Ireland – challenging bike tour self-guided

Description itinerary of the self-guided bike tour

Day 1: Leenane – Individual arrival

The starting point for the bike Challenge Connemara Tour is located in the picturesque village of Leenane, nestled between the Maamturk mountains, at the head of the Killary Fjord. You can study the route notes and maps that you will find in your accommodation. Depending on your arrival time the agency representatives will meet with you to assign bicycles and equipment, otherwise this will be done the next morning. Discover the nightlife of the village pubs and a selection of restaurants serving delicious local food.

Day 2: Leenane – Westport  60 km / 37 miles 

On the first day of your bicycle holiday in Ireland, you will arrive to the heritage city of Westport, Co Mayo. This spectacular route will allow you to explore the shores of the Killary fjord to the Aasleagh waterfalls, through the rugged valleys of Delphi and Doolough to the city and coastal market of Louisburgh. The final part of your trip will lead you to the coast of Clew Bay in the shadow of the sacred mountain of Croagh Patrick to take you to the city of Westport. You will spend the next two at Westport which Will be your starting point. There you can enjoy the restaurants, pubs and other activities.

Day 3: Around Westport – Croagh Patrick 70 km / 37 miles

Explore Westport. There, you can climb the sacred mountain of Croagh Patrick that has been a pilgrim route since pre-Christian times, visit the House of Westport, the ancestral home and property of the Marquis of Sligo. If you want to explore the farmland and the surrounding coastal regions, you can take the great Western’s Gran Greenway 42km long. This follows the Westport route to the Achilles railway line which closed in 1937. Alternatively, you can travel along the coast of Clew Bay to Louisburgh, visiting the 14th-century Murrisk Abbey.

Day 4: Westport – Cong  60 km / 36 miles

Today the client will leave Westport to go to the village of Cong in Co Mayo, famous for John Ford`s film in 1952, the Quiet Man, and the Hotel Ashford Castle, a picturesque and interesting place to visit. After having breakfast you can explore Aghagower, Tourmakeady, Lough Finny, Clonbur and Cong (70km), it`s a fantastic bike tour discovering a variety of landscapes, hills, trout lakes, winding rural roads and villages Agricultural. You will spend the night at Cong where you can taste the best of traditional and contemporary cuisine, as well as live music in many pubs.

Day 5: Cong – Leenane – Between 65 – 90 km / 40 – 56 miles

Continue your bike route south from Cong along the shores of Lough Corrib, Ireland’s largest lake, famous for fishing and sailing. At the end of the lake lies the village of Maam, from which you will cross a small mountain pass to Maam Cross. The area around Maan and Maam Cross is surrounded by hills and valleys, ideal for a break and to contemplate its surroundings. The journey continues to the Connemara Valley, an unpopulated tour along the winding road next to Lake Inagh, ending in the village of Leenane where you will be staying for the next two nights. It is a tour of 90km that can be made shorter if you prefer.

Day 6: Around Leenane – From 50 – 80 km / 31 – 50 miles

Today your bike tour will take you to Kylemore Abbey, Connemara National Park, Renvyle Castle and finish again at Leenane (50km). The longest option of the tour includes going further south to the fishing village of Cleggn and the Bay of Streamstown (80km), where you can visit the Abbey of Kylemore, a Gothic castle by the lake, where you can see one of the best gardens in Ireland , a six-acre walled Victorian garden. The entrance to Connemara National Park is in the village of Letterfrack, where you can climb the Diamond Hill or simply visit the Visitor Center and tea rooms. You Will return to Leenane that night.

Day 7: Leenane – End of tour  or extension

Breakfast and departure from Leenane on your onward journey.