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 The award-winning Great Western Greenway and Achill will feature on an RTÉ programme next week. Tracks and Trails is a series which features spectacular walks and cycle tracks in stunning locations across Ireland and is presented by a different celebrity guest each week. His visit to Achill brings back memories for presenter Jim Sherwin of the first time he met his wife.
On Sunday next, December 4 at 7.30pm, Jim will visit the picturesque village of Mulranny, often known as the gateway to Achill. It is the starting point for broadcaster Jim's exploration of the walks and trails that this spectacular corner of the country has to offer.
It's a journey that Jim shares for a time with his grandsons Alex and Matthew as they follow the Greenway – the new cycle path constructed on the route of the defunct railway from West-port to Achill.
Jim explores the 6km Burrishoole loop walk along the Mulranny coast, walking the causeway that separates Mulranny's saltmarsh from the beach and sea, in the company of Mary Callahan, a woman who remembers the famous visitors to the hotel in Mulranny in days gone by.
Then Jim takes his grandsons on the second leg of the journey – the 13km cycle journey from Mulranny to Achill. Along the way, they meet local artist Seosamh O'Dálaigh in his studio where they discuss the inspiration the magnificent landscape of the Cleggan Hills has offered to generations of Irish painters.
Jim visits the mysterious Achill Secret Garden, then explores the splendours of Achill's Atlantic Drive walk in the company of local guide and outdoorsman Tomás MacLochlainn. The pair visit the ancient church at Kildownet and take in the spectacular scenery of cliff and wave along the Atlantic Drive.
The journey is in many ways a nostalgic reverie for Jim. "Achill Island is where I first met my wife many years ago," he recalled.
Speaking prior to the episode, Ciara Scully, Fáilte Ireland’s Walking Development Officer said walking is becoming an increasing popular activity for Irish holidaymakers and with the development and enhancement of walking routes across the country, there has never been a better time to experience walking in Ireland.
“We hope Tracks and Trails, spotlighting the fabulous walking routes available across the country, will persuade the watching audience to take a break in Ireland next year," she said.
800,000 Irish people engaged in walking while holidaying at home in 2010, with 650,000 over-seas visitors taking part while in Ireland. These visitors spent
€640 million with the majority coming from Britain and mainland Europe.
Partners involved in the series include Fáilte Ireland, Waterways Ireland and the Irish Sports Council.
To view the short video made about the Great Western Greenway, click here. Image Caption:Opening of the Great Western Greenway.
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