Sat 16 Jun to Sat 30 Jun Sat 14 July to Sat 28 July Mon 3 Sep to Mon 17 Sep Price eu3499 per person Your Itinerary: Day 1: Hiking/walking distance 3 miles. Drive from Dublin up to Ballycastle in Co. Antrim. The Antrim Coast has been designated an "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty". After dinner, a short walk will take us down around the coast at Ballintoy and to Carrick-a-Rede: a tiny island with a salmon fishery, joined to the mainland by a rope bridge, and back up via the harbor of Ballintoy. We will be accommodated at the Fullerton Arms in Ballintoy for the next two nights. There should be some excellent traditional music in the Carrick-a-Rede pub tonight. OVERNIGHT: Ballintoy, County Antrim. Day 2: Hiking/walking distance 8 miles. On the agenda today is a spectacular walk starting from White Park Bay on the Antrim coast and finishing at the Giants Causeway. On a clear day you will be able to see right across to Scotland. The Causeway is made up of 37,000 black basalt columns, mostly hexagonal. It is the result of a massive underground explosion some sixty million years ago. In 1693 the Royal Geographical Society publicized it as one of the great wonders of the natural world. Your guide, will take you on this walk and entertain you with history, culture and folklore. OVERNIGHT: Ballintoy, County Antrim. Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 3: Hiking/walking distance 5 miles. We now must move on into the west to County Donegal: our base for the next two nights is the Carrig Rua Hotel in the village of Dunfanaghy, in the Gaeltacht (Gaelic-speaking region). Hopefully we shall find some excellent traditional music here. We will stop en route at Glenveagh National Park for a walk, which begins in the lonely wilderness of the mountains and finishes alongside the beautiful Lough Beagh and Glenveagh Castle gardens. A visit to Donegal is like a trip back in time: hay is still stacked by hand, and most farms only yield enough produce for one family. Beautiful day-walks and spectacular sunsets are promised along the rugged Donegal coastline. OVERNIGHT: Dunfanaghy, County Donegal. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 4: Hiking/walking distance 7 miles. Setting out on foot from the hotel, our walk today will be at the Horn Head Peninsula. The walk will bring us through woods, along a spectacular beach (bring your swimming costume), coastal tracks, with views of an arch in the sea. We will also have time to visit the Poor House museum in Dunfanaghy. OVERNIGHT: Dunfanaghy, County Donegal. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 5: Hiking/walking distance 8 miles. This morning we will head south to County Sligo, but on our way we stop to walk near Dunlewy Lough and the Poisoned Glen, in Donegal. This is a magnificent walk through the hills and forests of Donegal in the shadows of mighty Mount Errigal. You will be guided by John McGroary, a local expert guide. Tonight we will stay at the Drumcliff in County Sligo. OVERNIGHT: Drumcliff, County Sligo. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 6: Hiking/walking distance 6 miles. After visiting Drumcliff Church and the grave of W.B. Yeats we will head south past Sligo Town to walk at Knocknarea Mountain overlooking a magnificent bay and the original Coney Island. Tonight we will stay at Kilmena on the shores of Clew Bay on the outskirts of Westport Town, County Mayo. Our guest house is located on the sea shore and after dinner we can venture out to one of the islands via a causeway accessible at low tide. OVERNIGHT: Kilmena, Westport, County Mayo Dunfanaghy. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 7: Hiking/walking distance 6 miles. From Galway City, we will head south to the Burren Region of County Clare - a huge plateau of limestone and shale aptly summed up with the words, "savage land, yielding neither water enough to drown a man, nor a tree to hang him, nor soil enough to bury him". Our walk today is at the highest point in the Burren: Slieve Elva. We will be rewarded with great views across Galway Bay to the Aran Islands. For the next two nights we will be accommodated in Ballyvaughan, a prety village on the coast of the Burren. After dinner, we can venture into the village in search of traditional music in the pubs. OVERNIGHT: Ballyvaughan, The Burren, County Clare. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 8: Hiking/walking distance 10 miles (option of just 5 miles instead). Today we will be accompanied by our local expert guide. He will take us to sites of botanical, geological and archaeological interest. This will include walking in two separate parts of the Burren with a break for lunch. The Burren regions is famous for it's flora: you will never see anything like the carpets of primroses, or the white flower of the blackthorn cascading over all the hedgerows. Rare and spectacular plants occur in abundance. Nowhere else in Ireland, Britain or even north west Europe can such quantities of the blue Spring Gentian, cream Mountain Avens or yellow Shrubby Cinquefoil be encountered. At the end of the afternoon we may have time for a pint in County Clare's oldest pub. OVERNIGHT: Ballyvaughan, The Burren, County Clare. