A beautiful Guided Hiking/ Walking tour of the Undiscovered Ireland. Coast, mountains, valleys, dunes, forests, rivers, hidden bays: a tour of the unknown gems, an unforgettable adventure!
Two Tour Dates for 2007: August 5 - 19, September 3 - 17, $3699 per person sharing.
Itinerary
Day 1:
We will drive north from Dublin to Carlingford in County Louth. After settling in at our guest house, we will take a short walk along the lower path at Slieve Foye with lovely views across Carlingford Lough.
Walking / Hiking Distance 3 Miles
Day 2:
Our first full day walk will take us up and over the Black Mountains and the Cooley Hills, then down through Ravensdale Forest Park. We will encounter ancient stone circles along the way. We will have great views of Northern Ireland.
Walking / Hiking Distance 7 Miles
Day 3:
Our driving journey today will take us across to the west of Ireland to Kilcar on the coast of Donegal. En route we will stop at Finntown for a walk around Lough Finn. Look out for the turf (peat) cutters hard at work. There should be some music in the pubs for us to enjoy after dinner.
Walking / Hiking Distance 5 Miles
Day 4:
In many people's opinion, Donegal's piece de resistance: "Slieve League" is where we will walk today. An isolated gentle green road will bring us out onto one of the most majestic views of the Atlantic Ocean. These are Europe's highest sea cliffs at 2,000ft. Our walk will take us up to "One Man's Pass," although, it will not be a compulsory part of the journey.
Walking / Hiking Distance 8 Miles
Day 5:
First of all we will stop in Donegal for a guided tour of the historical town. We then move south to the Nephin Beg mountain range in County Mayo, walking what is known as "Europe's Last Great Wilderness". Mayo has a landscape of high cliffs, lonely mountains and fuchsia hedges. A warm welcome and a lovely location await us at Kilmena on the edge of Clew Bay near the town of Westport. After dinner we can walk out across the causeway to one of the 365 tiny islands.
Walking /Hiking Distance 3 Miles
Day 6:
Our walk today will be at Killary Harbour, not a harbour at all, but Ireland's only fjord. Our route will take us along an old famine road (rough track built to give poor people work during the Great Famine of 1845-48), looking out across the fjord to Mweelrea, western Ireland's highest mountain. You'll love this walk! Our base for the next 2 nights is Clifden in Co. Galway. Again, there should be plenty of music in Clifden.
Walking / Hiking Distance 6 Miles
Day 7:
Today we will be visiting one of the Aran Islands, Inishmore. "The landscape of the Aran Islands is an intricate sculpture of stone, combining natural limestone pavements with a filigree wilderness of man-made stone walls". We will walk the green roads to visit the fort of Dun Aenghus. For our evening meal tonight, don't miss out on the excellent fish and chips to be found at the "Ould Pier" cafe.
Walking / Hiking Distance 7 Miles
Day 8:
We must stop in Galway City today to drop off and pick up our "half-way passengers". Make the most of the shops for souvenirs. Afterwards, we will head south to the pretty thatched-cottage village of Adare in County Limerick. We will take a short walk around the grounds of Adare Manor and back via the Augustinian Friary and along by the River Maigue.
Walking / Hiking Distance 2 Miles
Day 9:
We will drive to Glenbeigh on the ring of Kerry, Co. Kerry. Our walk today will be part of the long distance waymarked route "The Kerry Way". A short, steep ascent will bring us to look out across to the Dingle Peninsula. We will walk along the ridge and down into some quiet country lanes, eventually ending up on the pebble sea shore.
Walking / Hiking Distance 8 Miles
Day 10:
Today we walk from Derrynane House, the home of Daniel O'Connell (Ireland's 19th century campaigner for Catholic Emancipation). Our walk will start in the grounds of the house, then we travel along beaches and out onto Abbey Island, returning via part of the Kerry Way.
Walking / Hiking Distance 7 Miles
Day 11:
Today our walking route is a circuit of Lough Currane at the end of the Ring of Kerry. This route guides us along fuchsia-lined lanes, ancient tracks and parts of the Kerry Way. Lough Currane is a lovely lake popular with fishermen. From some of the higher regions we will have fine views of the sea across the lake.
Walking / Hiking Distance 9 Miles
Day 12:
Today we'll walk the Old Kenmare Road to Killarney via Torc Waterfall. This ancient track will take you through beautiful open heathland in the Black Valley and cuts through some of the best scenery in Kerry. We then travel on to Cashel in County Tipperary.
Walking / Hiking Distance 10 Miles
Day 13:
Before we leave Cashel this morning we can enjoy the magnificent St Patrick's Rock with a guided tour. We then head east to County Wicklow and the Wicklow Mountains. Our accommodation is set in lovely countryside scenery. On arrival we will walk directly from Derrybawn Mountain to the Glendalough valley.
Walking / Hiking Distance 6 Miles
Day 14:
The Wicklow Mountains are the location of our walk today. Our local expert guide, Christopher Stacey will begin at the point where we finished yesterday. He'll tell us all about the ancient monastic ruins of Glendalough and the story of St Kevin. We will walk along the Spink (a dramatic cliff edge with lovely views over the two lakes) then down into the Glenealo Valley finishing alongside the Upper Lake.
Walking / Hiking Distance 8 Miles
Day 15:
We must say Goodbye to Ireland after our drive back to Dublin.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Tour dates for 2007: August 5 - 19, September 3 - 17, $3699 per person sharing.
The tour price includes: 14 nights 3 -4 star accommodation en suite, 14 breakfasts, 14 packed lunches, 12 evening meals, 14 guided hikes, all land transportation, transportation to evening entertainment. The price quoted is per person sharing. If you require a single room to yourself, there is a supplement of $630.00
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