doon area. My first question is roughly how long does it take to walk from the hill of doon area to maam and my second question is, is it possible to do it on a mountain bike? I know a few years back people used to go there mountain biking after linking it in with the nearby Derroura trail but all the info online seems a bit old..
Many thanks in advance..

jay leavy

ching wrote: »

Hi all, im new on here and for the past few weeks have been really interested in the western way after a recent visit to the hill of doon area. My first question is roughly how long does it take to walk from the hill of doon area to maam and my second question is, is it possible to do it on a mountain bike? I know a few years back people used to go there mountain biking after linking it in with the nearby Derroura trail but all the info online seems a bit old..
Many thanks in advance..

Not sure about your first question but it is supposed to be walkable in a day but our would be a long day. I've done it on MTB a free weeks ago. The newer route is all boardwalk and since 3 weeks ago had u nails hammered in for grip. Its 4km of twin boards running parallel, with a gap at times wide enough foryourr front tyre. I went from derroura, out road then onto abandoned railway, through first to come out on small road near uillean, onto western way property to leenane and back to derroura by following the way back to derroura then onto the trail. Pm me for a route map I can shared later from PC.