I spent an exhilarating day biking Ireland’s Great Western Greenway trail in northwest County Mayo, and could not believe the beauty that surrounded me.

Beginning in the quaint town of Westport, the trail is over 42 kilometers long and passes through the towns of Newport and Mulranny, alongside the coast of Clew Bay, and ends up on picturesque Achill Island.

The weather was constantly changing, and by the end of the day I’d experienced everything from rain, hail, wind, and sunshine.

I couldn’t help but stop every 20 minutes or so to take photographs of the winding bike paths, roaming sheep and horses, dramatic skies, my fellow bikers, peat bogs, hidden beaches, stone bridges, waterfalls, and more.

I would rank this among one of the top cycling paths in the world. Do you agree?

More info: kristengill.com

The trail starts in the quaint town of Westport…

After a quick cycle through town, we head onto the designated bike path…

Where we encounter many sheep, who pay no attention to us cyclists whatsoever. Baaaaa!

Pastures with horses, mountains, lakes, and bogs.

Stopping to check out some ruins (and more sheep)!

Typical western Atlantic seaboard coastline from Achill island.

The steep cliffs of Achill island, home to some of Ireland’s tallest.

My sweet ride!

One hand on the bike, one hand on my camera…

“Wheeeeeee!”

Sign posts…

I love these kinds of bike trails!

Is this cow the gate keeper?

What colors!

Olden bridges…

Pastoral scenes…

Clearly, these gates do not keep the sheep in!

Coastal cemetery…

Mountains, cliffs, and green fields galore…

Rush hour…

Hiking up to an overlook…

Hidden beaches…

You never know what you’ll encounter while on a bike in Mayo!

Just leave me here. I want to stay forever.

Map of Ireland’s Great Western Greenway.

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