Individual Self-guided Walking Tours in Ireland

Experience the magic of Ireland

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This is the Ireland we would like you to experience. Quiet villages, small laneways, beautiful scenery, colorful wildlife, and at the end of each day, Irish hospitality in our guesthouses and hostelries. Ireland is steeped in history and in every townland, in name and place, there will be a story, of battle, of religious dispute or of pure imagination and legend! From the Irish saints of the early centuries to the modern scholars of the twenty-first, an indelible mark has been made, which makes Ireland what it is.
On a Self-guided Tour, walks are from 10  to 15 miles (4-8 hours). You can hike on your own or bring a bunch of friends. With our color OS maps you'll have no problem finding your way. You can choose when to go and for how long. There are 12 tours to choose from, all over the country and several can easily be combined for a longer visit.
We book your guesthouses, they organize your luggage transfers each day, all you have to do is walk and enjoy the views. Bed & Breakfast accommodation, luggage transfers and detailed route description with maps are included. You are as free as a bird.
We will provide you with 1 information tour package with maps etc for every 2 participants. Additional packages can be purchased for  Euro35 each.

SELF GUIDED HIKES IN IRELAND

Self-Guided Walking Holidays on our National Waymarked Ways - we do the planning and organizing, you do the walking! Our Self-Guided Walking and Hiking Tours are listed below. Click on the links to find out more about each individual walking tour.

Irish Waymarked Ways
Beara Way	The quiet south western corner of Ireland, hiking through low rounded hills, walking on old bog roads, exploring abandoned copper mines. The rocky coastline of the Beara Peninsula is a walking holiday dream. Visit Dursey Island by cable car, walk the green roads of Bere Island and sample the best fresh fish from the port of Castletownbere.
Donegal Way	The Donegal Ways follows of country roads (40%), forest paths, mountain tracks, sheep trails, boggy tracks and sandy beaches. There are some short open hill-walking sections. It is well signposted with wooden or plastic yellow markers and road signs. Terrain is varied, including a lot of quiet tarmac roads, unsurfaced roads, forest paths, sheep trails, and bog access roads. There are some open hill-walking sections.
Burren	The Rockies of Ireland! This unique limestone escarpment overlooks the Aran Islands and Galway Bay. Your walking holiday takes you from the Cliffs of Moher to the coast at Black Head, hiking the old green roads through rocky crags and finishing in the lovely village of Ballyvaughan on the shores of Galway Bay.
Dingle Way	Ireland's first peninsula in the south west corner, Dingle stretches into the Atlantic, the Slieve Mish mountains forming its spine. Majestic Brandon Head, one of Ireland's 1000m peaks, forms the western head and walking holiday here is a glorious drama of sandy beaches, unfolding mountains and accommodation in traditional Irish villages.
Kerry Way	The famous Ring of Kerry! Ireland's best known secret flows westwards from the Lakes of Killarney. Walking the Kerry Way avoids the bustle, takes you into the mountains, above the roads and away from the masses. Hike the foothills of the Reeks, spectacular coastline scenery and stay in Killarney, splendid in its lakeshore location.
Sheep's Head Way	By far the forgotten land. A narrow finger points south west, home to sheep farms and small fishing villages. A walking holiday on Sheep's Head is unrivalled for its remoteness and the opportunity to experience traditional life in 21st century Ireland.
Western Way	The Western Way winds from southern Galway, through Connemara and into the heart of Mayo, skirting the foot of Croagh Patrick, Ireland's Holy Mountain. Experience the best of hiking through the Twelve Bens, by the shores of Killary Harbour and into the colorful town of Westport.
Wicklow Way	The walking holiday everyone wants. Just an hour from Dublin, the Wicklow Hills transport you away from city noise; hiking through forests, old hills, deserted mines and the 5th century abbey of St. Kevin. Explore the deep valleys of Glenmalure and Glendalough and enjoy a hiking experience in one of Ireland's best National Parks.

Rates include accommodations in comfortable guesthouses on a Bed & Breakfast basis; luggage transfers each day during the walks, route descriptions and maps. Airport transfers are not included, but we will provide you with the relevant bus or train timetables and help you to get to and from the start and finish points of the tour. Lunches and dinners are not included (unless otherwise noted), but the route description includes information about where to get meals.

