The stretch between Westport and Clifden is one of the most-cycled sections of the Irish Atlantic coast, and for good reason. You get mountains, bogs, the occasional long climb into a headwind, and that particular quality of light that makes Connemara look like somewhere invented. It is also, practically speaking, a stretch where getting your accommodation right matters. The days are long in summer and short in late autumn, and after a day on the bike you want somewhere that actually works for a touring cyclist, not just somewhere that looks nice on a booking site.
What follows are notes on a handful of independently run places along this corridor. These are not big hotels. They are the kind of spots where the owner probably knows which roads are bad after rain and will tell you without being asked.
Westport to Louisburgh: the first leg
Westport itself has plenty of accommodation, but if you are leaving the town heading south and west, it is worth knowing about a couple of smaller guesthouses on the outskirts that cater better to cyclists than the town-centre options. A few of them will do breakfast from around half seven, which makes a real difference if you want to get moving before the tourist traffic picks up on the Louisburgh road. Ask when you book rather than assuming. Some places that advertise early breakfast actually mean eight o'clock, which is not quite the same thing.
Secure bike storage varies a lot in this part of Mayo. Some guesthouses have a locked shed or garage as a matter of course. Others will let you bring bikes into a hallway or utility room if you ask nicely. It is rarely a problem once you explain what you are carrying, especially if you are on a loaded touring bike and it is obvious you are taking the thing seriously. A quick phone call ahead almost always sorts it.
Around Leenane and the Killary
The Killary Fjord area has a small cluster of places to stay, and the ones that work best for cyclists tend to be the ones that have been doing it long enough to have the practicalities sorted. Drying rooms are the big one here. You can get genuinely soaked between Louisburgh and Leenane even in July, and arriving somewhere with wet kit and nowhere to dry it overnight is a low-grade misery. The better guesthouses in this area have either a dedicated drying room or at least a utility space with a dehumidifier or heated airer. Again, worth confirming before you arrive. If you are thinking about spending more time in this area and want a slower pace, the Killary stretch has its own quiet character as an overnight stop that is easy to underestimate.
Into Connemara: Clifden and the approaches
As you come into Connemara proper, the options spread out a bit. The landscape around Kylemore and down through the bog roads towards Clifden is spectacular in a way that makes even a tired cyclist stop pedalling for a moment, which is its own kind of problem when you still have twenty kilometres to go.
Clifden has a few small hotels and guesthouses that are well used to touring cyclists and walkers arriving with muddy gear and a desire to eat something large. Breakfast availability is generally better here than on the quieter stretches, with several places offering from half seven or eight. Some of the smaller guesthouses on the approaches to Clifden, particularly on the Sky Road side, are excellent value and less busy than the town itself. They tend to fill up fast in August though, so booking ahead by at least a few days is sensible rather than optional.
For bike storage in Clifden, the smaller guesthouses are often more flexible than the larger hotels. A locked courtyard or outbuilding is fairly common. If you are carrying good kit, it is worth factoring this into your choice rather than just going on room price. A panniers-and-frame setup left unsecured overnight is not ideal anywhere, but particularly in a busy tourist town in high season.
One last thing: if you have not yet thought through what you are actually carrying on the bike for a trip like this, getting the setup right for Atlantic roads before you leave makes the whole thing noticeably more comfortable from day one.