Adventourus Active Vacations

8 day Independent OR Escorted tour

Clare is the music centre of Ireland and on this tour you are sure to have your feet tapping to traditional tunes nearly every night of the week. The Burren region is also an amazing limestone moonscape, famous around the world for its wonderful variety of botany. The area is rich in ancient and early Christian historical sites and offers some beautiful coastal cycling overlooking Galway Bay. Finally Clare is home to the cliffs of Moher the highest marine based cliffs in Europe and  one of the best known images of Ireland.

Ennis is a bustling town close to Shannon airport. After cheching into your guesthouse, you can relax for the rest of the day and explore this lively town. Escorted tour participants meet their guide at 6.30pm at the Temple Gate Hotel for an orientation meeting and get together.

This morning you head out towards West Clare, cycling along quiet country roads through rolling green fields to the Coast. You stay the night in a comfortable Hotel at Spanish Point. The area gets its name from those Spanish Armada Ships which sank here in 1588 during their retreat home to Spain.

Day 3: Spanish Point - Doolin (46 km)

Cycling along quiet roads you eventually come to the popular holiday town of Lahinch where you stop for lunch . In the afternoon you visit the spectacular Cliffs of Moher rising 660ft up from the Atlantic waves below, making them the highest marine based cliffs in Europe. You can stroll along the cliff face and watch the birds gliding in the updraft. After visiting the cliffs you head to the village of Doolin . That night you can have a pub meal and enjoy the wealth of traditional music for which the village is famous .

In the morning you begin to see the first hints of the limestone landscape of the Burren and visit the monastic site at Kilfenora and its stone high crosses. Kilfenora is also home to the Burren Heritage Centre which gives you an excellent insight into the formation and history of the Burren. Later you can stop off for lunch at the matchmaking town of Lisdoonvarna . The afternoon's cycle is a beautiful run where the road hugs the coastline with Galway Bay and the Aran Islands on your left and the limestone cliffs of the Burren on your right. There is a wonderful dolphin called Dusty on this stretch of the coast whom we often catch a glimpse of as she swims around! You stop for two nights in our comfortable Hotel in the seaside village of Ballyvaughan.

The day can be spent doing a wide variety of activities . There is a wonderful four hour walking tour of the Burrren with a local man who is a very entertining character and an encyclopedia of knowledge on the area. There is also an optional short cycle to the impressive ruins of a Cistercian Abbey or you could visit the nearby Ailwee Caves. Alternatively the day could be spent relaxing in this attractive village.

The cycle heads straight into the heart of the Burren where you can visit the Burrends most famous historical sight, the Poulnabrowne Domen a small anciante burial site dating back to 2500BC. Veering off the beaten track you can stop at the village of Carran for lunch in an old police barracks. In the afternoon you cycle through quiet backroads to visit the Burren Perfumery which makes a wide variety of perfumes using the local flora and has a wonderful slide show illustrating the beautiful and unique botany of this region. You then descend through a limestone lunar landscape to the pretty seaside village of Kinvarra where you spend the night.

For the last day, you head back into the Burren through another limestone moonscape, passing Lough Buny and the impressive Millaghmore before stopping for lunch in Corafin. In the afternoon, you can visit a 16th Century Tower House and an even older monastic sight. This is also the site of the famous battle of Dysert O'Dea where the Irish Chieftains defeated the Normans and kept the out of Clare for another 200 years. You then cycle back to Ennis for a final night of the tour.

After breakfast your cycling tour comes to an end and you may begin your journey home. We would also be more than happy to extend your stay in Europe.

PRICE & DETAILS

Price & Schedule

INDEPENDENT TOUR

DEPARTURE DATES:

This tour starts daily May through September, except on escorted tour start dates.

- 7 nights in excellent quality, small family run guesthouses and B & B's; all rooms with private facilities.

- Breakfast each day

- One dinner

- Luggage transport from hotel to hotel.

- Maps with indicated routes, detailed route description, tourist information about places of interest.

- 21 speed Giant Escape 3 hybrid bike with pannier.

Price & Schedule

ESCORTED TOUR

DEPARTURE DATES:

- 7 nights in excellent quality, small family run guesthouses and B & B's, all rooms with WC and shower.

- Substantial breakfast each day

- One dinner

- Professional tour guide at your disposal each evening, in an accompanying van during the day.

- Daily tour discussion in the morning

- Luggage transport from hotel to hotel

- Bus transfer from Sligo to Killybegs, and Ramelton to Garrison

- Maps with indicated routes, detailed route description, tourist information about places of interest.

- 21 speed Trek hybrid bike with pannier, mudguards & water bottle.

Note: Escorted tours departing on June 26th, July 10th, and August 7th are using easier routes, thus ideal for novice cyclists and families.

MODERATE: The roads are all sealed and the route is designed to ensure that you spend most of the week on quiet back roads, away from the main tourist routes.

A shorter version of this tour is available using easier routes, thus ideal for novice cyclists and families.

The nearest international airport is Shannon, with Dublin a little further afeild. Buses depart each city to Galway on a regular basis. There is also a regular train service from Dublin to Galway. Schedule are provided in your tour package.

Escorted Tour

Our escorted bicycle tours include all services provided to our “Individual” riders, as well as the following additional services:

- Tour Escort, well familiar with the region, with van.

- Daily personal tour introduction.

- Opportunity to ride the van if you want a rest or a day off.

- By common consent of the group, the tour escort organises sightseeing and picnics.

- Entrance fees and guided sightseeing are (partly) included in the price.