GENERAL Info

OUR FORMULA
On an Independent self-guided holiday you can choose your own pace and when you want to go. All the tours consist of itineraries where you walk from place to place each day, while your baggage is transferred. All the guesthouses are pre-booked by us and the hosts know when to expect you. You stay in colorful villages, remote farmhouses and comfortable townhouses.

YOUR DOCUMENTATION
We will provide you with parts of the relevant 1:50000 Ordnance Survey maps of Ireland. Vouchers are your passport to each guesthouse. A detailed route description is supplied in English and tells you how to find each guesthouse every day, how long the walks are, what kind of terrain you will cover and information about the area, including where to get evening meals.

START WHEN YOU WANT
Our Independent tours are designed in such a way that you can decide when you want to go on holiday. You may be dependent on airline schedules, but you could easily extend your walking holiday if you so wish, and we can book extra nights for you.

BRING SOME FRIENDS
These are not group tours, but you can bring a party of friends along! Any one tour can usually take up to 8 participants in the same accommodation and more if you are happy that some of your group stay in nearby guesthouses.

PREPARATION
All our independent walking holidays are for people with good fitness levels, good coordination skills, flexibility and experience with maps and compass. Please note the degree of difficulty before you decide to book a holiday with us.

CLIMATE
Ireland's mild and humid climate is ideal for walking. You will never feel too hot! The summers are pleasantly warm. However, we do get rain and you need to bring fully waterproof rain coat and trousers, sturdy daysack and most important of all, sturdy waterproof boots are vital to the success of your holiday. Temperatures reach a maximum of 25C/80F in summer with variations down to 15C/60F on some days.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?
Accommodation in comfortable guesthouses on a Bed & Breakfast basis; luggage transfers each day during the walks; route descriptions and maps. Airport transfers are not included, but we will provide you with the relevant bus or train timetables and help you to get to and from the start and finish points of the tour. Lunches and dinners are not included but the route description includes information about where to get meals

EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO BRING: ...

• Strong waterproof hiking boots
• Lunch box
• Heavy duty plastic bag
• Gaiters/Gamaschen
• Small towel
• Wax or waterproofing spray for boot Water bottle
• Small torch
• Waterproof jacket and over-trousers
• Day rucksack
• Insect repellant
• Travel/Seasickness tablets

Please notify us if you suffer from any medical ailments such as asthma or diabetes. Remember, if we do not know you have an ailment we cannot look after you!

There are other airports in Ireland, including Sligo and Galway, which operate a service to the Aran Islands. We will make sure that you arrive at the best location, whether by land, sea or air.

Ireland at a glance...
Ireland is divided into 4 provinces and thirty-two counties.

Location:
Ireland is the westernmost island in Europe, located west of the United Kingdom. It's actual location is 51.5 degrees and 55.5 degrees north latitude and 5.5 degrees and 10.5 degrees west longitude.

Size:
Width: 170 miles (275 kilometres) at its widest point.
Length: 301 (486 kilometres) at its longest point.
Area: Total 84,421 square kilometres (32,595 square miles).
Republic of Ireland: 70,282 square kilometres (27,136 square miles)
Northern Ireland: 14,139 square kilometres (5,459 square miles).

Total coastline:
3,172 kilometres of coastline (1,970 miles)

Population:
The Republic of Ireland's population is estimated at 3,621,000 (1996). Of this, over 1 million live in the greater Dublin area.

Climate:
Temperate zone; mild all year round, due to the North Atlantic Drift.
Coldest months: January and February with average temperatures of 4 to 7 degrees Celsius during the day.
Warmest months: July and August with average temperatures of 14 to 16 degrees Celsius. The sunniest months are May and June, with between five to seven hours of sunshine per day.
Average annual rainfall: 750 mm (30 inches) in some Eastern areas
800-1200 mm (31 to 47 inches) in low lying areas
1500 mm (59) inches in parts of the west
2000 mm (79 inches) or more in mountainous areas

Political Boundaries:
Ireland consists of four provinces, broken up into 32 counties as follows:
Ulster (in the north): Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan (in the Republic), Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone (in Northern Ireland).
Leinster (in the east): Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.
Munster (in the south): Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford.
Connaught (in the west): Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Roscommon and Leitrim.

Time zone information:
In late October to March, Ireland is on GMT (5 hours ahead of US Eastern time). In late March to October Ireland, is on GMT + 1 (6 hours ahead of US Eastern Time) Ireland goes to daylight saving time 2 weeks ahead of the U.S.