Cost : €875 per person sharing

8 Day Tour Tour Dates 2012 Sun 3rd June - Sun 10th June Sat 21st July - Sat 28th July Sat 13th October - Sat 20th Oct

Tour Grade 2 Moderate Accommodation Guesthouse

Tour Highlights Donegal Town & O’ Donnell Castle Slieve League Glenveagh Castle & Gardens Horn Head Giant’s Causeway Carrick-A-Reid Rope Bridge Town of Ballycastle Glenariff Forest Park Traditional music What's included in your tour All accommodation is approved and all rooms will be en-suite Meals to include: 7 Breakfasts, 6 packed lunches All transport to include: Pickup and return to Dublin Airport All transport to and from walks and evenings out Entry fees to: Glenveagh National Park The Giants Causeway Glenariff Forest Park Not included: Evening meals Lunch on day 1 and day 8 Alcohol or soft drinks Entry fees to Carrick-A-Reid Rope Bridge, cost £4

DONEGAL & ANTRIM

A lovely tour, based in two of the most spectacular counties in Ireland, Donegal in the North West and Antrim in the North.

Both counties possess an array of ever changing scenery in a spectacle landscapes that is made up of rugged coastlines, golden sandy beaches, sea-cliffs, mountain peaks, wild and unspoilt countryside.

Donegal; Dún na nGall, Gaelic for, fort of the foreigners, most likely got its name from the invasion of the Danes in the 850s.
The county boasts one of the largest counties in Ireland to retain its native Irish Language, with over 30-thousand still speaking Gaelic in their every day life.
The countryside is mould for the walking enthusiast and the pace of life is somewhat slower then you will find anywhere in the country.
Almost anywhere in Donegal, you will still find small traditional family-run pubs, where the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed, where traditional music is in abundance, all to be enjoyed over a pint of your favourite tipple.

The second part of our tour is in the legendary county of Antrim in Northern Ireland.
There are not many places on earth that can outshine the Antrim Coastline and its glorious nine glens.
The Giants Causeway, with its astonishing array of around 40,000 basalt columns. The Causeway is also known as the Eighth Wonder of the World and when you see it you will understand how it got this fitting title.
This is an area that will astonish you beyond belief, with its outstanding natural beauty, towering sea cliffs, remote inlets and sweeping bays. It’s a coastline dotted with ruined castles, churches and forts, evidence of times past.

The final part of our tour takes us inland with a visit to some of the famous nine glens of Antrim. Most of our walking will be done in Glenariff, appropriately known as the “Queen of The Glens”
Nature has surpassed itself when it was forming this part of Antrim, with its lush green valleys, cascading waterfalls and impressive scenery.

Itinerary

Day 1 Dublin to Donegal Town
Our tour starts at 13.00hrs at Dublin Airport and takes us North West through some spectacular countryside. We will stop several times along the way to explore some of the quaint towns and villages.
Our final destination for the day will be in the town of Donegal, where we will stay for two nights. After arriving and settling in to our accommodation your guide will give you a briefing on your week’s activities.

The town is renowned for its proud heritage and culture. One of its most prominent features it has to offer is the O’Donnell Castle, which was built in the 14 Hundreds, by the first Red Hugh and his wife Lady Nuala and still stands proud today as a monument to the town and is visited by many thousands of tourists through the year.   
Traditional music is in abundance so you can wind down in the evening by visiting some of the many bars and pubs that are to be found here.

Day 2 The Wild Wilderness of Slieve League
Our first walk takes us on a drive further west, to the spectacular sea cliffs of Slieve League, the highest and one of the finest marine sea cliffs in Europe.
The name Slieve League is derived from the Gaelic Sliabh Liag, which literally means Stone Mountain. Despite its name the mountain is covered in a blanket of peat and heather.
Our walk takes us North West along the eastern side of the mountain; offering views to our right of a wonderful wilderness over a picturesque landscape, made up of rolling mountains, a patchwork of green fields, gentle streams and rivers. To our left we will have impressive views across the sea cliffs onto the wild Atlantic Ocean.
Distance: 14 km/8.75 miles, Ascent: 425 m/1275 ft
 
