Book any of our wonderful self-drive vacation packages before the 30th of June 2024 to receive a FREE UPGRADE from Economy Manual Car to Compact Manual Car AND 15% discount off your tour price!
This offer cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts or special event packages.
Stephanie was an amazing source of help, assistance and knowledge for our first trip to Ireland. She kept us informed of the every changing covid rules as well as adapted to our many - at least three- Read more »
Staff was extremely attentive and very flexible when it came to organizing our trip. All questions were answered quickly and in great detail. When some aspects of our selected trip had to be altered d Read more »
Stephanie at Irish Tourism booked our trip- she was wonderful to work with. I am picky about my rooms - when we booked the trip I requested more spacious accommodations and paid accordingly. We had Read more »
Get involved and celebrate being Irish with the Gathering Ireland. Ireland will open its arms to the many millions of friends, family, loved ones and connections overseas, inviting them home to celebrate.It will be a year long , spectacular celebration of all things Irish where communities will showcase and share the very best of our culture , tradition, business, sport and of course our Irish wit! There is a global diaspora of over 70 million - Are you one of them?
There have been no fewer than 4 recent US presidents claiming Irish family connections so when you research your family tree; you never know who may be a distant relative! 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of John Fitzgerald Kennedy‘s visit to Ireland. His great-grandfather Thomas Fitzgerald had emigrated to Boston in 1847 to escape the poverty and devastation caused by the potato famine. JFK returned to his homestead in Dunganstown, New Ross, County Wexford in 1963 to have tea with his cousin who still lived there. JFK commented at the time something which still rings true today:
“I want to express… how much this visit has meant. It is strange that so many years could pass and so many generations pass and still some of us who came on this trip could come… here to Ireland and feel ourselves at home and not feel ourselves in a strange country, but feel ourselves among neighbours, even though we are separated by generations, by time, and by thousands of miles”.
So let us help you plan the perfect tour, so you can come and find out more about your forefathers or get reacquainted with distant cousins!
The group meets up with the guide at 6.30pm in the bar of The Abbey Hotel in the centre of Donegal Town (ph 074-9721014). This is our meeting point only and not where we will be staying. If you are unexpectedly delayed please call the hotel and leave a message for the guide as to when you expect to arrive. After an introductory talk, an evening meal is organised in the hotel bar while your luggage is being transferred to our central guesthouse accommodation in Donegal that night. There is a chance later on this evening to meet again in a local pub to hear some music.
After being fitted out with your bike you then begin the tour with a cycle out of Donegal town towards the wonderful coastline where we continue to our lunch stop in village of Carrick. After lunch we cycle up to a viewing point of the spectacular Slieve League Cliffs one of the highest marine based cliffs in Europe. In the afternoon we head to our night stop in the village of Glencolumcille passing freshly cut peat drying in the surrounding bogs.
Today we head up into wild highland country along quiet back roads with a wonderful open landscape. There follows a wonderful descent down the dramatic Glengesh Valley to the beautiful Maghera beach. The beach is well worth stopping at for a walk across its wonderful white sands to explore the caves of Maghera. You can also go for a swim in the lagoon here and pretend you are in the Caribbean(!) before heading to the village of Ardara for a pub lunch. In the afternoon we continue along a quiet bog road before heading to the coastal town of Dungloe where again we stay in local guesthouses.
We continue through a rolling landscape through quiet sleepy villages and can visit Leo's pub where Enya and Clannad first sang. Later we cycle toward the spectacular Mount Errigal and stop for lunch at the base of this mountain. In the afternoon we cycle up to take in a view of the Poison Glen and then descend through an empty mountainscape towards Dunfanaghy. You also have the option of visiting Glenveagh National Park in the afternoon.
The hotel overlooks Portnablagh Beach and dunes where you can swim, swing a golf club or saddle-up for a gallop down along the beach.
The morning’s cycle takes you through isolated highland country roads with a worthwhile detour to Doe Castle. We stop for lunch in Downings on the Rosguill Peninsula. A roller coaster ride around the coast affords spectacular views of white sandy beaches as we wend our way down to our evenings accommodation in the town of Ramelton.
Today we cycle the beautiful and remote Fanad Pennisula stopping for lunch in Port Salon. We continue along the shores of Lough Swilly through Rathmullan from where the last Earls of Ireland fled to Europe in 1607, thus ending the old Irish Order. The final leg of the cycle brings us to Rathmelton where we will then transfer you back to Donegal town for a farewell night on the town together before heading home the following morning.
Book any of our wonderful self-drive vacation packages before the 30th of June 2024 to receive a FREE UPGRADE from Economy Manual Car to Compact Manual Car AND 15% discount off your tour price!
This offer cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts or special event packages.
Below, you will find a price for this self drive tour including your car rental. Pricing for other accommodation and transport options is also available upon request. Please also note that all of our driving tours itineraries and sightseeing guides are available to those wishing to avail of one of our experienced driver guides.
Accommodation Type | Price |
---|---|
Price per person sharing | €990 |
Single Supplement | €281 |
Notes
Prices in other currencies are indicative only. Please note that we charge in Euro.
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For customers based in North America, please note that as we are based in Ireland, we are 5 hours ahead of EST.
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