Crossmolina.ie

For the Hill walkers the Nephin Beg Range offers excellent walks with Nephin Mountain being the highest peak in the range.

WESTERN WAY - 155 miles (250km)

This ambitious waymarked walking trail embraced all that is best in the West of Ireland. The route leaves Oughterard and passes through the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara. After passing through Leenaun and visiting Aasleagh Fall, the route crosses a shoulder of the Sheefry Hills and faces the cone of Croagh Patrick. The trail passes along roads through Westport and Newport, then crosses forested terrain to reach Bellacorick and Ballycastle. More roads are followed through Killala and Ballina before the route uses old tracks on the slopes of the Ox Mountains. There is a direct link with the Foxford Way.

NEPHIN BEG MOUNTAINEERING CLUB

Colm Geraghty, Cuilmore, Newport, Co. Mayo. Membership: 30. Open to: Anyone interested in hill walking, Founded in 1988. joined MCI in1989. Meet arrangements: Once a month organised walks and whenever members organise a walk amongst themselves. MCI members are welcome.

source:http://www.climbing.ie/clublist.html

THE RIVER DEEL

The river Deel rises high in the Nephin Beg mountains and flows for twenty eight miles through moorland and pastures, and through the town of Crossmolina, before entering the northern end of Lough Conn. It is the largest of the Moy tributaries and offers a wide variety of angling experiences ranging from dry fly fishing for trout together with spring salmon fishing, in the lower reaches, to lively brown trout and grilse fishing in the remote upper reaches.

The majority of spring salmon are caught downstream of Deel castle on spinner and worm. Fishing can be good through March and into April but later in the spring it can extend further upriver. The grilse fishing begins in late May or early June and peaks around the first week in July. Any floods which occur later, into September, can also bring good fishing. The river Deel also offers good trout angling with dry fly, wet fly and nymphs. Generally, the trout are of small average size but a one or two pound fish is a real possibility.

THE DEEL LAKES

At the headwaters of the Deel river lie a series of small mountain loughs. They are wonderfully scenic and present a challenge for those with a taste for fishing in wild places. The most interesting of these are Lough Keeran, Lough Brack and Lough Gall where the average size of fish is unusually large and where trout up to three pounds have been recorded. The shoreline is fishable and access can be had via a small gravel road which runs from Corcullin to the foot of the Nephin Beg mountains.