Day 3 Castle & Lake Walk
We depart Donegal Town today and drive North West to the small village of Bunbeg, which in situated on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.
On route we will stop off to visit Glenveagh National Park and Glenveagh Castle and Gardens, which is sheltering at the foot of the Derryveagh Mountains.
One of the most noticeable features of Glenveagh is its wilderness, with a sense of remoteness and solitude that it conveys.
After visiting the castle and gardens we will walk deep into the glen, along by the banks of Loch Gleann, passing old ruined settlements, through native oak woodlands and streams to reach the summit of Kinnaveagh Mountain.
Distance: 13 km/8.2 miles, Ascent: 290 m/870 ft

Day 4 McSwyne’s Gun Loop Trail
Our walk starts just outside the beautiful seaside village of Dunfanaghy, located on the shores of Sheephaven Bay in north West County Donegal, on the entrance to the spectacular Horn Head Peninsula.
The trail takes us through some magnificent sand dunes that in the summer offers a wealth of wildlife habitats, and machair grassland. We will cross part of Tramore Beach, a golden sandy beach that stretches for over 2k, very rarely visited by tourists even in the height of summer.
The trail takes us along the coast treating you to some spectacular views and across the Atlantic to Tory Island. This part of the trail is home to an internationally important colony for breeding seabirds and designated a Special Area of Conservation.
Our trail loops around to take us through some lush farm land, dotted with ruined dwellings and stone walls, finishing up back in Dunfanaghy.
In the afternoon we will take a short drive to visit Dunlewey Wool & Heritage Centre.
Here you will have a chance to do some shopping in the craft shop, treat yourself to tea or coffee in the restaurant, take a historical homestead guided tour and tweed weaving demonstration. This tour of the weaving demonstration is not included in the tour cost.
Distance 10K/6 miles; Ascent 80m/240 ft

Day 5 Giants Causeway
Today we depart Bunbeg for Ireland’s most northerly county of Antrim, stopping off to visit the world famous Giants Causeway.
The Causeway is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world and declared as Ireland's first World Heritage site in 1986. It consists of 40,000 polygonal basalt columns, some of which are 6ft in height, all side-by-side. The formation of the columns dates back about 55 million years. During the early Tertiary period lava flowed from a nearby volcano and settled on the shore.
Our walk takes us to the Causeway where we will take some time exploring this astonishing and wonderful place. The area is also home to over 200 varieties of plant species and birds such as the Chough and Peregrine Falcon. Our walk finished at the ruins of Dunseverick Castle.
Our next two nights will be spent in the small rural seaside town of Ballycastle
Distance: 10Km/6 Miles; Ascent 80Mtrs/240Ft

Day 6 Coves and Cliffs
A very varied walk today. Starting where we finished off yesterday at Dunseverick Castle our walk takes us along a rocky section of the cliff walk, into some very beautiful and quaint coves, protecting a mass of wild flowers. Passing Ireland’s smallest church, St. Goban’s followed by 1.6Km/1 mile of a golden sandy beach that we most likely will have all to ourselves. Our cliff walk finally ends at the famous Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge and for those of you who are courageous enough to cross are rewarded with fantastic views and wildlife.
Carrick-a-Rede, meaning “Rock in the Road” the 18m chasms was an area fevered by salmon on their migration path, hence the name rock in the road.
Distance: 11 km/6.5 miles, Ascent 120 m/360 ft

Day 7 Glenariff Forest Park “Queen of the Glens” “A Stress Free Zone”
We leave Ballycastle for our final stop of the tour, which is in Cushendall and visit one of the Nine Glens of Antrim, Glenariff.
This is probably the most spectacular trail you are going to find in the glens, as it offers some fantastic views around the Glen, down to the Irish’s Sea and across to the Scottish Mountains.   
Glenariff Forest Park covers an area of 1185 ha of which 900 ha have been planted with trees. The remainder consists of several small lakes, recreation areas, spectacular trails, cascading waterfalls and open spaces.
On our arrival in the park we will take a little time out to visit the small natural museum before start our walk around the Glen.
Distance 10 km/6 miles, Ascent: 150 m/450 ft

Day 8 Depart for Home
After another hearty breakfast we will depart Cushendall for Dublin, arriving at Dublin Airport at approximately 13.00hrs  

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If you would like more information or a detailed itinerary, please e-mail us at: info@walkinghikingireland.com

Other guided tours:
• Aran Islands & Western Way • Connemara & The Burren • Connemara Special •
• Cork & Kerry • Donegal & Antrim • Glens of Antrim •
• Happy Wanderers • The Lake District • Wales & Wicklow •
• West Highland Way • Wicklow Mountains DeLuxe • Wicklow Way •