Connemara, Galway & Mayo Guided Cycle - Tour Ref: ICSCM (guided)
This Tour explores the beautiful region of Connemara, famous for its rugged granite landscape, as well as its beautiful lakes and rivers. The route offers an incredible variety of scenery each day. In the morning you can be cycling along beautiful coastline, while in the afternoon you could be a quiet bog road with stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
This cycle tour can be booked either as a guided or a self-guided tour. For both options we provide you with your bike, book your accommodation in family run guesthouses along the route, transfer your luggage between each leg of the tour, and provide you with detailed notes and maps of your route. With a guided tour one of our guides will accompany you every day by travelling along your route with his van, checking on your progress, offering help and encouragement when needed and meeting you every morning, lunch and evening to discuss your day's cycling and activities. The self-guided tour offer the flexibility of including any number of people, start on any day of the week, and go at any time of the year, with the only exception is that the tour cannot start the same day as a group tour in the same area.
Day 1 - Arrival in Galway City
You will meet your guide in Galway city for a full introductory talk and briefing. Depending on the time of your arrival, you may wish to discover Galway city by going for a stroll around the town. Galway is a very historical city with a great atmosphere so you can spend the afternoon pottering around the many shops in the old town or calling into one of the many pubs to listen to some traditional music. Overnight in a local guesthouse in Galway.
Day 2 - Galway / Cong to Westport, Total Distance: 63 km/39 miles
In the morning we take a coach transfer to the village of Cong where the tour proper starts. We head North along the quiet backroads through rolling green fields full of grazing sheep, before descending down to Lough Mask and a wonderful cycle along the shores of the lake. After lunch we have our biggest climb of the week over the Partry mountains and then cycle along a quiet backroad with stunning views of the surrounding landscape all the way to Westport.
Day 3 -Westport to Leenane, Total Distance: 48 km/30 miles
We cycle between Croagh Patrick and the beautiful Clew Bay with its many small islands, to the village of Louisburgh where we stop for lunch. In the afternoon we head south through one of the highlights of the week, the stunning Delphi Valley with its beautiful lakes overlooked by Ben Bury the highest mountain in Connemara. That night we stay in the small village of Leenane which looks out over Killary Harbour, Ireland's only fjord.
Day 4 - Leenane to Roundstone, Total Distance: 70km/44 miles
We cycle into the heart of Connemara overlooked by the Twelve Bens mountain range and visit Kylemore Abbey, a wedding gift from a wealthy Liverpool businessman to his wife in 1868. We then cycle along quiet backroads past small fields with grazing cattle to the seaside village of Cleggan where we stop for lunch. In the afternoon we follow the scenic coast road to Clifden where you can watch cars travel across the beach to Omey Island only accessible when the tide is out! After a stop off in Clifden the capital of Connemara, we cycle along a quiet country bogroad surrounded by small lakes and freshly cut peat with wonderful views of the Twelve Ben mountain range. That night we stay in the picturesque fishing village of Roundstone where we will spend the next two nights.
Day 5 - Rest Day in Roundstone
The day can be spent in rest and relaxation or you can take part in a variety of activities including a day sailing cruise, walking, a game of golf or horseriding. . You can also spend the day just relaxing on one of the two beautiful white sandy beaches just outside the village, overlooking a clear blue sea. In the evening there is a ceili organised in the Hotel where we are staying.
Day 6 - Roundstone to Carraroe, Total Distance: 51 km/32 miles
We cycle along beautiful waterways and another picturesque bog road with its freshly cut peat waiting to be harvested, both offering wonderful views of the surrounding countryside before cycling the final afternoon stretch to the Irish speaking village of Carraroe
Day 7 - Carraroe to the Aran Islands /Galway, Total Distance: 35km/22 miles
In the morning we cycle to the port of Rossaveel to board the boat to Inis Mor the largest of the Aran Islands. The day can then be spent touring the unique landscape of the Island with its wealth of ancient stone forts and monastic sights. In the late afternoon we return to the mainland and take a bus back to Galway city. The total cost of the boat and bus is Euro 20. We have a final dinner and night on the town together before going our separate ways the following morning
Day 8 - Departure
Final Irish breakfast and departure.
Dates 2008:
April 26; May 17; June 7; 28, July 5, 12, 19, 26; August 9, 16, 23, 30; September 27
Price 2008
Guided Cycle - May, June & September EUR635 (US$902 / Stg�438 approx.); July & August EUR665. (US$944 / Stg�459 approx.)
Accommodation is based on a twin sharing basis. A limited number of single rooms are available at a supplement of Euro 185 per week for the guided tour and Euro 240 for the self-guided tour.
Price Includes:
- Seven nights accommodation with full Irish breakfast.
- 21 speed touring bike with front handlebar bag.
- Route maps and details
- Luggage transfer each day
- Support van and tour guide (applies to guided tours only)
- Bus transfer from Galway to Cong
Note: We recommend that clients bring their own helmets and raingear for comfort and hygiene purpose