Thursday, 23 February 2012
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walking

Mayo is a lightly populated and largely rural county, lending itself ideally to walking. POntoon Bridge Hotel is the ideal choice for walking holidays in Mayo Ireland. The scenery is spectacular and the variety of terrain interesting – some areas are level and easy going, ideal for strollers, while the hills, mountains and bogs offer a stiff challenge to the accomplished walker.



Woodland and lake Pontoon walk

Enjoy a woodland or lake stroll that will delight you and introduce you to the natural beauty and peace of Pontoon and Loughs Conn and Cullin.

There is an excellent forest walk only a few minutes from the Pontoon Bridge Hotel. About 200 metres past the Hotel on the right hand side of the road you will see a laneway up a steep incline. This is the start of the walk. The marked walk is part of The Foxford Way – an 86km-walking route around County Mayo. It is an innovative walk with a rich variety of flora and fauna.

image4-3During your walk, you will encounter some breathtaking scenery to delight.  The start of the trail has a commanding view over Lough Cullin to the south.
The walker will observe a mixture of coniferous and broadleaf trees along the way including our native species of ash, birch, holly and hazel. It is reputed that some of the oldest oak trees in Ireland are here. Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea) is the most common.

Other species of trees which can be seen include Norway spruce, Scots pine, and beech. This location offers a range of habitats; the animals and birds that are present include fox, badger, pine martin and otter while whopper swan and several species of duck nesting close to the lake shore.  Flora to be seen include wood sorrel, hard fern, wood rush, cow-wheat, buckler fern and bilberry.

image10-2Walkers will enjoy more views of the lake towards the end of the forest walk as you approach a gate and small bungalow on the right hand side at Carryosola Bay.
The walk ends at Carryosola when you will find it joining the main road – R315 Pontoon to Laherdane Road.  You can decide to turn around and walk back, retracing your footsteps and returning homewards to the hotel.
You will enjoy a different perspective of the walk on your return journey, noticing things you hadn’t along the way.
Alternatively, you can continue onto the road and turn left, which will bring you upwards in the loop past Healy’s Hotel and back towards the Pontoon Bridge again.  You should note that from Carryosola Bay back to the hotel is walking via the main road and care must be taken to step in when oncoming cars approach.  It is approximately 1.5 miles from Carryosola Bay back to the Pontoon Bridge Hotel and can take approx 30-45 minutes.

Nearby Walks

image24-3From the hotel in the direction of Foxford and there are some very good walking trails through the woods. There are also three beaches on Lough Cullin at this point and a walk along the shoreline can be a great experience. Further walks at Carrickbarrett Wood (3 miles from the hotel) and the Walking Trail at Enniscoe on the shores of Lough Conn are all excellent options.
 

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