Hi Everyone 

It’s been a lovely relaxing February so far. Traditionally it’s one of the quieter months in business. I have had some time to destress and unwind a little. It’s so easy to get caught up in the pressures of life. Sometimes situations or people can drain the life from us. It’s so important to put our own mental health and emotional well being first. 

 

 
Those who are following me for a while know my Instagram feed is full of photos of lough lannagh, trees, local scenery, water etc. I always find the beauty of the west of Ireland breathtaking. Looking at pretty scenes give me feelings of positivity. I always find it very calming to walk by the water, that’s why there’s loads of Lake selfies on my Insta and snapchat.

  
So over the last few weeks We have tried out a few new places to walk. On Valentine’s Day we did the Raheen Woods walk out the Newport Road. It’s not a very long walk but You could easily walk around the loop twice. It’s just fabulous out there in the beautiful woodland walk. I’d highly recommend it. A great spot and only minutes from Castlebar Town. 

 

 
On the same day We made a trip to Belmullet. On a beautiful clear day there’s nowhere more beautiful than the beaches of North Mayo. We stopped for a quick snack in the Broadhaven bay hotel. A beautiful spot for a little mini break. I hear there’s some great walking trails in the locality which We intend to explore soon. 

  

 

Last week We took a spin up to Cong on Friday evening. What a quaint beautiful little place. We went for a long walk around the grounds of Ashford Castle, it is spectacular.A stunningly  beautiful place. Mesmerising to be honest. We would love to stay there sometime as a special treat. I’d say it’s an awesome experience.  I’ve heard the food is to die for. We walked all around the grounds it was just fabulous. I would highly recommend a visit to this amazing spot. Ashford Castle is on the Galway Mayo border, definitely worth the trip to Cong. 
 

 

So I’m thinking of taking a photography course starting at the end of March in Castlebar. I’m always snapping on my phone but I have a dslr camera too. It’s a hobby for me really. I love to celebrate the beauty of Mayo and share it with the world through my social media channels. I think the colours and the landscape this time of year is just beautiful. I love that We live in such a spectacular County. So I was inspired to write this post on some of our Local beauty spots that I enjoy. I also love the turlough greenway and the windmill walk out the old Glenisland road. The Booster station is another fabulous spot for a hill walk.  I’m sure there are more glorious spots around   . I intend to explore a lot more in the coming months. I will keep You all informed of any beauty spots that I discover. 

 

So that’s it for today folks, I hope You enjoyed this post and please give it a share to promote our beautiful County Mayo.

Thanks for reading 

Love Maria xx 
 

 
 
  

Hi Everyone,

I just thought Id share, my little piece of heaven with You today. For the locals  You are all very familiar with Lough Lannagh. For all my other readers, Lough Lannagh is our little urban retreat here in Castlebar. Lough Lannagh consists of a great little walking trail around the town lake, basically. Its been kept really well and in fairness We are really lucky to have it. Its about 2k to loop around I usually do 2-3 laps as my workout. The thing is the place is absolutely beautiful. You are walking along by trees, water and a fabulous view of Crogh Patrick. There is a bridge crossing the lake and You can walk around by the playground if You wish. Even on a wet day there is still something lovely  about the place. The photo above was taken last March just before our wedding. The one below I took this morning.

 I mean seriously, isn’t it just beautiful, I’m really lucky because I get to walk here a few times a week. It takes me about five minutes  to walk from my salon to here. I try and go on my lunch hour if I can, well the days I get a lunch (hairdresser problems eh?) This place is my “chill out time” after a few laps of “the lake” as we call it locally I just feel all my stress melts away. Its such a lovely calming place, even when my mind is in turmoil over something I can always see things more clearly after a good brisk walk here.

There’ s the Greenway Café for anyone who wants to stop for a bite of lunch. I always think its a bit cruel to be advertising delicious desserts and us poor souls out in all weather trying to fight the flab. I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting the Greenway café just yet but I have heard fantastic reports on it and I will try it out soon.

 So You can see from the photos why us folk of Castlebar love the place so much. I genuinely think it has brought such contentment to the locals. I think it just brilliant and it has really helped me to de-stress and look after my mental health, as well as helping with weight-loss and fitness.

So there You have it, one of the many little gems here in the West . I often think visitors to the town probably miss out on it. Its only minutes away from the main shopping area. Next time Your in Castlebar pop down and see for Yourself. Trust me the place is so calming You will fall in love with it, and stop at the Greenway Café, if they can tempt you in.

As always, thank You for reading and please hit that share button.

Love Maria xx