5 Adventure Activities to Book Ahead in Westport

Just twelve minutes from Westport town lies one of the most special outdoor experiences on the Wild Atlantic Way. Adventure Islands runs guided sea kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and Sea Safari powerboat trips departing from Rosmoney Pierand your mode of arrival is a high-speed RIB transferring you across the shimmering waters of Clew Bay to Collanmore Island.

From the island, guides lead groups through two hours of water-based adventures, with all equipment, wetsuits, and instruction provided. You just need a towel and an old pair of runners for the beach. Coasteering, kayaking, paddleboarding, guided island walks, it's the kind of morning or afternoon that leaves you slightly wind-burned, completely exhilarated and wondering how you can squeeze in another session before you leave.

Spaces are limited by the nature of the experience, so if Clew Bay is calling you, get in touch with Adventure Islands well before your trip.

Set within the breathtaking 400-acre Westport Estate, Westport Adventure is home to 17 outdoor activities spread across a spectacular quarry setting and the Quarry's Edge is where things get seriously exciting.

The Quarry's Edge combo ticket gets you onto the twin zipline (launched from the top of the quarry, up to three stories above ground), the heart-stopping Giant Swing, the aerial trekking course with its nets, swinging logs, and rope bridges of increasing difficulty, and the Quarry Edge Leap that you'll be telling the story of for years. Qualified guides are on hand throughout, and the backdrop quarry walls, open sky, and mature woodland makes for an experience you simply won't find anywhere else in Ireland.

Beyond the Quarry's Edge, the wider park offers Ireland's largest Net Park, climbing towers, an interactive gaming zone, glamping, and Gracy's Pizzeria for when the appetite kicks in after all that adrenaline. A full day well spent and well worth booking in advance, especially for groups.

There are farms, and then there's Glen Keen. One of the largest working sheep farms in Ireland at over 1,400 acres with a commonage extending to more than 5,500 this single-family farm sits on the Wild Atlantic Way near Louisburgh, framed by the Sheeffry and Mweelrea mountains and the rushing Carrowniskey River.

Featured on RTÉ's Nationwide, Glen Keen offers sheepdog demonstrations, guided nature walks, and a restaurant stop that makes the most of the farm's remarkable natural setting. The landscape alone is worth the journey. Dramatic, unhurried and designated by Europe as a Special Area of Conservation. It's the kind of place that reconnects you to something older and quieter than the everyday.

Visits to Glen Keen Farm are pre-booked, so plan ahead. Contact Catherine or Jim directly to arrange your visit and don't underestimate how long you'll want to stay once you arrive.

If you've ever wanted a guide who genuinely loves where they live, Patricia from Live Love Ireland is exactly that. A Fáilte Ireland registered guide and Westport native, Patricia offers bespoke personalised driving tours that take in the very best of Westport and its surroundings: the town and harbour, the long sweeping avenue up to Westport House, Murrisk village at the foot of Croagh Patrick, and any personal points of interest you'd like to include along the way.

It's just you (and up to three travel companions) in a private car with a guide who has spent a lifetime exploring these roads. Tours run for around 2.5 hours and can be extended on request. As one returning client from Colorado put it: she came back specifically to tour again with Patricia. When a guide earns repeat visits from overseas, you know the experience is something special.

With space for small groups only, these tours get booked quickly, especially during peak season. Getting in touch early means you'll arrive in Westport with the perfect introduction already sorted.

Westport is a brilliant base, but the landscapes that surround it, the coastlines, the mountain roads, the quiet villages tucked into valleys deserve to be seen in full. Roberts Mayo Sightseeing Tours offers guided sightseeing tours that take in the broader beauty of the region, giving visitors the full picture of what makes this corner of the west of Ireland so unforgettable.

Whether you're based in Westport for a few nights or just passing through, a guided sightseeing tour is a wonderful way to understand the scale and drama of the landscape around you. Check their Facebook page for current tour schedules and availability, and be sure to book your spot before it's gone.