Travel - Great Western Greenway
The greenway starts in Westport town where the North Mall joins the Newport Road, see the image below. Travel to Westport can be made by train, bus or car. Westport is at the end of the main Dublin to Westport line via Tullamore and Athlone, see the Irish Rail Intercity Rail Map. This the best and easiest method if using public transport, see more details on the Travel/ Rail page here. Note that bikes can be carried on trains but remember to book in advance.
Those travelling by bus can use the Transport For Ireland (TFI) website or download the TFI app to find bus services. There is no direct Expressway service to Westport. Travelers could use the Expressway or CityLink services to Castlebar and then take the Bus Eireann 440 route from Castlebar to Westport, see also the Travel/ Road page here. Those travelling to Ireland by Air can access the Travel/ Air page here or Travel/ Sea page here.
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​There is ample accommodation, bars and restaurants in Westport as it is a tourist town. It is a very vibrant town and can be very busy in summer time.
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The starting point of the greenway in Westport is shown in the map and image below. One can cycle on the main Newport Road but it has a steep hill and heavy traffic so best use the back pathway as described here. Start at point A on the map, past the Westport Library, follow the signs for the Greenway and continue on the path at the side of the Lidl shopping Centre. This path joins the Pinewoods Road and leads to the Newport Road, see Point B on the map. There is a cycle lane on the Newport Road which leads to the greenway, proper a few hundred metres ahead. Use Streetview if necessary to view the actual physical locations.
Accessing the Greenway in Westport
Care should be taken cycling through Newport as cyclists share the road with vehicular traffic. It is a distance of about 1.5Kms, see the map below. Special care is required if children are part of the group.
Those hiring bikes from can generally return the bikes at other locations other than their starting location from some bike hire companies. Please see the Hire & Repair page here. Buses (Route 450) to and from Westport to Achill, via Newport and Mulranny are available from the Bus Eireann website here. Also tickets for buses can be bought on the TFI Go app. See more details on how to find transport links and buy tickets for buses on the Travel/ Road page here.​ The page provides details on the carriage of bikes on buses. In general bikes can be carried on all high-carriage buses as they have luggage space, low-carriage buses have no means of carrying bikes. You can also check with the operator.​
The Route 450 bus runs around Clew Bay from Lousiburgh to Westport on the southern end and on to Achill Island with its final destination at the west of the island at Dooagh.
The official greenway ends just before the bridge to Achill island in the village of Achill Sound. The 450 Bus runs to Dooagh at the west of the island.
