Achill Island · Co. Mayo
The first ten minutes above Keem Bay
The road climbs and the sea opens like a curtain.
Distance
Whatever the weather allows
Pace
You will stop the car. You always stop the car.
Weather
North Atlantic, unfiltered
Best light
Late afternoon, when the bay turns turquoise
An expat note from Deborah
We do not drive to Keem to walk a route. We drive to Keem to be wordless for ten minutes above a bay that does not look like Ireland and is, somehow, completely Ireland.
Mayo is the part of the island Americans most often skip, and most often regret skipping later. Keem is one of the reasons.
Pack lunch. There is nothing here. That is the point.
How we'd actually walk it
The rhythm of the day.
- 01Drive slowly for the last mile. The road earns the view.
- 02Park at the top, not the bottom. Walk down only if the wind permits.
- 03Back to Newport or Westport for dinner. The day does not need anything else.
The hotel pairing
Mulranny Park Hotel
An honest base for the Mayo coast. Sea views, simple rooms, the right location.
Related Pathways
Walks that pair with this one
If you liked this walk.
Walk slowly. Bring a coat. Choose the hotel for the country at its door.