Walking Experiences 2010
Walking, Wildlife & Environmental Tours
Walking & Wildlife Vacations
Western Ireland
May 29th - JUNE 5th 8 days
$2950 per person sharing Single supplement: $300
$2950 per person sharing Single supplement: $300
Varied trails await us on this eight day tour along Ireland's rugged Western Seaboard, from the limestone uplands of the Burren to the granite mountains and water-filled landscape of Connemara. This tour includes visits to three offshore islands, including the famed Aran islands.
Day 1: Collect at Shannon airport and transfer to our first hotel in Westport, Co. Mayo. This delightful town and harbour was 
laid out in the 18th century, and offers good food and accommodation for the weary traveler. Matt Molloy of Chieftains fame, came from this town, and still owns a popular pub offering great traditional music. We will take a short afternoon walk to get some good sea air into our lungs. Two nights in Westport.
Day 2: We will take a six mile hike across the ridge of Croagh Patrick, overlooking beautiful Clew bay and its many islands. This mountain is where St. Patrick is said to have spent many nights fasting and praying, and is still a place of special pilgrimage.
Nearby are the ruins of Murrisk Abbey and a number of interesting archaeological sites which we will visit later.
Day 3: Leaving Westport and Co. Mayo, we'll travel south into Connemara, the westernmost part of Co. Galway. We'll stop en route to hike a section of trail on Killary fiord, set in the lee of the west's highest peak, and visit Kylemore Abbey. Overnight Clifden (three nights).
Day 4: Clifden is a small market town nestled between mountains and sea inlets. This part of County Galway is called
Connemara, a land of peatbogs, lakes, mountains and marvellous coastal scenery. We will spend today exloring a little of this patchwork quilt, including one of our favourite hikes across a beach to Omey Island, where buried churches and more ancient middens reveal to us the lives of of the inhabitants of times past.
Day 5: We ferry out to Inisbofin island, off Galway's west coast. Once used as a prison depot for opponents of Oliver Cromwell, today the island offers its visitors a more welcome face. Our coastal hike will take us past buried Bronze Age walls, soapstone quarries and spectacular views across to Inisturk and Inishark islands.
Day 6: Departing Clifden, we head for County Clare Co. Clare. En route we'll stop to take the short flight out to Iniseer, the smallest of the Aran islands. These special islands offer a unique landscape and a real mix of historical sites, from the hilltop forts to mediaeval churches. Our hike will take us for six miles around some of the quiet lanes sheltered by high walls built centuries ago.Returning to the mainland, we'll continue to our final hotel near Ballyvaughan, in Co. Clare.
Day 7: We will be in the midst of the Burren, one of Ireland's most botanically rich areas, with its unique mix of arctic, alpine
and mediterranean flora. A six mile hike across the Burren introduces us to the area's flora and archaeological wealth. This region has some of the highest concentrations in Europe of ancient monuments, ranging from the Stone Age to the 16th century. Sheltered green valleys criss-crossed with hedgerows lie hidden among the bright stoney slopes. The yellows, blues and reds of primroses, gentians, cranesbills and more carpet the hillsides adding local splashes of colour to the larger palette which awaits us. In the evening local musicians can be heard in a number of the charming pubs and taverns near our hotel.
Day 8: An early departure for Shannon airport to arrive by 7:30 a.m.
laid out in the 18th century, and offers good food and accommodation for the weary traveler. Matt Molloy of Chieftains fame, came from this town, and still owns a popular pub offering great traditional music. We will take a short afternoon walk to get some good sea air into our lungs. Two nights in Westport. Day 2: We will take a six mile hike across the ridge of Croagh Patrick, overlooking beautiful Clew bay and its many islands. This mountain is where St. Patrick is said to have spent many nights fasting and praying, and is still a place of special pilgrimage.
Nearby are the ruins of Murrisk Abbey and a number of interesting archaeological sites which we will visit later.
Day 3: Leaving Westport and Co. Mayo, we'll travel south into Connemara, the westernmost part of Co. Galway. We'll stop en route to hike a section of trail on Killary fiord, set in the lee of the west's highest peak, and visit Kylemore Abbey. Overnight Clifden (three nights).
Day 4: Clifden is a small market town nestled between mountains and sea inlets. This part of County Galway is called
Connemara, a land of peatbogs, lakes, mountains and marvellous coastal scenery. We will spend today exloring a little of this patchwork quilt, including one of our favourite hikes across a beach to Omey Island, where buried churches and more ancient middens reveal to us the lives of of the inhabitants of times past. Day 5: We ferry out to Inisbofin island, off Galway's west coast. Once used as a prison depot for opponents of Oliver Cromwell, today the island offers its visitors a more welcome face. Our coastal hike will take us past buried Bronze Age walls, soapstone quarries and spectacular views across to Inisturk and Inishark islands.
Day 6: Departing Clifden, we head for County Clare Co. Clare. En route we'll stop to take the short flight out to Iniseer, the smallest of the Aran islands. These special islands offer a unique landscape and a real mix of historical sites, from the hilltop forts to mediaeval churches. Our hike will take us for six miles around some of the quiet lanes sheltered by high walls built centuries ago.Returning to the mainland, we'll continue to our final hotel near Ballyvaughan, in Co. Clare. Day 7: We will be in the midst of the Burren, one of Ireland's most botanically rich areas, with its unique mix of arctic, alpine
and mediterranean flora. A six mile hike across the Burren introduces us to the area's flora and archaeological wealth. This region has some of the highest concentrations in Europe of ancient monuments, ranging from the Stone Age to the 16th century. Sheltered green valleys criss-crossed with hedgerows lie hidden among the bright stoney slopes. The yellows, blues and reds of primroses, gentians, cranesbills and more carpet the hillsides adding local splashes of colour to the larger palette which awaits us. In the evening local musicians can be heard in a number of the charming pubs and taverns near our hotel. Day 8: An early departure for Shannon airport to arrive by 7:30 a.m.
