Ireland’s Causeway Coast And Wild Atlantic Way in 8 days

Your week starts in the historic city of Belfast with a fascinating guided tour. Beautiful Belfast has a troubled history stretching right up to more recent times and whilst showing you around, your tour guide will talk through with you how this past is reflected in the modern day.

You’ll next transfer to the stunning Causeway Coast – if you follow the  ‘Game of Thrones’ series, you’ll recognise some of the filming locations.

You’ll arrive in Bushmills in time for dinner (included tonight) and to check in to your first bed and breakfast. You’ll be here for two nights.

Delicious Irish breakfasts are a highlight of this week and today’s the first chance to sample the home cooking.

Today you’ll explore the dramatic Causeway Coast on foot. After breakfast you’ll travel ten minutes along the coast to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, linking the mainland to the tiny island of Carrareade.

The walk begins from here – you’ll follow the coast path with your guide, passing through dramatic cliff scenery and historic castle ruins (keep an eye out for locations, Game of Thrones fans!) before descending to the world-famous Giant’s Causeway.

The Giant’s Causeway was created some fifty to sixty million years ago when highly fluid basaltic lava intruded through chalk beds, spreading out into a thick layer of rock. The distinctive regularity of the columns are a result of particularly even cooling, creating around forty thousand columnar structures.

The walk finishes around lunchtime. If you’re keen for more then you can walk from here along the marked coastal trail to your B&B, or if you’d like a rest you can transfer back instead, so you’ve time to visit the Bushmills Irish Whiskey distillery.

After your second Irish breakfast, you’ll set off on a road trip south to the wilds of Donegal on Ireland’s west coast.

En-route your guide will talk about the passing scenery and history. You’ll stop of course along the way for tea, scones and culture, arriving in Donegal town in the afternoon to check in to your accommodation.

From here, it’s a 10 minute walk into the town centre where you might like to take a boat trip or shop for Irish crafts. Dinner (included tonight) will be served in a restaurant that specialises in local cuisine and is renowned for their fresh fish dishes.

If you’re keen to continue after dinner, you can visit one of the many pubs to listen to traditional Irish music and enjoy an Irish whiskey.

Today you’ll first visit the stunning cliffs of Slieve League. Formed of pre-Cambrian quartzite and Gneiss,  these 600m cliffs aren’t as well known as the Cliffs of Moher, yet are three times as high!

Once you’ve caught your breath it’s time to visit the Folk
museum of Glencolumbkille. The museum is a series of cottages restored to reflect how people lived on the west coast during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.

Lunch is included today and this afternoon you’ll explore the coastline. Here there are options for all energy levels – either following the magical coastal paths, or relaxing on hidden beaches, or a bit of both!

Today, you’ll travel to Sligo to explore the Wild Atlantic Way, and then on to wonderful County Mayo.

From the 300m summit of Knocknarea there are great views over the Atlantic ocean, Donegal and County Mayo. Here’s where you’ll find Queen Maeve’s grave, one of Ireland’s finest unexcavated passage tombs. The grave has the form of a cairn about 10 metres high and 55 metres wide. Your guide will tell you about the history of the tomb as you take in the views.

There’s a chance for lunch at a cafe on the coast where you can savour
the finest organic local produce. From here you’ll travel along the coastline to the famous Beach Bar for an Irish coffee or maybe a cheeky pint, before exploring on through the coastal villages of Easkey and Enniscrone, and arriving in Ballina.

Dinner’s included at your bed and breakfast tonight, a true Irish experience with a home cooked meal and your host’s favourite dessert. Welcome to County Mayo!

Today is all about northern Mayo.

You’ll start with breakfast cooked by your host (who is known as a celebrity chef in Ireland!). After breakfast you’ll travel to the spectacular cliffs, sea stack and blow holes of Downpatrick Head. Ireland was neutral in the second world war but the coastline is dotted with stone markers visible from the air, so that allied planes knew their crossing point – Downpatrick Head is marked EIRE 64.

Next you’ll be taken to the Ceide Fields, the most extensive Neolithic site
in Ireland and the world’s oldest known field systems, dated at around 3,500BC. The fascinating visitors centre is well worth spending time in, to take it all in.

This afternoon you’ll get involved in the kitchen, where you
will learn to prepare scones, Irish potato bread and & traditional
soda bread. You’ll wash down your creations with a nice cup of tea.

Next up you have an Irish Whiskey Appreciation Session where you will discover what variety you like, and why.

Lastly you’ll take a short stroll down to the local pub at the nearby quay where you’ve a chance to learn to pull your own pint of Guinness.

You’ll probably need dinner by now – tonight this is included and is served next door and we can vouch for their delicious fish and chips!

Breakfast at Brigown’s is great – there’s a lot of choice on the menu, with a particular favourite being the locally smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

The towns of the West coast are lively and untouched by the chain stores which have changed England’s centres so much over the past 20-30 years. After checking out, your guide will take the scenic route to Westport. Here you’ll have time to visit the colourful town and browse around the many locally-owned shops.

Today’s destination is Galway. On the way there’s a chance to visit the powerful Aasleagh Falls and then Kylemore Abbey with it’s Victorian walled garden, before passing through the mountains of beautiful Connemara to Galway city.

There’s time on arrival to freshen up and walk the short distance to the centre of town for the fun of your last Irish dinner and evening out.

You’ll say goodbye to Ireland – for now – and we’ll transfer you to the airport or ferry port for your onward journey.

The Stop is a wonderful bed and breakfast created from a 1930’s town house, situated 500m from the River Corrib and the centre of the city of Galway. It’s a modern take on a B&B, with the minimal and tasteful decor creating light and space in the otherwise rather compact rooms. Downstairs the walls are filled with original contemporary artworks.

Breakfast is a highlight, cooked by owners Russel and Emer, but save some space for the homemade cookies which are always available in the sitting room.

Surrounded to the South and West by Donegal Bay, The Water’s Edge Bed and Breakfast is set in a quiet, peaceful location only five minutes walk from the centre of Donegal town. Inside, the bed and breakfast accommodation is ensuite and tastefully decorated.

As with all of the accommodation here in Ireland, your hosts Rae and John from Cottesmore House Bed and Breakfast will give you a warm Irish welcome in their cosy bungalow.

Cottesmore House is a great location from which to explore the Causeway Coast. It’s also within easy walking (staggering?) distance of the Bushmills Whiskey Distillery.

A warm welcome is assured at Brigown Bed & Breakfast. Your host Marjorie is a household name in Ireland when it comes to cooking and will ensure you feel at home here in her charming guesthouse on the banks of the river Moy in Ballina. Breakfast is particularly good here – a great chance to sample Marjorie’s culinary skills!

The Quay is a short walk away for food and drink, and you’re not far from the centre of town. The garden is a great place to sit and relax to watch the river and the world go by.