West Of Ireland Guided Group Bicycle Tours

Tour Name	Nights	Start / Finish	Cost	Start Dates
Best of the West	10	Galway / Westport	$2,395 (US dollars)	Sun 13th May
Connemara	7	Oughterard / Westport	€1,475	Sat 9th June Sat 7th July Sat 11th August Sat 1st September
Clare & The Burren	7	Ennis / Bunratty	€1,475	Sat 16th June Sat 14th July Sat 8th Sept

Click here for general information about our guided group tours

Connemara (7 nights)

This is the Iron Donkey tour which has stood the test of time and has proved over many years to be a firm favourite among our clientele. We have had several riders join us on the tour twice, so we must be doing something right!

Connemara and the Aran Islands make for an excellent tour because, in addition to the magnificent scenery. West Of Ireland Connemara Guided Group Bicycle Tours

The region is typically 'Irish', and provides a great introduction to the country for first time visitors.
The terrain is, for the most part, gently undulating. Although there are mountains at the heart of the region, the roads go around them rather than over them. There are however, some good climbing opportunities for those who want a challenge on the latter half of the tour.
There are plenty of biking options available, allowing each rider to bike just as much, or as little, as he or she wants on any given day.
There are plenty of great accommodation options.
There is the opportunity to enjoy traditional music session on several evenings.
An overnight on the Aran Islands is a real highlight.
The region is readily accessible from both Shannon International and Dublin International Airports.

Connemara Dates and Rates

2012 Departures	Saturday 9th June Saturday 7th July Saturday 11th August Saturday 1st September
Start	Oughterard, Co Galway
Finish	Westport, Co Mayo
Duration	7 nights (Saturday – Saturday)
Cost	€1,475 per person sharing €225 single accommodation supplement (if applicable)
Included	7 nights hotel accommodation 6 evening dinners (3 or 4 course a la carte) Bike rental Guide Sag wagon Trip preparation package Ferry crossings Taxes
Accommodations	(2) (3) (2) [ rating info ]

Click here for Connemara tour day by day itinerary »

Day 1 (Saturday)

We meet at the Connemara Gateway Hotel in Oughterard in the afternoon (flexible timing). After checking in, bikes and equipment can be tried out during a short trip by the shore of Lough Corrib. Over dinner, you can get to know your fellow travellers, and your guide will run through the itinerary for the week ahead. Then you might just want to sample a Guinness before retiring!
Day 2 (Sunday)

The biking proper starts with a beautiful 20-mile ride over moorland to the port of Rossaveal, from where we take a 40-minute ferry ride to Inishmore, largest of the Aran Islands. On arrival at Kilronan, you can lunch in the port before checking into Ard Einne guesthouse. The rest of the day is free for exploring the island by bike and on foot, either on your own or with your trusty guide. The cliff top stone-age fort of Dun Angeus is a must on your agenda. The whole island offers a fascinating insight into what life was like in a simpler, bygone age. Dinner in the evening can be followed by a visit to one of Kilronan’s lively pubs.
Day 3 (Monday)

After an early breakfast, there is a chance to visit the impressive Black Fort and perhaps do a little shopping (for an Aran sweater?) before we catch the ferry back to Rossaveal. After lunch we bike west through the magnificent Connemara landscape to the town of Clifden, the 'capital' of the region. The ride offers plenty of great vistas of the Twelve Bens – the mountain range that sits at the heart of Connemara. Along the way there are several locations where peat is dug for fuel. The quaint town of Clifden is renowned for its craft shops, its lively musical pubs and for its spectacular location. Accommodation for the next two nights is in the family-run Foyles Hotel in the centre of the town.
Day 4 (Tuesday)

Today’s biking route is a figure-of-eight loop. The first loop takes us out on the legendary Sky Road, while the second heads south around the coast through Ballyconneely to the fishing village of Roundstone, where you can watch traditional musical instruments being made in the craft centre. If we get back to Clifden in time, you might want to spend a little time shopping for a few presents or souvenirs. Alternatives for those considering a day away from their bicycles include horseback riding or a round of golf at the lovely links near Ballyconneely.
Day 5 (Wednesday)

Leaving Clifden, we ride east on the beautiful (if not so beautifully named) Bog Road before turning north past Lough Inagh to visit Kylemore Abbey, one of Connemara’s architectural treasures. The setting is perhaps even more impressive than the abbey itself. From the village of Letterfrack, where we stop for lunch, there is a stunning coastal route from Tully Cross that culminates in a glorious downhill run to the village of Leenane, at the head of Killary Fjord, Ireland’s one and only fjord. The village’s chief claim to fame is that it was the setting for “The Field”, a disturbing film (starring Richard Harris) that explores the relationship that existed between the Irish and the land. The Leenane Hotel provides tonight’s accommodation.
Day 6 (Thursday)

