Biking Connemara, Ireland: Connemara is regarded by many as the Real Emerald Isle, the true Ireland just waiting to be explored. It is almost supernaturally beautiful, with rugged, green vistas that will touch your heart, and soothe your soul. We can think of few places so profound. In spring, the bountiful hillsides comes alive — quite literally — with the soft peals of newborn lambs dancing among glorious bright flowers. In autumn, these same mountains are blessed with a riot of fall colors that seem to shift and deepen with each passing day. If you are lucky enough to experience Connemara with Pedal and Sea Adventures, you’ll make memories that are sure to last a lifetime.
Our Connemara, Ireland self-guided biking tour is new for 2008 and has been designed by our founder, Dana Gallant, because this area truly touches him deeply. It might go back to his mother’s forbears, the Donovans, who left Ireland generations ago to seek work and the promise of a better life in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. We wonder if they’d recognize the economic miracle that Ireland has become today.
We had two goals for our Connemara biking tour: to provide our guests with comfort and a sense of belonging, as you’ll be staying the week at one of our favorite lodges. And to show you a beautiful island. From Lough Inagh Lodge we’ll set out on loop rides, exploring the beauty surrounding Connemara, while Maire and her staff pamper us in true Irish style. For variety, we have designed the tour with a bevy of options, so you don’t have to spend every day in the saddle. So you may decide to hike the surrounding mountains, or travel to Inishmore to shop.
Ireland is truly one of the world’s best areas for biking, and another delightful addition to Pedal and Sea’s world bicycle tours.
Connemara: Day one
The tour begins with a group pick-up at Cliften. Most North American flights
arrive early, so we’ll have plenty of time to get you to Lough
Inagh to relax and shake out the cobwebs. You’ll also have a welcoming
dinner in the evening, so you can meet new friends, peruse your tour
itinerary, and have your trusty metal steed readied for the journey ahead.
Tonight, and every night, you'll stay at wonderful Lough Inagh Lodge.
Connemara: Day two
You’ll start the week with a great ride north out of the Lough Inagh
Valley to the picturesque Kylemore Abbey, Mitchell Henry’s gothic
castle, built in 1865, and now home to Benedictine Nuns. From there, a
quick spin will take you to Letterfrack and one of our favorite restaurants
in Ireland for a wee bit of lunch before continuing through Tully Cross,
Renvyle, Glaasillaum, and Garraun. Your reward for all that pedaling could
be a pint or two of Guinness in the lodge's own quaint pub, or the delicious
meal to follow.
Connemara: Day three
Time to get serious, for we’ve upped the mileage today as you cycle
the Maunturk Mountains, one of the best biking days we could conjure. You
will cycle to Leenaun along the Killary Harbour; this ten mile fiord used
to be the center of Ireland’s herring industry, and it served as
the backdrop to The Field, a classic film starring the late Richard Harris.
Some of you might opt for a 90-minute cruise along the fiord before heading
back to the lodge. Others will continue to Maam for lunch at a delightful
pub, and then on to Maam Cross and Recess before heading home.
Connemara: Day four
Today’s bike trip includes a short ferry ride to Inishmore, one of
the Aran Islands. The natural beauty will quicken your heart, and you’ll
be intrigued by the Irish passion for building stone walls to divide even
the most inconsequential plots of dirt. You’ll cycle from the ferry
up to the impressive stone fort of Dun Aengus — perched precariously
on a dramatic cliff. After touring the island, the ferry will bring you
back to Rossaveel — a beautiful tract where Gaelic is still
widely spoken — then it’s on to Screeb, Gortmore, and Cashel.
It’s a great day.
Connemara: Day five
So many options, so little time! For duffers, we can recommend 18 holes
at The Connemara Golf Course near Clifden. If food is your passion, we’d
suggest spending the morning in the lodge’s kitchen making the
region’s the famous brown bread. Then again, your day might be
all about exploring, for you can choose to bike through Roundstone, Ballyconneely,
and Clifden — where Marconi's wireless station exchanged the first
transatlantic radio signal with Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, in 1907. Clifden
is a place of many firsts, for Alcock and Brown landed here after the
first non-stop flight over the Atlantic.
Connemara: Day six
Cong, the home of the Ashford Castle, is on today’s itinerary, along
with Clonbur, Finny, and Leenaun. You’ll also be biking north of
Leenaun, to see the Erriff River tumbling into the Killary, creating Aasleagh
Falls. It’s that beautiful! The day will draw to a close as it should,
with a farewell dinner and a wee pint or two, celebrating this island,
and this vacation, in the traditional Irish style.
Connemara: Day seven
Your tour ends with a transfer back to Clifden, sad that your adventure
is ending, but happy for the friends you’ve made, and the places
you’ve seen. We’re certain that, one day, most of you will
one day return to Connemara. Since most of you will be catching early
flights, we recommend that you stay in Ennis, for it’s not far
from Shannon Airport, and traditional Irish music fills the night. And
some things shouldn’t be missed.
See also our guided tour of Connemara, Ireland
Self-Guided Tour of Connemara, Ireland
2010 Season
This tour runs every week from Sunday to Saturday,
starting May 2.
We book our last tours in mid-October
Custom tours available anytime!
Prices
$1995 Cdn (minimum two people to run the tour)
Our US prices are dependent upon exchange rates
20% single supplement
Bike: $199 Cdn
Inclusions
• 6 nights' accommodation
• 3 dinners, 6 breakfasts
• transfers, local number for asssitance, all taxes
