Brackloon Wood

Brackloon is one of the larger remnants of native oak woodland left in the west, sitting along the Owenwee river a few kilometres south of Westport off the Leenane road. Conifers planted under the oak canopy in the twentieth century have been taken out over the years to let the native woodland come back, and the boughs carry an unusually rich growth of mosses and lichens. The way-marked loop is 2.8km on forest track, easy going and about an hour, marked in purple from the trailhead at Knappagh. It is free, open at any hour, and muddy after rain, so wear boots.