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sport · Monday 10 August 2026 · Various 
Mayo HER Outdoors Week 2026
At Multiple Locations across Mayo · County Mayo
At Multiple Locations across Mayo · County Mayo
For one week every August, Mayo Sports Partnership turns the county into a taster menu of outdoor activity aimed squarely at women and girls who might not otherwise try them. Mayo HER Outdoors Week runs from Monday 10 to Sunday 16 August 2026, part of the national #HEROutdoorsWeek initiative, and packs in more than a dozen free or low-cost sessions spread across Mayo’s towns, lakes, beaches and pools.
The programme is genuinely varied. Highlights for 2026 include a women-led petanque session at ATU Castlebar, a women’s stand-up paddleboarding evening at Lough Lannagh in Castlebar, teen girls’ and women’s aquafit sessions at Ballyhaunis Outdoor Pool, a Buggy Buddies walking group for parents at Ballycroy National Park, outdoor strength and mobility on Cross Beach in Louisburgh, and a forest bathing session at Raheen Woods. Saturday 15 August folds in a countywide parkrun push across all seven of the county’s parkrun courses, alongside a dragon boat try-out session with Mayo Dragons at Lough Lannagh. Achill adds its own strand of guided walks, paddleboarding, surfing and yoga through the week. Most sessions are drop-in or need only a quick Eventbrite or phone booking, and none demand prior experience. Local instructors and volunteers run each session, so the standard varies by venue, but the format is deliberately beginner-friendly throughout.
Because the week is spread across the whole county, from Achill in the west to Ballyhaunis in the east, getting to any single session depends on which one you pick. Castlebar, the county town, hosts the largest share of sessions (ATU Castlebar and Lough Lannagh both sit close to the town centre) and is well served by Bus Eireann and the Western Rail Corridor. For the more rural sessions, at Ballycroy, Louisburgh or Raheen Woods, a car is the only practical option.
Heading to Multiple Locations across Mayo? Mayo has plenty more to see. Browse the area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.