| Tuesday: Arrival in Dublin, Ireland
Welcome to Ireland! You arrive in Dublin and check in to your first nights accommodation*.
If you have time, check out some of the excellent tours of the city and sample some of Dublins unique bars and restaurants. Then off to bed with you for a good nights sleep, for tomorrow begins what we hope will be one of your best experiences yielding a lifetime of happy memories!
* We will contact you prior to your departure date with your Dublin hotel details.
Wednesday: Day 1 Dublin to Belfast
Meet your guide and the rest of your trip participants and begin your wonderful and exciting travels in Ireland. Leaving Dublin and heading north, we make our way to Belfast, the capitol of Northern Ireland (U.K.).
Arriving in Belfast, we check into our nights accommodation and enjoy the afternoon. Weve organized black cab rides where youll get the inside scoop from a Belfast taxi driver as he drives you behind the scenes through divided Protestant and Catholic communities. The large scale protest murals are amazing and not to be missed! Well visit the Harland & Wolf Shipbuilding Company where the Titanic was built. Youll learn of Belfasts troubled past and its promising future.
*Day 1 Highlights: Belfast City, Behind the Scenes Black Cab Ride, Harland & Wolf Shipbuilding Company
Thursday: Day 2 Belfast to Derry
Fantastic views as we drive the scenic Antrim coast with pretty coastal towns along the way and on a clear day, you can see Scotland! Further north well take a short hike to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. This precarious rope suspension bridge spans the mainland to tiny Carrick Island, cross the bridge to where thousands of gulls and puffins nest. Then onwards to experience the Giants Causewaya weird geological landscape of thousands of hexagonally-shaped stone columns descending into the ocean.
Our overnight is in Derryanother Northern Ireland city with a decorated past. Derry is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Ireland. Its a fine example of a walled city with the walls being completed in 1618. Youll walk these ancient walls and learn of Derrys history including its relationship to guilds and the more modern protest history, including the Bogside murals.
*Day 2 Highlights: Giants Causeway, Carrick-a-Red Rope Bridge, Derry
Friday: Day 3 Derry to Ardara
We head back into the Republic of Ireland and County Donegal for a beautiful day as we drive through some of the most visually stunning parts of northwestern Ireland. In the morning, we set out to see the Grianan-of-Aileach, the Fort of the Sun, commanding some of the best views of the north! We next visit the ancient Beltany stone circle, a ring of sixty-eight stones standing solemnly as a reminder of Irelands ancient and mystical past.
Continuing west, we visit Glenveagh National Park, the spectacular setting for Glenveagh Castle which was built in the 1870s in the Scottish Baronial style. Wander through the enchanting network of informal gardens displaying a multitude of exotic and delicate plants from as far afield as Chile and Tasmania.
Our overnight town is Ardara, a charming small town famous for weaving where you can enjoy great local traditional music.
*Day 3 Highlights: Fort of the Sun, Beltany Stone Circle Glenveagh Castle and National Park, Donegal Mountains, Ardara
Saturday: Day 4 Ardara
Take a morning drive to some of the most beautiful areas of Ireland with magnificent waterfalls, stunning beaches, and breathtaking valleys. Well also take an incredible hike to some of Europes highest sea cliffs, the Slieve League looming overhead at 2000 ft!
Then back to Ardara for lunch and the afternoon is yours for whatever takes your fancybe it shopping, great pubs, golfing, biking, fishing, or horseback riding. You can also visit the Ardara Historical Centre where you learn the story of Donegal tweed from the shearing of sheep to the manufacture of the woven cloth.
Enjoy another great night in this enchanting and fun town!
*Day 4 Highlights: Beautiful Donegal Scenery, The Slieve League Cliffs, Ardara...Free Time to Explore!
Sunday: Day 5 Ardara to Pontoon Bridge
We depart Ardara and enjoy a beautiful coastal drive as we make our way to Sligo city and the land that inspired poet William Butler Yeats. After lunch in Sligo city, we head just outside of town to Queen Maeves hill. A 40 minute hike up rocky terrain takes us to an ancient tomb, reputably the burial place of Queen Maeve, one Irelands most notorious and legendary characters. Driving west we head towards the rugged coastline of Downpatrick Head where the Atlantic Ocean has gouged a huge bay from the mighty cliffs. If the weather is rough, look out for the blow holes that spew out tall columns of sea spray.
Further west bring us to the Cide Fields, the oldest know field system in the world. The remains of field walls, houses, and megalithic tombs were discovered hidden beneath the bog land and are over five and a half millennia old!
Then on to our overnight stay at Pontoon Bridge nestled between the shores of Lough Cullen and Lough Conn. This quiet and remote setting has some of the finest views in Ireland!
*Day 5 Highlights: Sligo City, Queen Maeves Hill, The Cide Fields, Pontoon Bridge
Monday: Day 6 Pontoon Bridge to Westport
Leaving Pontoon Bridge, we head for Achill Island -- a stunning landscape with a diverse and rich history. Well spend the morning exploring the island that packs in beautiful beaches, castles, deserted villages and wild rugged mountains. For lunch we head for the town of Westport where well also stay for our overnight stop. This vibrant and colorful town has many opportunities for shopping, pubs with traditional music, and chatting with the charming Irish!
For those that enjoy hiking, well head to Croagh Patrick (2,520 feet) to hike one of the seven holy mountains in the world. If the weather is clear well have an unparalleled view of the hundreds of islands of Clew Bay, a wonderful sight youll surely never forget!
*Day 6 Highlights: Achill Island, Westport, Croagh Patrick
Tuesday: Day 7 Westport to Dublin
We head toward Irelands north Midlands, passing along a prehistoric drumlin trail left over from the last Ice Age and once used as a way of navigating across the country. Well stop and hike a moderate trail for an incredible experiencethe Carrowkeel burial tombs. These ancient, megalithic structures pre-date the ancient Egyptian pyramids and are some of the oldest manmade structures on earth.
We return to Dublin and your last night in the Emerald Isle. Enjoy a meal in one the many fine restaurants, walk the busy streets and savor your final hours and enjoy a lifetime of memories. Slan Beo!! (Gaelic for Goodbye, live life!)
Day 7 Highlights: Carrowkeel Ancient Burial Tombs, Dublin
** While it is our intention to adhere to the route described above, there is a certain amount of flexibility built into the itinerary and on occasion, it may be necessary, or desirable, to make alterations. The information in the itinerary has been compiled with care and is provided in good faith. However, it is subject to change, and does not form part of the contract between the client and Inroads Ireland, LLC. |
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