Achill is an island, though a road bridge has joined it to the mainland since the 1880s, and it feels like the end of something. The largest island off the coast of Ireland, it is a place of bare mountains, sea cliffs and long beaches, with peat bog covering much of the interior. Slievemore, the mountain on the north side, rises from the shore to over six hundred metres, and at its foot lie the stone ruins of the deserted village, an old settlement of cottages abandoned during the nineteenth century. Belmullet and Westport are the nearest towns of any size, each about thirty-odd kilometres across the water and bog.
The riding is a joy for those who like quiet roads. The Atlantic Drive on the south-west side runs along cliffs high above the sea, with a view of Achill Head and the great cliffs of Croaghaun, which fall some six hundred metres or more, among the highest sea cliffs in Europe. The road is narrow and winding in places, with a surface that can be rough, and sheep wander across it. The wind is strong and almost constant, so hold the bars with a firm grip, particularly on exposed stretches near the cliffs.
The island has a distinctive history. The seasonal migration of workers, called tattie hokers, left each summer to harvest potatoes in Scotland, and many died in a fire in a bothy in 1937 at Kirkintilloch, a tragedy that still lives in local memory. The writer Heinrich Böll, a German Nobel laureate, kept a cottage here and wrote about the island in his Irish Journal. Basking sharks used to be hunted from the shores, and are sometimes seen in summer.
Fuel is available at villages on the island, such as Achill Sound and Keel, though opening hours may be short, and the larger towns of Westport and Castlebar are the sure option on the mainland. Small shops and pubs serve food and drink, and the cafes at the beaches are open in summer. Weather here changes quickly, with rain blowing in from the Atlantic and sun following, so a waterproof is a must. The roads are open all year, but the best months are May to September.