Walking

Fancy a quick break from the city life? Immerse yourself in the history, culture and breathtaking scenery of the West Coast, (and maybe the odd Guinness!). Travelling independently or with friends, you will seduced by the warmth, easy charm and hospitality of the Connemara people.This is a quick, easy and comfortable weekend getaway within one hours drive of Galway City. Enjoy a breath of fresh air while based in the stunning setting Leenane village, overlooking Killary Harbour with Mweelrea mountain providing a majestic backdrop. Reachable by bus from Galway City or Westport, you will spend a weekend getting out and about in one of Ireland’s most beautiful areas.

Our ten day Into the West tour introduces walkers to some of the most beautiful parts of the Connemara wilderness and the scenic coastline of West Mayo in the West of Ireland. The route, which follows much of the Western Way, starts in Oughterard, a famous angling village on the shores of Lough Corrib in Galway county.

This is a splendid trip along Irelands Western Coastline where as part of the trip you visit and walk two beautiful islands off the Western Coast, starting with Inishbofin off the coast of Connemara and Inishmore, the biggest of the Aran Islands off the coast of Galway. You will also walk along by the Famine Track as you overlook Irelands only fjord the Killary Fjord and along the spectacular Sky Road which will give you breathtaking views onto the Atlantic and hundreds of small islands sitting on this side of the Connemara coast. On this trip you will get a glimpse of some dramatic scenery and the opportunity to meet real Irish characters.

The Iveragh peninsula, known world wide as the Ring of Kerry is the base for this self-guided walking package. You walk for 7 days following the waymarked Kerry Way, a low-level walking route, using the old droving paths and coach roads to create a journey through history and folklore.

Glens in Northern Ireland is an area of unsurpassed beauty, a unique fusion of tangible heritage and magnificent scenery. An area who’s breath taking and rugged coastline merges into the romantic landscape of its deep silent glens and lush forest parks..

You walk for 7 days following the way marked Dingle Way and connecting trails in County Kerry from Tralee, via Camp, Dingle, Slea Head, Mount Brandon to Annascaul. Along green lanes lined with Fuchsia hedges; past peat cuttings and Celtic monuments, this lowlevel route crosses the Dingle peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic.

The county of Wicklow is often called ‘the Garden of Ireland’, alluding to the fine agricultural land and magnificent scenery in

This 5 days, 4 nights tour, on the beautiful Dingle Peninsula is ideal for guests having only a few days available for a short walking holiday. Perhaps you want to spend the remaining days of your holiday exploring greater distances by car (we are happy to organise a hire car for you) but you still want to get out and about for at least some of the time.

A unique opportunity to mix both the pleasures of a walk in the historical, Viking City of Dublin and its bouncing

This 5 day guided tour allows you to sample some of the best scenery and sites in the west of Ireland, immerse yourself in the irish culture and enjoy the best of traditional music sessions along the islands of the west coast!

This Guided Hiking holiday offers a region of Ireland that seems to have been missed by others,

thankfully. The North-Western Coast of Mayo, rich in archaeological landscape, with its flourishing flora and fauna, majestic cliffs and rocky coves, is just waiting to be discovered by the walker. The Mullet Peninsula, as it “hangs off” the Mayo Coast, dominated this region and we have selected two walking days on Benwee Head and Erris Head that will give you a great feeling and understanding of this wild and rugged coast. The area is known for its interplay with light and water. The rocks and cliffs are given a magical pink or reddish hue when sunlight falls on them as it sets in the evening Western sky. Irish is spoken in these districts and the people are just waiting to welcome you with a warmth that has to be experienced to be appreciated. For the history lover and heritage, mythology or folklore lovers – this area has everything!

The north-western tip of Donegal, around Bloody Foreland, is known for the interplay of light and water. The rocks are given a magical pink or reddish hue when sunlight falls on them, particularly at sunset, and this is particularly noticeable on the cone of Errigal, Donegal’s highest peak.  Situated just 5kms off the Donegal coast, Arranmore Island has been inhabited since prehistoric  times and it's likely to have been one of Donegal's first coastal population centres. Archaeological sites on the island have been dated to the Early Iron Age (800 BC) and the island was also home to a number of Gaelic chieftains. Many of the Gaelic traditions practised by these families are still alive on Arranmore today and can be heard and seen on your visit.

There are too many fantastic places to leave any of these hikes out – so using Galway as our starting point; we have divided the hikes into the Best of the West going NORTH and the Best of the West going SOUTH. Both trips are one week in duration, both give you fantastic hikes & great immersion into the local history & culture along the way, and both give you incredible contrasts in scenery. From Galway you continue on your chosen trip NORTH as outlined under the Itinerary tab.

The Burren and Connemara face each other across Galway Bay, with the glorious Aran Islands strategically

placed in between. It is hard to imagine two more contrasting landscapes. ‘Burren’ is derived from the Irish word boireann meaning ‘place of stone’, and the name could not be more apt. By contrast - Connemara is an imposing landscape of lakes, moorland and rugged mountains. It has some of the most extensive areas of blanket bog in Europe and is home to many heathland and bogland plants.

To really experience Ireland – you need to feel it – feel its land, its rain, its temperate climate & most of all – its soul. This is a country that cannot be rushed and exploring it on foot is one of the best ways to experience it. This allows you the opportunity to meet the “locals”, come face to face with thousands of years of history and see what it is that makes Irish people so unique. Using Galway as our starting point see under the itinerary tab for details of our Best of the West hike, going SOUTH....