When you arrive in Galway make your way to your accommodation anytime after 2.00pm. You can then explore this bustling medieval city. We will send you on full accommodation details and the necessary contact details for your tour closer to your departure date. A folder containing your route details will be waiting for you at the guesthouse and the bikes will be waiting for you in a local bike shop.
In the morning a local taxi operator will also meet you at the guesthouse at 10.00 am and then transfer you to Cong where the tour proper starts and you get on your bikes! You head north along quiet back roads through rolling green fields full of grazing sheep, before descending down to Lough Mask and a wonderful cycle along the lake. You can stop for lunch in a pub overlooking the Lake. In the afternoon you have your biggest climb of the week over the Partry Mountains and along a quiet back road with stunning views of the surrounding landscape before coming to Westport.
You cycle between Croagh Patrick and the beautiful Clew Bay with its many small islands to the village of Louisburgh where you can stop for lunch. In the afternoon you 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 you stay in the small village of Leenane looking out over Killary Harbour, Irelands only fjord.
You 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. Then you cycle along quiet backroads past small fields with grazing cattle to the seaside fishing village of Cleggan where you can 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! Clifden, the capital of Connemara, where you spend the next two nights is a pretty and bustling town of art galleries, cafes, pubs and restaurants established 200 years ago at the whim of John D'Arcy.
The day can be spent in rest and relaxation or you can take part in a variety of activities including walking, golf or horse riding. You can also spend the day just relaxing on one of the many beautiful white sandy beaches which line the indented coast line or visit the landing site of the first transatlantic flight by Alcock and Brown. The town itself is a nice place to spend time visiting the museum, art galleries and book shops and cafes. In the evening there are a number of bars which have traditional music sessions.
You cycle out of Clifden along beautiful waterside roads crossing extensive wild bogs with freshly cut peat waiting to be harvested against a backdrop of the Twelve Benns Mountains. The afternoon cycle takes you through Gaelic speaking areas to the ferry in Rossaveel which will bring you to Inis Mor, the largest of the Aran Islands where you will spend the night.
The day can be spent touring the unique landscape of the Island with its wealth of ancient stone forts and monastic sights. In the late afternoon you return to the mainland. Carraroe Cabs will meet you off the evening ferry and bring you back into Galway city for your final night of the tour.
Breakfast and then independent departure.
