Doing it the Westport Way

We have long admired Westport and were not a bit surprised when it was recently hailed The Irish Times Best Place To Live In Ireland. Not just a pretty town - although it is certainly that – but also an exceptionally satisfying place to visit for a break, and to do business, it is blessed with wonderful scenery, good planning (why have we learned so little from the success of our planned towns?) and a vibrant community who work together to bring people to the area.

Ahead of the annual Westport Food Festival (21-23 September; westportfoodfestival.ie) and Achill Seafood Festival (19-22 July; achilltourism.com/seafood) MARILYN BRIGHT spoke to some key players about the town and its inspiring route to success.

The green shoots that everyone keeps talking about have certainly taken root in the west of Mayo, and are already sending out healthy branches and leaves. This is largely down to the success of the Great Western Greenway , which now runs from Westport through Newport and Mulranny to Achill. The longest off-road walking and cycling trail in Ireland, it has brought new life to the tourism scene and its amenities are equally enjoyed by locals.

The scenic trail which encompasses Clew Bay is a joint initiative of Failte Ireland and Mayo County Council, built on the track of the Great Western Railway which closed in 1937. Now in its third year, the Greenway has been extended in two phases to run the full 44km from Westport to Achill and there's even talk that other areas will join up to form a western seaboard trail that could bring off-road tourists from Galway to Donegal.

Brian Quinn, of Failte Ireland’s Mayo office, reports that the first phase of the Greenway from Westport to Mulranny via Newport was the most difficult, with the daunting prospect of dealing with 150 different landowners along the disused track. Miraculously, permissions for right of way were achieved without payment or one compulsory purchase order. "It was a real community effort, with local businesses and families seeing the advantages for safe off-road walking and cycling that benefitted local users and also attracted visitors to a wonderful amenity.”

The extension to Achill was achieved one year later in 2011 and hotels in the area are reporting the best room occupancy rates in the west. Suzanne O'Brien of Mulranny Park Hotel reports this is their busiest year since the re-opening of the historic hotel in 2005, with steady demand for rooms and the apartments booked up until September.

Declan Heneghan of Hotel Westport confirms that the opening of the Greenway prompted an immediate rise in enquiries which have resulted in bed nights. “Becoming known as an area for activity holidays has given us a competitive advantage, shared by businesses in the town as well as those along the actual trailway. This year we introduced a five-day wellness package in January - sometimes referred to as the hoteliers graveyard - incorporating in-house activities like zumba  dancing and spa and pool sessions, with cycles and walks on the Greenway. It has been so successful that we're running the programme three times a year and getting a lot of repeat customers.”

Local business people and residents point to an influx of visitors and a renewal of energies that, has inspired spruced up shopfronts and welcoming floral displays in villages all along the Greenway route. According to Sean Kelly, of the renowned Kelly's Butchers in Newport, the trail has been hailed as “the best 'thing to happen to Mayo since Knock airport".

The Mulranny Park Hotel is the driving force behind a spin-off christened Gourmet Greenway, now in its second year with restaurateurs and artisan food producers teaming up to showcase the best of locally produced food. Visitors can enjoy the likes of Carrowholly cheese and Sean Kelly's award winning black pudding or the Atlantic Seaspray lamb that is likened to the pré-sale lamb of French coastlands. The speciality foods appear on tables of member restaurants and in shops and many producers welcome visitors to their premises, giving a "food trail” aspect, to the Greenway.

Euro-Toques chef Frankie Mallon of An Port Mór Restaurant in Westport says the Greenway has put Mayo “on the radar” and the area is getting the name of a food destination. He credits Dermot Madigan of Mulranny Park Hotel as the main man in organising the Gourmet
Greenway group, which now runs to thirteen members. "Our seafood is coming in fresh on day boats, we have Clew Bay lobsters and prawns and mussels, crab from Inishturk and organic smoked salmon from Gerry Hassett in Achill – you can’t get any more local than that.”

The Greenway has created a feel-good factor, Frankie thinks, with the community all working together, "We opened at the worst time three years ago and the business was built by word of mouth with recommendations from B&B's and hotels. We have a loyal customer base through the low season too — it's the locals who keep us going.”

Adrian Noonan of Knockranny House Hotel just outside Westport is anticipating the completion of a direct link to the Great Western Greenway. "You can see the effect with families arriving in cars with bicycles on the back. We’re offering a flexible Greenway package which includes bike hire and packed lunches. We’re already known for good food and our award winning restaurant and this is another string to our bow.”

Greenway Adventures is the latest initiative, being launched this summer by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who is no stranger to the outdoor activities of the area himself and a real supporter of Mayo local enterprise – who knows, you might even find him joining in your climb or mountain walk! The grouping consists of a baker’s dozen of companies operating along the trail, offering activities that include sea angling, cycling, walking, abseiling, kiteboarding, horse riding, windsurfing and sailing — plenty of choice for action-seeking or just relaxing on one of the blue flag beaches,

Mulranny Park is the only hotel directly on the Great Western Greenway, enjoying a position beside the railtrack it was built to serve in 1897. Today it benefits from a different kind of business, marketing executive Susanne O'Brien points out."People may be staying here or just passing while doing various sections of the Greenway and call in for all-day food in the Waterfront Bar. There's a causeway which runs from the hotel to the blue flag beach we serve teas in the old Victorian gardens which have been restored."

Andrew Pelham Burn, maker of Carrowholly cheese and member of the Gourmet Greenway also views a burgeoning new tourism. "The Greenway has had a galvanising effect on the area. Formerly we had coach tourists being bussed in and out. Now people are staying to enjoy the scenery and activities and the shops and there's greater benefit to the whole area."

Most of all, the Westport area is just a fantastic place to be - as thousands of first-time visitors have discovered over the last couple of years, including the many happy families visiting our Family Friendly Hotel of the Year 2012, Westport Woods Hotel. In Newport, butcher Sean Kelly sums up the success of the Great Western Greenway. “Two years ago, you wouldn't have been able to hire a bike in Newport - now there are a thousand. The Greenway has brought business for everybody, from all parts of the world. We've been making black pudding here for 60 years and now we’ve opened a cafe, Kelly’s Kitchen, next door. Mayo has never looked better,"