Tour 2: Westport - Aasleagh - Doo Lough - Louisburgh

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Distance 80 km Time 1 H 30 M

Explore the scenic views of Killary Harbour and everything along the road to Louisburgh. You may even want to climb The Reek (Croagh Patrick).

Take the N59 from Westport to Leenaun. Turn right on the R335 a few kilometres before getting to Leenaun. Stop at Ashleigh Falls. For those who remember "The Field" - one of the better known scenes of that film was shot here. The road follows the fjord for a while before turning right towards Delphi and Doo Lough. Stop somewhere along the lake and enjoy the scenic beauty of it all.

Doo Lough is one of my favourite places. I first dicovered it in the early 1980s when I was looking for suitable places for windsurfing. Due to its location and the steady winds there it turned out to be an ideal spot for my sport. Windsurfing was almost unknown in Ireland at the time; a lot of people stopped their cars and wondered what I was doing out there on the lake. 35 years later the surfboard has found its resting place in one of my sheds...

At the northern end of Doo Lough there is a small memorial to the victims of the Doolough Tragedy during the Great Famine. The rest of the R335 to Louisburgh is arguably one of the most scenic drives in Mayo. Take a right turn at Louisburgh and drive to Murrisk.

If it's a nice day and if you have a couple of hours you can climb Croagh Patrick. Be aware that the path leading up to the summit is in a terrible condition. Personally I've decided not to climb The Reek again; I think it's too dangerous these days. Update 04/24: The path has been repaired/reconstructed and it is now much safer and easier to climb The Reek. Follow the R335 back to Westport.

An interesting variation of this tour is to take the L1824 from Liscarney (on the N59) to Drummin and on to the Sheeffry Pass. Take it easy - the single-track road is in a rather bad state. Shortly after the summit there is a parking area with a nice view of Tawnyard Lough. Following the road you can observe what went wrong when Ireland tried to reforest whole areas in the second half of the last century.

Turn right at Doo Lough and follow the R335 to Louisburgh and Westport.