Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival supporting hospice

AFTER last year’s highly successful walking event, the Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail team are back with their ever-popular walking festival again this May.

The one-day festival will be held on Saturday, May 10, and proceeds will go to Mayo Roscommon Hospice.

The route stretches 20km from its beginnings at Aghagower Community Centre to the seaside community of Murrisk, near Westport.

The walk will be guided, and the registration fee of €29.50 (plus booking fee) will include a post-walk barbecue at Campbell’s pub in Murrisk, as well as morning bus transport to the starting point, with tea/coffee and a breakfast scone, and light refreshments at the halfway point in Brackloon.

In Aghagower, where the walk begins, you can visit places of interest like the Well of the Deacons or the round tower, which is situated in the heart of the village. Aghagower was once an important stop for pilgrims as they made their annual pilgrimage to the summit of Croagh Patrick.

The trail leading from Aghagower to Murrisk is diverse, rich in history and a step back in time. Some stretches are on small roads, others go through open moor and scrub, following field paths and forestry tracks, with the final stretch following an ancient mountain pathway.

Each part of the trail has something different to offer, with the views over Clew Bay at the Murrisk end the favourite of many.

The Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail is a 60km waymarked way that runs from Balla to the foot of Croagh Patrick, which usually takes three days to complete. This year, however, they're only taking on the final stretch of the walk - although that may change next year to include the entire 60 km.

People are advised to book on croaghpatrickheritagetrail.eventbrite.com, although it is also possible to pay with cash in person on the day.

For more details, see www.cpht.ie or get in contact at info@cpht.ie.