Castlebar walks organisers announce festival changes

THE Castlebar International Four Days Walks, which takes place from June 30 to July 3, has announced that its headquarters will now be at The TF Royal Hotel, Old Westport Road, and not Castlebar Tennis Club as earlier indicated.

“All of our activities will be based at The TF Royal Hotel which is very centrally located,” said a festival spokesperson.

The 30k ramble is also changing.

The spokesperson added: “Based on feedback from our walkers, we are making some changes to the 2016 rambles.

'On Thursday, Friday and Saturday we will be taking the rambles out of town and into some of Mayo’s most spectacular scenery.

'This is the perfect opportunity to explore the beauty of the West of Ireland with its spectacular bogs, rivers and mountains.

“On Sunday, all festival participants, ramblers and road walkers alike, will leave Castlebar en masse at 8.30 a.m.

'They will enjoy a shared route together and will be walking on both tarred road and sandy trails, boreens and bog tracks. We’ll have a bit of Irish music and maybe even some dancing at the crossroads too.

“The magic that is the Castlebar 4 Days Walks will be experienced, enjoyed and remembered by all our walkers in this, our 49th year.”