COUNTY MAYO
IRELAND'S WILD WEST
The thoroughly unspoilt and beautiful Maumturk Mountains and Joyce’s Country in the west of Ireland’s County Mayo are havens for some quite wonderful flora and fauna. The ruin of Moore Hall, the Georgian home of the famous Moores of Mayo, stands sentry over magical Lough Carra. One of very few limestone marl lakes in Europe, its exceedingly shallow waters have spawned calcareous fens where we can see Marsh Helleborine and other orchids in abundance. A staggering 19 out of Ireland’s 24 species of Orchid are found here including Fly Orchid, Dense-flowered Orchid and two local species of spotted orchids, Dactylorhiza okellyi and Dactylorhiza kerryensis. Yellow Birdsnest, Birdsnest Orchid and Ivy Broomrape emerge from the shadow of ruins on Carra’s wooded islets whilst St Dabeoc’s Heath blooms on nearby hills next to bogs covered in three species of Sundew and golden spikes of Bog Asphodel. Those willing to go out early or late stand a good chance of seeing Otters fishing in the lough, certainly Fallow Deer in Keel Woods, and with luck Pine Marten too.
Red Deer roam the moorlands of the wild Nephin Beg range where boglands unhindered by man’s barriers descend to Blacksod Bay and scenic Achill Island. Hardly an island physically, Achill has a unique oceanic feel, its wild seascapes some of the finest in Europe. Chough feed on the dense smooth sward of Plantain, Thrift, Sea-spurrey, Sea Pearlwort and Allseed on the headlands above Achill Head whilst the schists and gneisses of Slievemore and quartzites of Croaghaun host a quite wonderful alpine heath replete with rare mosses, liverworts and saxifrages. The Mullet Peninsula has some of the most dramatically rugged scenery in Ireland, especially in the north, with golden sandy beaches, extensive sand dune systems and machair grasslands. Red-necked Phalaropes breed by pools dotted with Water Lobelia whilst Merlin and Peregrine sweep across the wide open landscapes after Twite and Dunlin. Offshore are seabirds such as Shearwaters, Gannets and Puffins, and careful scanning should reveal some or all of Porpoise, Common Dolphin and Basking Shark.
Mayo’s combination of wild mountains, lush green valleys, tumbling upland streams and vast limestone lakes, precipitous sea cliffs and atmospheric, often empty beaches, is in terms of wild unspoilt countryside as good as it gets, and hidden within this wonderful mosaic of habitats are some of the true gems of nature.
INFORMATION
Focus
Flowers, Landscapes and Mammals.
Leaders
The minimum is 5 and the maximum is 15. Only one leader will accompany a group of 6 or less.
Walking
Relaxed and easy. Up to three or four miles on some days but less on others, and always at a slow pace, perfectly suited to photographers. Please note that on one or two days, and also some early mornings and late evenings, there will be the opportunity for more strenuous walks in search of the area’s mammals and to seek some of the most remote alpine heath flora. These will be optional!
Included in the Price
All transport, accommodation and meals in Ireland. Services of your leaders. Please note: items of a personal nature including insurance, drinks and tips, are not included.
Group Size
The minimum is 5 and the maximum is 15. Only one leader will accompany a group of 6 or less.
Accommodation
We start with five nights at the comfortable Ryan’s Hotel in Cong, a bastion of Mayo hospitality and owned and run by Denis Lenihan and Mike Crowe, former executive and head chef at the World-renowned Ashford Castle. So as you might imagine, the food is rather good! Then it is on to Achill Island and the Achill Cliff House Hotel whose large-windowed rooms cannot fail to make the most of the great views of the Minaun Cliffs and the restaurant specialises in great Atlantic seafood. We finish with two nights in the Western Strands Hotel in Belmullet on the Mullet Peninsula. All rooms on this tour have en suite facilities.
Climate
Variable! Generally mild but changeable with sunny spells and showers, and some longer outbreaks of rain, sometimes quite cool and windy.
How To Book
Download a booking form (or contact us and we will send one to you)from the Booking Information section. Complete and send to us. A detailed information pack will be dispatched twelve weeks prior to departure. Flower and bird checklists are available.
