Ireland: Connemara Bike Tour

Day 2:  Westport is the terminus of the Great Western Greenway, a 26-mile traffic-free, hill-free rail trail that offers stunning views of Clew Bay and Croagh Patrick (Ireland’s holy mountain where Saint Patrick fasted for 40 days) before it ends at Achill Sound. You can ride as much or little as you want on this famous out-and-back option. If that doesn’t suit your, then choose a loop ride on back roads that takes you to Aghagower, where remnants of a medieval monastery, including a round stone tower, church and graveyard, stand in the center of this village. We’ll overnight again in Westport. 52 miles (Great Western Greenway Trail), 20 miles, ±1112 (Aghagower loop)

Day 4: Seize the day as we climb and descend the rolling Connemara hills, as we ride around three azure blue lakes (Lough Nafooey, Lough Mask and Lough Corrib) and as we make friends with grazing sheep that dot the landscape. This is a loop ride with a shorter and longer option. The latter allows for a stop in the village of Cong. There you can explore the Cong Abby and its monk’s fishing house as well as the 800-year-old Ashford Castle, once owned by the Guinness family but now a five-star hotel. 45 miles, ±2165’ or 35 miles, ±1772.

Day 5: The Atlantic Ocean is our partner during the first stretch of cycling as we make our way around the handsome and rugged Renvyle Peninsula. Our first stop will be Kylemore Abby, a 19^th century castle that morphed into a Benedictine monastery for nuns in 1920 and still serves in this capacity today. We then head into the glacier-made Inaugh Valley toward the serene Lough Inaugh. 

Finally, we follow a section of the tranquil Bog Road with its old stone walls and wide open bogs all the way to Clifden, considered to be the capital of Connemara. Along the way we’ll cross beautiful peat bogs with their muted colors of yellow, green and brown, and we’ll see piles of peat bricks that have bene cut from the ground for drying, later to be used as fuel. After the ride, head to the Clifden pubs for a pint and some traditional Irish music. 39 miles, ±1575’ or 23 miles, ±1148’.

Day 6: If the perfect figure-eight evades you on ice, we promise you’ll double loop the day beautifully on bike with this route—a fitting way to end the cycling part of this tour. Leaving Clifden on the legendary Sky Road, we’ll savor panoramic views of the Atlantic and the islands of Inishturk and Turbot islands. Then we head south toward the village of Ballyconneely, where Alcock and Brown crash-landed their biplane after completing the first transatlantic flight in 1919. From there, we ride to the fishing village of Roundstone, where you can see the bodhràn, the one-sided drum that is considered the heartbeat of Celtic music, being crafted by hand. We’ll overnight again in Clifden. 37 miles, ±1706’.

Day 7: We make our way to Galway via coach and spend the day strolling the streets with a local guide who will lead us through 800 years of history. We’ll see Saint Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, where Christopher Columbus is said to have prayed years before setting off for the Americas. We’ll stop at Lynch’s Castle and learn about the 14 tribes that ruled the roost over Galway politics and commerce for centuries. We’ll walk underneath the Spanish Arch, admire the colorful homes along the Long Walk and get a taste of maritime history at the old Fish Market. The day will end with a splendid dinner celebration, and a toast to Connemara. 0 miles.

Day 8: We’ll say our farewells after our last large Irish breakfast this morning. You’ll be free to take the train or bus back to the Shannon or Dublin airports at your leisure. 0 miles.