Guided walking holidays, Mayo, Ireland

Ireland - guided walking holidays

County Mayo, on the western (Atlantic) seaboard of Ireland is a very special place. The landscape is dominated by water - sea, with some spectacular beaches and cliffs, lakes (or "loughs" as they call them here - pronounced like Scottish "lochs") and rivers and streams. Oh and the occasional bit of bog, too!

Clare Island from Achill (John Palmer)

For the hill walker there are plenty of seemingly unexplored hills, and one that is certainly explored, Croagh Patrick, Ireland's holy mountain, climbed every year by thousands of pilgrims, some in their bare feet. Don't worry; if you go up Croagh Patrick with Knobbly Stick, we'll make sure you're wearing your boots!

For the less ambitious, there's also plenty of walking - bog roads carved out across the moorland of the Nephin Beg providing some grand rambling, and walks along valleys and along the beaches and cliff tops of Achill Island and Clare Island.

On this guided walking holiday, you'll have a week in the slow lane of life, away from other tourists and walkers, and with some of the best scenery you'll find anywhere. The area also has a fascinating history, and you can see various monuments to its chequered past. One for the connoisseur; whether you're a keen hiker, or an enthusiastic stroller, you won't be disappointed.

Hotel:	The Hotel Newport, recently built and a very comfortable place to stay in an unspoiled village which has a few shops, bars and an impressive church
Dates:	Saturday 24th May to Saturday 31st May
	Saturday 30th August to Saturday 6th September
Price:	All inclusive for 7 nights hotel dinner, bed and breakfast, packed lunch, 6 days guided walking, transfer from Knock Airport or Westport Station and quite extensive travelling whilst we're away, including (optional) return trip by ferry to Clare Island: £899 per person

To get there, you can either fly to Knock (Connaught) Airport, where we'll pick you up, travel by train to Westport from Dublin (we'll pick you up from Westport as well) or drive - ferry to Belfast or Dublin from various English ports and then a drive of 4/5 hours to County Mayo. Or you can do what some of our other guests have done - have a few days explore on the way across, spend a week with us and maybe have a few more days exploration on the way back to Dublin or Belfast.