Irish Ways Hiking Holidays

Irish Ways Hiking Holidays
The Old Rectory
Ballycanew
Gorey
County Wexford

Tel/Fax : (353) (55) 27479

INDEPENDENT TREKKING HOLIDAYS

These holidays enable you to follow Ireland's long distance paths through beautiful scenery at your own pace. Your bags will be transferred each day to the new accommodation, leaving you free to enjoy the hikes without the encumbrance of a heavy rucksack. The routes largely follow marked paths, green roads, forest tracks and quiet lanes.

There is a choice of either (a) full board accommodation; or (b) bed and breakfast with evening meals only on the nights where there is not a restaurant or pub nearby. Singles can only be accommodated when travelling on the same date as other hikers.

Included in the price - full board or bed and breakfast accommodation for the stated number of nights; daily transfer of bags to the next guesthouse; maps and route notes to guide you along the hike; a taxi to transfer you from the station to the first guesthouse.

The Iveragh peninsula in Kerry is famous for its stunning scenery. This hike enables you to experience both the wild unfrequented mountains and the rugged island strewn coastline.

You begin Hiking through the Killarney National Park, past stately Muckross House and the natural splendour of Torc waterfall. You continue through the mountains along old Kenmare Road. You next head west, following for most of the way an old "butter road" to the award winning village of Sneem. A slight diversion takes you over the hill to Staigue Fort, one of the finest Celtic ring forts in the country. You then hike through Derrynane across silver sands, past the ancestral home of the "Liberator", Daniel O'Connell. You next head north across a low ridge of hills to Cahirciveen. An old coaching road continues east across the hillside with commanding views over Dingle Bay. The optional latter part of the hike cuts into the high Kerry Mountains over passes, into the Beautiful Black Valley. This lies under the shadow of Carrantoohill, the highest mountain in Ireland. The final day traverses the shores of the Upper Lake of Killarney with its rate Strawberry Trees. You then hike through the ancient oakwoods of Derrycunnihy, before rejoining the old Kenmare Road back to Killarney.

							
Day  1 - Killarney to Kenmare - 16 miles                      	
Day  2 - Kenmare to Blackwater Bridge - 8 miles      
Day  3 - Blackwater Bridge to Sneem - 11 miles        
Day  4 - Sneem to Caherdaniel - 12 miles	
Day  5 - Caherdaniel to Waterville - 8 miles	
Day  6 - Waterville to Cahirciveen - 15 miles	
Day  7 - Caherciveen to Glenbeigh - 12 miles	
Day  8 - Glenbeigh to Glencar - 8 miles		 
Day  9 - Glencar to Black Valley - 13 miles	 
Day 10 - Black Valley to Killarney - 14 miles

Kerry Way : 7 night £389 or 11 nights £519

Connemara has always been a favourite destination for hikers. Desolate glens, steep forbidding mountains and many glistening loughs provide a wonderful assortment of scenery as you hike south from Westport to Oughterard.
You begin by hiking over the shoulder of Croagh Patrick, the "Holy Mountain", before cutting through the hills to Killary Harbour, Irelands only fjord. You continue along the shores of the harbour following an old famine relief road. This provides fine views of Mweelrea, the highest mountain in Connaught, before passing silver strands to Tully. You then hike past the popular Kylemore Abbey before joining the Inagh Valley between the quartzite Twelve Bens and Maumturk Mountains. You next climb through the Mam Ean pass, past St Patricks Bed, to the Maam Valley.
On the last day you traverse the shores of Lough Corrib to Oughterard.
Day 1 - Westport to Drummin - 13 miles Day 2 - Drummin to Leenane - 12 miles Day 3 - Leenane to Tully - 14 miles Day 4 - Tully to Kylemore - 7 miles Day 5 - Kylemore to Maam Bridge - 16 miles Day 6 - Maam Bridge to Oughterard - 13 miles

Connemara Way : 7 nights £389.

The Wicklow Mountains are a large range of granite peaks stretching for fifty miles from Dublin to Co. Carlow. They combine glorious broad leaf forests and deep glaciated glens with wild exposed moorland. The Wicklow Way was first suggested by J.B. Malone back in 1963; as such it is the most established of the Hiking trails in Ireland.
You start in Rathdrum, the ancestral home of Charles Stewart Parnell. You then follow the Abhainn Mor River, climbing out of the valley over the side of Kirikee Mountain to the dramatic cut of Glenmalure. You climb to the summit of Mullacor - at 2179 feet it is the highest point on the Wicklow Way. You then descend to the Wicklow Mountains National Park and the picturesque Glendalough valley, with its haunting Round Tower and other monastic remains. You continue over the flank of Paddock Hill past Lough Dan to Roundwood. Finally your hike leads up over moorland before descending to the luxuriant and verdant Dargle Valley, through the Powerscourt Demesne to the pretty village of Enniskerry.

Day 1 - Rathdrum to Glenmalure - 14 miles Day 2 - Glenmalure to Laragh - 11 Miles Day 3 - Laragh to Roundwood - 8 miles Day 4 - Roundwood to Enniskerry - 14 miles

Wicklow Way : 5 nights £289.
Accommodation: - A mixture of Hotels, Guesthouse, Farm Houses and Bed and Breakfasts provide comfortable accommodation throughout the holiday. Most rooms have shower and w.c. ensuite.
For further information or full colour brochure telephone or fax IRISH WAYS from outside Ireland on (353) 55 27479 or within Ireland on 055 27479.

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