The first Croagh Patrick Heritage Trail Walking Festival will take place next Saturday to Monday in Westport, Co Mayo. The festival consists of organised walks over a 61km trail, which is of low to moderate intensity.
A team of professional guides will lead walkers on the trail through deciduous woodlands, rolling fields, raised bog and ancient athways from Balla, in central Mayo, to the village of Murrisk at the base of Croagh Patrick. The official opening of the festival will take place on Friday night at 8pm in the Westport Country Lodge Hotel, Aghagower. Walkers of all fitness levels are invited to participate in as much or as little of the trail as they like and at the end of each day they will be picked up at the finish point and brought back to their accommodation. The Westport Plaza and Castlecourt Hotel Resort have teamed up with the trail to offer accommodation packages. A two-night B&B package with dinner on one evening in the Westport Plaza will cost from €209pps and similar packages in the Castlecourt Hotel are available from €159pps. See www.mayowalks.ie; www.castlecourthotel.ie, tel: 098-55088; www.westportplazahotel.ie, tel: 098-51166.