Cycle 14

CYCLE ROUTE:

From the Car Park head westwards for about 200mtrs and then left onto the Greenway. Cycle on the Greenway as far as the first bridge, passing a play area on the right and outdoor gym on your left, proceeding straight under to a second bridge and towards a third bridge under which you continue your journey.

As you approach the railway line on your right, the route dips sharply around a corkscrew bend, beneath an underpass, then rises quickly bringing you to an exit on your left on to a sharp, steep descent.

At the bottom of the steep descent, you arrive on to the Fairgreen/Altamount Street, a public road where you are advised to alight from your bike and carefully cross the public road towards Centra Convenience store and petrol pumps and proceed towards the Cycle shop, crossing Distillery Road, and go straight on to a side road, between the bike shop and an old convent wall.

After about a 100mtrs, passing the Social Services centre on your right, you go right on to the Greenway route again and then uphill onto a steep descent leading to a sharp right hand bend. (Note: EXTREME CARE on this descent).

You then traverse a beautiful stone viaduct over the Carrowbeg River, following the Greenway around the grounds/playing fields of Rice College, Boys Secondary school and head upwards and veering left towards the school building and onto another public road, the main Westport-Castlebar Road (N5) (Point 1 on the map).

You should cross here at the traffic lights and go immediately left, then take first right, keeping Allergan manufacturing on your right. Continue straight until you see the Greenway entrance again, on your left (Allergan on right). Back on the Greenway you cycle towards a steep climb, at the top of which you turn left, downhill, for about 500mtrs where you take the first left (Point 2 on map), after which you keep left as you head towards (N59) Newport Road junction (Point 3 on map).

When you reach the (N59) Newport Road Junction you need to dismount and go straight across the Westport-Newport main public road over to the Golf Course Road. Go 300mtrs and you will pass a playground (on your left) take the next turn left into the grounds of Westport House (Point 4 on map), following the cycle lane, pass Westport United Football grounds on the left, in through Westport House gated entrance, onto the footpath/cycleway.

After 200mtrs you cross the road onto the Greenway which then meanders through a wooded area, past the lake on the left and on to Westport House exit Gates as you approach the Quay area. After 100mtrs you come to the main Quay-Westport public road (Point 5 on map), at which point you bear right and immediately left, passing the Helm Restaurant and Bar and on to where you will see the Towers Bar and Restaurant where you turn right to your finish point in the car park.

RESTAURANTS/FOOD/BEVERAGES: Lots of restaurants in Westport.