Westport Quay

Just seen on another site, a vistor to our shores has fallen foul of the carpark height barrier at Westport. The barrier was open when he arrived at midday today and aware that there was no overnight parking went off for a walk round on his return he found the barrier closed and locked. No-one he has asked seems to know who has the key, apart from advising him to buy a cordless angle grinder has anyone any ideas on who may have keys? Gardai ?

And then this 2hrs later, bloody disgrace bearing when he was there I believe he was entitled

Well that was another feckin eedjit, so about 40 minutes after I spoke with the 2 guys at the digger a man in a wee red van drives up and gets out to unlock the barrier, so I drove over to it . He comes over to the side window and says yer not meant to be In here , I said well there's nothing to say that mate ...I saw the sign saying no overnight etc but I wasn't planning to stay overnight anyway...we parked here as all the other carparks are too small and the barrier was open , he says it doesn't matter you're not meant to park here and I could have just left it locked. I said yeah you could have left it locked all the time then I wouldn't have been in there in the first place but you didn't and there's no signs , you obviously saw the van there when you locked it . He said yeah I did that's why I locked it . I said well you're lucky I didn't just stay overnight then ain't ya and cut yer padlock off in the morning before I left.

It's OK to have restrictions buddy but being a dick just for the sake of it is exactly that...

So anyway I got out ...and the next 5 parking places I tried in an attempt to walk this croagh Patrick mountain failed due to them being too small or having barriers , the last one I had driven down a very narrow lane to it only to find a van already there and nowhere to turn around so I had to reverse half way back up the wee road till I found a driveway to swing in to with the owners permission as he was in the garden , he actually had a wee laugh about it saying I wasn't the first van to go down there and have to back up .

So anyway after those failed attempts I'm at a wee harbour at old head beach in louisburgh. Its actually a lovely wee spot with great views and a nice beach for doggy walks , so I might just have 2 nights here . There are 2 other campers here from England ..young couples with surf boards etc .

I'll upload the pics of today in a bit once I've resized them

I would think huge H&S issues.
It's one thing putting a height barrier on a simple car park, but putting one at the entrance to a working port which includes sports fields and a number of commercial enterprises is asking for trouble.

It's amazing that the local council hasn't replicated the Cobh arrangement at THIS carpark which is really suited to putting in some mh parking places close to the entrance and then an area for cars only protected by a height barrier LIKE THIS (the barrier is temperarilly open in the photo to facilitate coaches serving the cruise ship seen in the background)

I have stopped there a few times but not in the car parks but outside the heritage centre,is that still possible ?

I was in this car park behind the Garda Station, about a month ago there were 3 vans parked up and I see no reason, not to park there no barriers, pay and display. The Brannach, Mill St, Cahernamart, Westport, Co. Mayo 53.798811, -9.520343

It's a short walk in , you may need a taxi or ambulance to get back, depending on your lifestyle

Ah taxi in and Garda home. I’ve found them very accommodating in the past