From Leenane we head south before climbing steadily over a saddle and then dropping down to follow the shores of Lough Nafooey and Lough Mask to the village of Toormakeady. This is a stunningly beautiful ride on roads that are to all extents and purposes devoid of traffic. After lunch at one of the local pubs, there is a choice of the low road or the high road to our destination town of Westport on the shores of Clew Bay. The mountain road is spectacular – but challenging! The lower road is a gentler, pastoral alternative. Westport has plenty of musical pubs and craft shops. The impressive Atlantic Coast Hotel on the Quays is where we stay for the next two nights.
Day 7 (Friday)

Today’s loop route takes us south from Westport to Aasleagh Falls, and then north through Delphi and the very atmospheric Doolough Valley to Louisburgh, one of the homes of Grace O’Malley, the pirate queen of the West of Ireland. From here we follow the Clew Bay coastline east towards Westport. On the way we pass the striking sculpture which commemorates the 'coffin ships' that carried countless thousands of Irish emigrants to America. Close by is the foot of Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s holiest mountain and a popular destination for pilgrims. The steep path to the summit is rewarded by fantastic views over Clew Bay. And yes - you can climb it if you have the inclination (and the energy!). Our farewell dinner is back at our Westport hotel. You might like to top off your tour with a visit to one of the town’s many musical pubs – Matt Molloy’s (Matt of Chieftains fame) is a favourite.
Day 8 (Saturday)

Depart by train or bus to Dublin, or by bus to Shannon – or to anywhere else in the country!

Make an Availability Enquiry for this tour »

Clare & The Burren (7 nights)

This tour takes you on a journey of discovery through the wonderful West of Ireland region bounded by Galway Bay to the north and the estuary of the River Shannon to the south. The highlight of the tour is the unique and enigmatic Burren, a 500 square kilometre area of limestone layered fields where underground rivers carve out honeycombs of caves through the soft rock. Massive boulders sit atop the vast limestone pavements, and ancient drovers’ roads traverse a landscape that is dotted with prehistoric dolmens, tombs and stone forts. West Of Ireland Clare & The Burren Guided Group Bicycle Tours

The Burren is one of Europe’s richest botanical areas; clinging to the soil that has collected in the fissures in the rocks is an amazing variety of wild flowers, with Arctic, Alpine and Mediterranean species flourishing side by side.

Just to the south of the Burren is another of Ireland’s great geological wonders – the towering Cliffs of Moher which rise vertically from the ocean to a height of 650 feet along a 5 mile stretch of the coast. The cliffs are a bird watchers’ paradise – you can watch puffins, guillemeots, razorbills and choughs as they wheel and dive below you.

The Loop Head peninsula jutting like a long protective arm shielding the waters of the Shannon estuary from the open ocean is a quiet and peaceful haven where wonderful vistas open up around every turn. Inland the countryside is a pretty mosaic of lakes, stone-walled pastures, and market towns. The village of Bunratty is home to Bunratty Castle and also the Bunratty Folk Park.

For lovers of Irish traditional music, the towns of Doolin and Lisdoonvarna are particularly renowned for the nightly sessions in the local pubs.

Overall the terrain on the cycling routes ranges from easy to moderate, with the great majority of the cycling on country roads and lanes that carry minimal volumes of traffic. The average daily mileage on the core routes is 35 miles. Optional extensions of around 20 miles are available on most days.

The tour is most conveniently accessed from Shannon Airport. Ennis, start point for the tour, is 15 miles from Shannon Airport, while there are good bus and train connections with Dublin.

Clare & The Burren Dates & Rates

2012 Departures	Sat 16th June Sat 14th July Sat 8th September
Start	Ennis, Co Clare
Finish	Bunratty, Co Clare
Duration	7 nights (Saturday – Saturday)
Cost	€1475 per person sharing €225 single accommodation supplement (if applicable)
Included	7 nights hotel accommodation 6 evening dinners (3 or 4 course a la carte) Bike rental Guide Sag wagon Trip preparation package Taxes
Accommodations	(2) (4) (1) [ rating info ]

Click here for Clare & The Burren tour day by day itinerary »

Day 1 (Saturday)

On arrival in ancient Ennis, 15 miles from Shannon Airport, you can check into your hotel. Ennis, the county town of Clare, is one of Ireland’s most attractive, being surrounded by the River Fergus. The bow-ways (arched tunnel passageways that link the narrow medieval streets) are a particular feature. Dominating the town is the ruined 13th century friary in which there are some wonderful medieval sculptures. In the afternoon there is a bike and equipment fitting after which you are free to explore the town or to relax. There is a meet-and-greet and a short tour briefing before dinner at the hotel. Our accommodation in Ennis is the Old Ground Hotel.
Day 2 (Sunday)

