Who Am I?
My name is Ryan and I’m from Ballina in County Mayo, Ireland. I fell in love with hiking and exploring my home county during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to this my hiking experience consisted of climbing Nephin Mountain once, and an 8 year old me getting 3/4 of the way up Croagh Patrick.
Stuck at home during a worldwide pandemic, I was lucky to live in a place where a short drive could bring you to some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world. Mayo is a large county with a small population and is filled with natural unspoilt beauty, something of which I gained an infinitely higher level of appreciation for during my explorations from 2021 to the present day.
The ‘Background to the Book’ section goes into detail about how the book came about, but suffice it to say it was completely accidental, a realisation one day that my note taking on which walks I liked (and which I didn’t) and my interest in the history and wildlife of areas could be stuck together to form a guidebook. Writing it was simultaneously a bucket list goal fulfilled and a way of organising my favourite walks into a single book that I could put into my rucksack and take on adventures!
These days I continue to explore Mayo and wider Ireland. I’ve gotten into photography and videography, and upload content regularly to Instagram and Facebook (though I’m way more active on Instagram).
Read on below this section of the page for more information about the book. You can also go to the ‘Mayo A Walking Guide (Paperback)’ header above to order a copy of the book. If you’re reading this and you have purchased a copy, thank you for your support. I’m only a small business (just me, myself, and I), so I really do appreciate your support.
If anyone has any questions about walking in Mayo or book stuff feel free to email me ([email protected]) or send me a DM on Instagram/Facebook.
All the best and happy trails,
Ryan
About the Book
With Mayo A Walking Guide you get 45 of the best walks throughout the county of Mayo, chosen by the author intentionally to cater to all levels of abilities, from short walks over flat terrain to long and tough mountain climbs. At 373 pages, this is the most comprehensive book of the area to date.
Filled with useful information like route descriptions, maps, grid references, GPS coordinates to starting points, beautiful photos, Irish translations of place names, and background on history, campsites, flora and wildlife, this book is a practical guidebook that you can take in your bag and which would be a welcome addition to any book collection of a walking enthusiast or lover of the Ireland’s beautiful outdoors. Â
What’s Included in the Book?
- Detailed route descriptions throughout.
- Graded walks for all levels of abilities in a variety of terrains and settings.
- Both metric and imperial measurements used for distance and height to cater for overseas visitors.
- Clear and numbered maps for each walk.
- Main routes on maps that are accessible to those who are partially or fully colour blind.
- Grid references for all significant points of each walk for ease of travel by map.
- Irish translations included for all main place names.
- GPS coordinates to each walks starting point, just pop the coordinates into your mapping app and go.
- Written directions to each starting point from the three most populated towns in Mayo for the full offline experience.
- All the information a hiker needs for each walk: time, distance and total ascent figures.
- Information on whether dogs are allowed on each walk.
- Information on local history, flora and wildlife.
- Information on local campsites and GPS coordinates to each.
- Compact size so you can easily take the book on your travels.
- Stunning photos throughout.
Background to the Book
The book was devised and written over a two-year period, from late 2021 to 2023. In 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, I moved home from college in Galway city to Ballina. In 2021, I, like many others, turned to the outdoors as a form of relief from the isolation of lockdowns. In August 2021 I climbed Croagh Patrick with my family. It was a blisteringly hot day and my legs ached as I cursed every step to the summit, but looking out over the drumlin field of Clew Bay, and with a huge sense of accomplishment at what I had achieved, I became hooked on hiking.
I started completing the smaller, tourist-friendly walks, like the loops, the forest trails, and the waymarked paths, and loved every second of it. Then I moved onto tougher climbs, like routes off the beaten path and mountain hikes. I spent a year travelling around the county, walking through townlands and villages I never knew existed, and up mountains with obscure Irish names I could barely pronounce. As I gained experience I became fitter and more confident in my walking abilities, and I completed courses on mountain skills and first aid.
Over time I bought several hiking books looking for new routes and ideas, but I could never find an all-encompassing walking guide for the county, a book that included walks for people just starting out their walking journeys and for experienced hillwalkers. With the memories of the past year fresh in my mind, coupled with being relatively new to trail-walking myself, I felt in a good position to devise a book that could cater to both demographics.
Writing for over a year, and through a lot of trial and error, the book is the finished product of a project I loved creating. Hiking is now my favourite hobby, and through this book I hope you too can experience some of the beauty that Mayo has to offer and the joy you can get from lacing up your boots and venturing into the wilderness.
– Ryan