the heart of ireland explorer, the midlands, galway, aran isles

THE HEART OF IRELAND EXPLORER
The Midlands, Galway and Aran Isles
4 days / 3 nights - Saturday to Tuesday

PRICES: GBP £465 pp twin share / GBP £495 single room

What your tour price includes

Your accommodation for 3 nights while on the tour is included in your tour price and this includes both full breakfasts and dinners. Your price also includes all entrance fees to attractions, transportation, services of driver/guide-companion and all taxes and tips other than those you may wish to give your guide. Airport transfers and accommodation pre and post tour is not included but can be reserved at a specially discounted price.
Airport transfers and accommodation pre and post tour is not included but can be reserved at a specially discounted price. Pre and post tour accommodation can be booked in Dublin at a cost from £60 per person, per night (twin share) and £70 single, on a bed & breakfast basis. For transfers from Dublin airport we recommend taking a standard airport taxi as they are cheap and safe and do not need to be pre-booked. Return transfers can be booked at £50 per journey inward and £35 outbound (up to three persons per car).

Click here to work out prices in other currencies http://www.xe.com/ucc/
For what is included/excluded in your tour price, see Tour Inclusions
Contact res@backroadstouring.co.uk, fax 00 44 20 8566 5457

TENTATIVE ITINERARY

NIGHTSTOP

DAY ONE - SATURDAY

We depart our centrally located Dublin hotel at 08.30. Tour participants who are not staying at our base hotel the night prior have to make their way there independently.

Our route across the Ireland's midlands takes us past a range of interesting and historic sites including the Rock of Dunamase where an Iron age hillfort and remains of a mediaeval castle loom dramatically above the plains of Portaoise. We then drive across the dramatic landscape of the Slieve Bloom mountains. Next on our voyage of discovery is Birr. Set in Ely O'Carrol country (ancestral home of any who bear the O'Carrol name), the town of Birr is not one normally found on tour itineraries which tend to neglect this region, yet it is one of Ireland's gems. The town boasts approaching 2000 years of inhabitation, and today its famed for its authentic Georgian street layout, traditional shop fronts and the 'Steffin Stone'. This is said to be the "Navel of Ireland", supposedly marking the centre of Ireland. What Birr is perhaps most famed for, however, is Birr Castle where, in magnificently landscaped gardens, we'll discover the famed Birr telescope.

Continuing our journey westward our next stop will be at the historic town of Athenry, one of Europe's walled towns. The heritage centre here maps out both the local and national history and is a fascinating visit.

Galway or nearby

DAY TWO - SUNDAY

You spend a very special day exploring explorations of the wilds of Connemara National Park, Kylemore Abbey, the pretty habour town of Westport.

The wild, western side of Ireland is one of the major motivations for visiting the country and there are few better areas to experience it than here. Unlike much of the area further south around Killarney and the Dingle, this is relatively unspoilt and not swamped with huge tour coaches (though you'll inevitably see some!). It is a region seemingly God-designed for back-roads touring in mini-vans!

Those who don't wish to join this day and perhaps prefer to take the boat trip to the Arran islands, may do so but it will be as an optional extra.

This evening we'll together again enjoy the Galway City nightlife. This compact but busy university city is an intriguing place with its narrow streets crammed with interesting sites, pubs and shopping opportunities! Some participants may wish to spend an evening at the local theatres.

as above

DAY THREE - MONDAY

We've a wonderful day planned today with a typical Back-Roads Touring Co. mix of 'must-see' icons and sights and a range of additional attractions that are not always visited by the tourist masses. As ever, we'll be taking you behind the tourist façade but we'll begin our day with a visit to the world-famed Cliffs of Moher. En route, you'll probably see some turf-cutters and perhaps a stop at the commemorative Great Famine site will prove interesting. Then we tour through the lunar-landscape of the Burren with stops at the Aillwee Cave and some incredible prehistoric burial sites. Following the coast road, we'll visit some Galway Bay harbours before enjoying another evening in Galway City itself.

as above

DAY FOUR - TUESDAY

Our return across central Ireland takes us though the county of Westmeath. This is a region that abounds with Celtic myths, magic - perhaps explaining its more contemporary literary connections. On our day we have many choices, according to weather and group interests, from historic sites including abbeys, churches, castles and stately homes, to the two historic towns of Athlone and Mullingar. Whatever is chosen, it will a memorable day's touring.

Our first stop will be Shannonbridge. Firstly, we'll take a tour by pint-sized train across the bogs for a fascinating insight into the history and development of the bogs and peat gathering. The small lakes that punctuate the bogs are a paradise for wetland birds and there's distinctive flora to admire.

Then to Clonmacnoise to explore the impressive remains of a 6th century monastery. Many kings of Tara and Connaught are buried here and there was reputedly a direct chariot route to Tara! If we've time, and the group express an interest, we'll build on the them of the ancients later at Fore Abbey - the largest group of Benedictine remains in Ireland and marvel at the Seven Wonders of Fore which include the Water That Flows Uphill, the Tree that won't burn and the Monastery Built in a Bog!

Next to Athlone, (Ath Luain - the Ford of Luan), situated on the principal fording point of the middle Shannon is most famed for its thousand year old castle with a unique museum of military uniforms through the ages.

Finally, a visit to the Emerald Isle would not be complete without acknowledging whiskey and we'll visit either the Tullamore Dew distillery or Locke's distillery which is believed to be the oldest licensed pot still distillery in the world. The distillery has made pot still Irish Malt Whiskey for almost 200 years.

Dublin
(not inc. in tour price)

Note:

Make this a 7-day tour by combining with our Taste of The North. Those doing so will be dropped at our chosen accommodation in the historic town of Drogheda where they have the evening to explore independently. Make it an eleven-day tour by then adding our Classic Emerald Isle tour of the South and South West. You can also combine this with our 3-day tour of North Wales, Snowdonia and Anglesey.
This tour also combines with UK tour Red Dragon, South Wales, with joiners flying to London from Dublin on Tuesday evening. It also combines with selected theme tours depending on the day of travel, and with Scotland tours departing from Glasgow.