After breakfast we set off crossing the River Fergus and pedalling west through the rolling Clare countryside. The first few miles is a gentle climb to the villages of Kilmaley and Connolly from where we turn off onto very minor country lanes that meander through a lake studded landscape towards the Atlantic coast in the distance. Lunch is taken in the delightful village of Creegh. Our destination in the afternoon is Kilkee, a beautifully sited resort town protected from the force of the Atlantic by a reef known as Duggerna Rock. Kilkee offers dramatic cliff walks and safe swimming in the ocean for the hardy (or foolhardy!). Kilkee Bay was rated the best diving location in Europe by the late Jacques Cousteau. We spend the next two nights in the Bay View Guesthouse , overlooking Kilkee Bay.
Day 3 (Monday)

Today’s ride is a loop around the tranquil and exquisitely beautiful Loop Head peninsula. The cliff scenery is especially spectacular, and the coast is littered with sea stacks and wave-sculpted rocks. The Bridges of Ross are wonderful natural arches cut out of the rock by the power of the Atlantic breakers.

From the picturesque whitewashed lighthouse at Loop Head itself there are wonderful views of Dingle to the south and the Aran Islands to the north.

In Kilbaha, a tiny coastal village that is also our lunch stop, Moneen Church houses the Little Ark, a moveable church devised in 1852 by a local priest to enable mass to be celebrated on the foreshore between high and low water where harsh property laws (preventing the celebration of the mass) could not be enforced.
Day 4 (Tuesday)

Riding north from Kilkee the route follows minor country roads that basically hug the coastline. There are several sites of interest along the way. Spanish Point was named after the unfortunate Spaniards who died here in 1588 after their Armada ships foundered on the rocks. Most of those who managed to struggle ashore were captured and executed.

The resort of Lahinch has one of the finest links golf courses in the world, while its sweeping sandy strands offer some of Ireland’s very best surfing. You can hire a board and a wetsuit for a couple of hours.

Continuing along the coast through Liscannor, there is a steady climb to the Cliffs of Moher – one of Ireland’s most awesome natural phenomena. From the cliffs it is a downhill run all the way to Doolin, renowned as the best location to listen to Irish traditional music sessions. From Doolin there is a short final stretch to Lisdoonvarna and the Wild Honey Inn. Lisdoonvarna is a spa town and home of the famous annual Matchmaking Festival. Like Doolin, the town has several musical pubs for those looking for evening entertainment.
Day 5 (Wednesday)

Today’s route is definitely a highlight of the trip. We start by following the stunning Burren coastline north around Black Head, and then turning east to the coastal village of Ballyvaughan – a perfect lunch stop. Heading south from the village there is the chance to visit the Ailwee Caves, an underground maze with vast caverns connected by more than two miles of passages, before starting on a testing climb onto the top of the Burren Plateau. Here you can fully experience and appreciate the strange, lunar-like Burren landscape with its unique flora and its prehistoric dolmens and tombs. Poulnabrone Dolmen, perched on top of the plateau, is one of the most famous, dating from around 2500 BC. From the top of the plateau there is an exhilarating downhill run back to Lisdoonvarna.
Day 6 (Thursday)

From Lisdoonvarna we head south to the village of Kilfenora and the Burren Heritage Centre. The centre showcases the flora and fauna, the archaeology, geology, legends and natural history of the magnificent limestone region. The route then turns east to the village of Carran. Close to the village is the Burren Perfumery which produces a range of high quality natural aromatherapy products and fragrances by traditional methods.

Riding north from Carran we reach the shores of Galway Bay at Bellharbour. Close by, the Cistercian abbey of Corcomroe has some of the finest stone carvings in Ireland.

Following the coast east brings us to the pretty fishing village of Kinvarra. The Galway hookers (traditional sailing boats) bobbing in the harbour provide a beautiful backdrop. Just outside the village is the impressive Dunguaire Castle. We stay in the Merriman Hotel in the centre of the village.
Day 7 (Friday)

The route south from Kinvarra takes us inland through the spectacular eastern Burren region. En route attractions include Coole Park and the massive 12th century round tower of Kilmacduagh. Close to Corofin, home to the Clare heritage Centre is Dysert O’Dea. This towerhouse was built in 1480, badly damaged by the Cromwellians in 1651 but repaired and opened to the public as an archaeology centre in 1986. Around the tower house there is a fascinating collection of ancient prehistoric sites. After lunching in Ennis, we follow backroads to Quin Abbey (15th Century) built by the ruling McNamara lords for the Franciscan monks before arriving in Bunratty, home to Bunratty Castle. The castle has been faithfully restored and refurnished and the grounds are home to Bunratty Folk Park - a fascinating recreation of 19th Century Irish life. Our final accommodation is at the Bunratty Courtyard Guesthouse.
Saturday

Departure after breakfast to Shannon Airport (5 miles) or to Limerick or Galway, or Dublin.

Make an Availability Enquiry for this tour »