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 9: Hiking/walking distance 5 miles. The Cliffs of Moher: one of Ireland's most visited sights will be the location of our walk, but fear not, leaving the bustling car park behind, we can enjoy relative solitude walking along the cliffs to Hag's Head. Leaving County Clare, we will drive south to County Kerry via the Killimer to Tarbert ferry across the Shannon. For the next three nights we will stay in the heart of Dingle Town. OVERNIGHT: Dingle Town, County Kerry. Breakfast and Lunch Included. Day 10: Hiking/walking distance 9 miles. A lovely walk is on today's agenda: at Beenbo Mountain and the spectacular green valley of Magha na Bo. Enjoy the peace and tranquility of this valley and witness 40 shades of green! We then cross over the top of the pass and drop down to Annascaul village via Lake Annascaul. OVERNIGHT: Dingle Town, County Kerry. Breakfast and Lunch Included. Day 11: Hiking/walking distance 6 miles. We travel today to the western side of the Brandon Ridge to walk at Ballydavid Head, for one of the best walks on the Dingle Peninsula. We climb gently through moorland grass to reach a fine vantage point with expansive views of the surrounding hills, fields, mountains, sea and cliffs. This area could be described as a "photographer's paradise". We will take our time to take pictures, relax, and enjoy the views. We will then return to Dingle for an excellent meal and a review of the day's activity. OVERNIGHT: Dingle Town, County Kerry. Breakfast and Lunch Included. Day 12: Hiking/walking distance 8 miles. Today we will walk at Inch Beach (the setting for the film, Ryan's Daughter). We begin with views across to Glenbeigh and Ireland's highest mountains, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, then on rounding the peninsula we have views back towards the Dingle Peninsula and the Slieve Mish Mountains. Look out for rabbits and lots of estuary birds. We move on then to the Gougane Barra region of County Cork. Our accommodation is the Gougane Barra Hotel: we stay here for 2 nights. This is a stunning location on the shores of a lake in a deep valley. OVERNIGHT: Gougane Barra Forest Park, County Cork. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 13: Hiking/walking distance 8 miles. Wake up to peace and tranquility and fine lake views. Catherine, our local guide today will take us on a circuit of Gougane Barra Lake and the source of the River Lee. We will be able to walk directly from the hotel. If you prefer a more restful day then this is the ideal spot to enjoy the quiet tracks beside the lake and forest. OVERNIGHT: Gougane Barra Forest Park, County Cork. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 14: Hiking/walking distance 2 miles. Cahir in County Tipperary: the town is dominated by a 13th century castle, one of the largest in Ireland. After taking a tour of the castle, there may be time to walk along the banks of the River Suir. We will be accommodated in the town of Cashel for our last night. Highly recommended entertainment tonight comes in the form of music and dance "Riverdance" style at the Bru Boru Centre. OVERNIGHT: Cashel, County Tipperary. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included. Day 15: We must say Goodbye to Ireland after our 2 hour drive back to Dublin Airport. Breakfast Included. Tour Highlights + 2 nights in Ballintoy, County Antrim + 2 nights in Dunfanaghy, County Donega + 1 night in Drumcliff, County Sligo + 1 night near Westport, Co Mayo + 2 nights in the Burren, County Clare + 3 nights on Dingle Peninsula + 2 nights in Gougane Barra, County Cork + 1 night in Cashel, County Tipperary + Crossing the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge + A fabulous walk at the Giant?s Causeway + A visit to Bushmills, the world?s oldest legal whiskey distillery + Antrim Coastal Path - officially designated 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' + High cliffs of Donegal + Stunning coastal scenery + Poor House Museum at Dunfanaghy + Mountains and rivers of Donegal + A walk at the edge of Clew Bay, with it's 365 tiny islands + Lovely coast at Sligo + The Cliffs of Moher, Co Clare + Wild flowers of the Burren + Unusual geology of the Burren + Guided Tour of the Ancient Rock of Cashel + Walk part of the Dingle Way + Hike Dingle Beaches + Browse in the shops in Dingle Town + Magnificent Kerry scenery + A walk on magnificent Inch Beach + Lovely coastal views + Bru Boru Music and Dance centre + Traditional music Tour Dates 2012:- Sat 16 Jun to Sat 30 Jun Sat 14 July to Sat 28 July Mon 3 Sep to Mon 17 Sep Price eu3499 per person Notes: Tour Dates 2012:- 
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