The one stretch worth planning a day around is the 7.3 km from Lough Lannagh in Castlebar to the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life at Turlough. It follows the placid Castlebar River through open countryside and native woodland, it is flat bar a single steep pull near the Turlough end, and it finishes in the Victorian gardens of Turlough Park at the only branch of the National Museum outside Dublin. Admission to the museum is free. So is the greenway. Allow about an hour to cycle it one way, or an hour and a half on foot.
That is the route to do. The “45 km” you will see quoted is the whole Castlebar network, and a good part of that figure is made up of on-road links and town streets rather than the traffic-free riverside path most people come for.
The Castlebar to Turlough route
The trail opened in 2015 and runs largely along the river, crossing it on a series of bridges – including a single-span red one that has become the path’s signature shot – before reaching the demesne at Turlough. The surface is tarred or compacted throughout, firm enough for a hybrid bike, a buggy, or a wheelchair off-road, and most of it is genuinely level. The exception is that one short, steep hill towards the museum end; on a heavily laden bike with children it is a get-off-and-push moment rather than a real climb.
At Turlough the reward is worth the pedal. The museum tells the story of rural Irish life and sits in a small Victorian park with terraced gardens, a man-made lake and a café for the journey back. Allow an hour and a half inside if you want to do the folklife galleries justice. There is also an old, ivy-swallowed mill near the park gates, a quiet marker of the valley’s working past.
The wider network, honestly
Beyond the core route, the greenway is really a network stitched together across the Castlebar River valley: from the National Museum through the town and Lough Lannagh out to Rehins Wood, and on towards Westport. A marked on-road section directs you from Islandeady to the Westport greenway, but the official route does not give its length, and it puts you onto public roads with ordinary traffic. If you are riding with young children, treat the Castlebar–Turlough section as the destination rather than a leg of a longer Westport run.
A stroll around Lough Lannagh, reached by bridge from the Castlebar side of the trail, is an easy add-on with a lakeside path and a children’s playground. The network expansion was helped by €938,000 in funding secured in 2018 to extend the link from Turlough through the town and Lough Lannagh to Rehins Wood and on towards Westport.
Practical information
Where to start and park. There is free parking at the Lough Lannagh Holiday Village (toilets and a café), at Rehins Wood, and at Turlough Village by the museum. There is also parking near the Springfield trailhead at Gorteendrunagh (F23 XD77), a handy place to join the path. Starting at Lough Lannagh and riding to Turlough sets you up for a downhill-ish return.
Bikes. Bike hire is available in Castlebar right beside the greenway, so you do not need to bring your own. Bike repair stations were installed along the route in July 2021 if you are running your own machine and need to top up tyres.
Rules of the path. It is shared use, with walkers given priority – slow down at the bridges and blind bends, and a bell helps. Dogs are welcome on a lead.
Getting there without a car. Castlebar is on the rail and bus network from Dublin, Galway and Sligo. The 454 Mayo Local Link bus runs between the museum at Turlough and Castlebar (and on to Ballina), so you can cycle out and bus back if the legs give out.
For maps and maintenance updates, the official Castlebar Greenway Network site is the place to check before you travel.