Mayo's Great Western Greenway features in new book on Greenways of Ireland

MAYO'S Great Western Greenway features in a new guide to Ireland’s traffic-free walking and cycling routes.

Greenways of Ireland is packed with historical information, detailed maps, practical details on access and transport as well as plenty of quality images.

Ireland’s walking and cycling landscape has been transformed in recent years with new greenways springing up across the island. Following canals, rivers and old railways, these traffic-free routes offer stunning scenery and a fun day out for people of all abilities.

The Great Western Greenway runs for 49km from Westport, along Clew Bay and through Newport and Mulranny before finishing at Cashel on Achill Island. This spectacular journey transformed walking and cycling in Ireland by igniting public interest in greenways.

Greenways of Ireland is a practical guide containing everything you need to know to tackle Ireland’s greenways on foot, by bike or wheeling. It features 25 spectacular greenways, with a total distance of over 750km, spread across the island of Ireland, with detailed route descriptions, directions, facilities and points of interest.

This book also looks to the past, charting the history of the waterways and railways that have been reimagined as greenways, and to the future, exploring how the greenway network is set to expand in the coming years.

One of the authors, Richard Manton, is the director of sustainability at University of Galway. He said: “In visiting the routes in this book, I rediscovered my love of greenways. I was reminded of the quality of some greenways that I had cycled during my PhD more than 10 years ago and I was thrilled to experience the many new greenways that have opened in the last few years.

“There is no better way to take in Ireland’s breath-taking scenery than to get off the road and go for a walk or a cycle.”

Greenways of Ireland is available now from Three Rock Books threerockbooks.com.