Adventourus Active Vacations

8 day Independent OR Escorted tour

Donegal is one of the undiscovered gems of Ireland. There is a wonderful mix of coastal cycling  followed by a highland landscape where you can feel completely away from it all, before returning back to the coast and the most beautiful  beaches in the country. The light is amazing here, with a landscape full of browns, greens and purples constantly altering their tone with the changing light. The pace of life is wonderfully easy going and the people amongst the most welcoming in the country.

The group meets up with the guide at 6.30pm in the bar of The Abbey Hotel in the centre of Donegal Town.
After an introductory talk, an evening meal is organised in the hotel bar while your luggage is being transferred to  our central guesthouse accommodation in Donegal that night. There is a chance later on this evening to meet again in a local pub to hear some music.

After being fitted out with your bike you then begin the tour with a wonderful coastline cycle out of Donegal town to our lunch stop just outside the village of Carrick. After lunch we cycle up to a viewing point of the spectacular Slieve League Cliffs the highest marine based cliffs in Europe. In the afternoon we head to our night stop in the village of Glencolumcille passing freshly cut peat drying in the surrounding bogs.

Day 3: Glencolumcille - Dungloe (60 km)

Today we head up into wild highland country along quiet backroads with a wonderful open landscape. There follows a wonderful descent down the dramatic Glengesh Valley to the beautiful Maghera beach. The beach is well worth stopping at for a walk across its wonderful white sands to explore the caves of Maghera. You can also go for a wonderful swim in the lagoon here and pretend you are in the Caribbean before heading to the village of Ardara for a pub lunch. In the afternoon we continue along a quiet bog road before heading to the coastal town of Dungloe where again we stay in local guesthouses.

We continue through a rolling landscape through quiet sleepy villages and stop in Leo's pub where Enya and Clannad first sang. Later we cycle toward the spectacular Mount Errigal and stop for lunch at the base of this mountain. In the afternoon we cycle up to a wonderful view of the Poison Glen and then descend through an empty mountainscape towards Dunfanaghy. You have the option of visiting Glenveagh National Park on this afternoon.

The village overlooks Portnablagh Beach and dunes where you can swim, swing a golf club or take a change of saddle, to gallop down the beach.

The morning’s cycle takes you through isolated highland country roads with a worthwhile detour to Doe Castle.
We stop for lunch in Downings on the Rosguill Peninsula. A roller coaster ride around the coast affords spectacular views of white sandy beaches as we wend our way down to our evenings accommodation in the town of Millford.

Today we cycle the beautiful and remote Fanad Pennisula stopping for lunch in Port Salon. We continue along the shores of Lough Swilly through Rathmullan from where the last Earls of Ireland fled to Europe in 1607, thus ending the old Irish Order. The final leg of our cycle brings us to Rathmelton where our coach will then transfer you back to Donegal town for a farewell night on the town together before heading our separate ways the following morning.

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:

Independent tours depart every day from April to October, 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:

July 14

- 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.

EASY: 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. This is one of the hillier tours so a good level of fitness is required.

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.