Owenwee and the Skelp, Co Mayo:You can combine two walks - one hilly, one boggy - in Co Mayo. But it's out of your hands whether they'll be glorious or pure misery, writes Francis Bradley.
A FEW WEEKS AGO on this page we described a walk on Croagh Patrick. Returning to the area, we now look at the Owenwee Valley and the Skelp, which lie to the south and east of the croagh.
We went on two walks here on consecutive days of extremely contrasting weather. Each walk is about 11km long, needing about three hours each to complete; you can combine them for a more rigorous workout of about 16.5km, for which you will need a good five hours.
From Westport, take the N59 Leenane road. After four and a half kilometres, in Knappagh, pass a large garage, shop and cafe-restaurant on your left. A kilometre farther on, take the right-hand turn. Brackloon Wood is on your right. Take the next left. After one and a half kilometres stop at a bridge. You can park on the left.
For the first walk, over Owenwee Bog, follow the road south for a few hundred metres, then take the next right. This leads you on to the bog road, heading west, and on past turf banks.
As the road rises you should see the Partry Mountains to the southeast, the Sheeffry Hills to the south and southwest, and Croagh Patrick to the north.
The day we do it, however, it is misery. Pure misery. When you have driving rain, 200m visibility, cloud and mist sitting on your head, rain getting up your sleeves and plenty of evidence of our use of every available space as a dumping ground - for cars, fridges and washing machines - all you want to do is get this section over with.
After four kilometres enter a forest and, ignoring two left turns, swing right and follow this track to the road on the north side of the valley. Shortly after joining this road you'll see a cutting on the left with a cabin used for co-ordinating support efforts on Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday. Farther along you reach the point where the two walks combine. But continue east and follow this road back to the start.
The next day we tackle the Skelp. Oh, glorious St Patrick. What a difference a day makes: crystal-clear sky, barely a whisper of a wind, cool, crisp air. Nearly opposite where you parked the car for the first walk, take the road that heads directly for Croagh Patrick.
The road rises gently for two kilometres, opening up the landscape around you. At this point the Skelp Mountain track cuts back right in a northeasterly direction, with Crott Mountain on your left and Skelp on your right. When you reach "the gap" between the two a new vista opens before you, with Westport and Clew Bay at your feet and solitary Nephin rising in the distance.
Turn right when you meet a tarmacked road. After another kilometre turn right at a T-junction. Continue up the hill, turning left at the first fork and right at the second. At the next T-junction turn right, and at the next junction turn left, with the entrance to Brackloon Wood just down the road on the right. Take either track in Brackloon Wood (left or right, you'll end up in the same place). When you leave the wood, follow the road back to the car.
Start and finish:Near Brackloon Wood (L 954 784, OS sheet 38).
Distance:11km each walk, or 16.5km for the combined walk.
Time:Three hours each; up to five and a half hours combined.
Maps:Ordnance Survey Ireland Discovery Series 30, 31, 37 and 38. Westport Tourism also produces Westport Walks, as a brochure and on www.westporttourism.com.
Suitability:These are gentle walks suitable for young children. Because they are entirely on roads and established tracks, they can be undertaken in any weather. The Westport Tourism brochure is more than adequate for these walks, and a compass, although not essential, could still be useful. (All walkers should know the rudiments of map-reading and compass use.) Dress appropriately, bring along drinks and snacks - and don't litter.
Accommodation and refreshments:A variety in Westport.