A single based walking tour with your accommodation right in the heart of the Connemara Mountains.
This is the Ireland of your dreams: lakes, mountains, pretty cottages, fast flowing streams and friendly people, "a wild and wonderful place". The tour takes you through the unique Twelve Bens and the Maumturk mountain ranges in the north and to the golden sandy beaches of the wild Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Connemara has long been regarded as the real emerald of Ireland and a paradise for walkers. Oscar Wilde described Connemara as "A place of savage beauty".

Day 1 Transfer to Connemara
Transfer from Shannon to Connemara, pickup time 1.00pm. Or you may also be picked up in Dublin at 9.30am. Your accommodation for the week is in the Pass Inn Hotel Kylemore, situated in the heart of the Connemara Mountains.

Day 2 Kylemore Abbey & Gardens
Our first walk takes us to Kylemore Abbey and Victorian Walled Gardens. Kylemore is a most wonderful place and it is here that nature speaks at its best. Built originally as a castle (1868) it is one of the best examples of Irish neo-gothic architecture. The tour of the Abbey and Gardens will take us approximately 2.5 hours. Afterwards we will take a walk to the statue that overlooks the abbey and onto an old Pilgrim Path that takes us onto the side of Altnagaighera Mountain. Our return journey back to the Pass Inn is by Lacknaverna and Fiddaunnavear River.
Distance: 10 km/6 miles, Ascent: 400 m/1200 ft

Day 3 Killary Fjord
Our walk takes us to Killary Harbour, which is a fjord between the Mweelrea Mountains and the Twelve Bens. The fjord reaches 20 kilometres inland and our walk takes us on an old famine road that stretches along part of the fjord. Our return journey takes us on a small country road, past Lough Muck and Lough Fee.
Distance: 15 km/9 miles, Ascent: 80 m/240 ft

Day 4 St. Patricks Church
Today's walk takes us on one of Irelands way marked trails, the Western Way. The walk starts in the valley of Maam which was made famous by the making of the film 'The Quiet Man' staring Maureen O' Hara and John Wayne.
The walk takes us through the Maumeen Pass, one of Ireland's pilgrim's routes and up to St. Patrick's Church, which is in the heart of the Maumturk Mountains.
Distance: 15 km/9 miles, Ascent: 340 m/102 ft

Day 5 The Enchanted Island of Inishbofin
Inishbofin, we will take a short ferry ride from the village of Cleggan to the island. One of the most beautiful islands off the West Coast! Today the island has a population of around 200 people but was chosen in 665 by St. Coleman for the site of his monastery, as it was a place of tranquillity. That same sense of peace and tranquillity still exists on the island today.
Distance: 8 km/5 miles, Ascent: 80 m/240 ft

Day 6 Deserted Farmsteads & Leenaun
The walk starts overlooking Lough Inagh where we will follow an old green road that takes us into the village of Leenaun. Along the way we will see many old ruined and deserted farmsteads, which are reminders of our great famine of 1845-49 and a bygone era.
Distance: 14 km/9 miles, Ascent: 150 m/450 ft

Day 7 Connemara National Park & Omey Island
Our final days walking start with a visit to Omey Island. Access to the island is by means of a causeway, so we may have to start this day a little early to avail of the low tide. Omey is a very spectacular and spiritual place, virtually untouched by mankind and has a population of less than 20 people. In the 7th century St Feichin found a monastic settlement on the northern part of the island and the ruins of Temple Feichin. A medieval granite church dedicated to the saint is still to be seen today.
In the afternoon we will visit the Connemara National Park, the exhibition centre and an audio-visual show on the park. We will also do a short walk on one of the park trails.
Distance: 12 km/7.5 miles, Ascent: 50 m/150 ft

Day 8
Depart for Shannon, arriving at 1pm