Tourism Pure Walking Holidays

Guided Walking Holidays in Mayo & Connemara, Ireland
 

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Posts tagged with: 'walking holiday'

Single Parent Families Outdoors at Easter

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Barry Murphy

Event Dates :

Single Parent Families Outdoors at Easter takes place from

Saturday 23rd – Tuesday 26th of March 2013

Event Location :

Cong, Co. Mayo [3 hrs from Dublin; 1h30 from Sligo; 40 mins from Galway]

Event Details :

A short holiday for the single parent to come and enjoy with your children. Get to spend some time with other single parents, in a relaxed, rural environment. Our group will gather Saturday afternoon the 23rd of March – the day after schools close for Easter holidays. On Sunday and Monday, we will walk off-road on easy, flat ground in lovely woodlands. We will visit a ruined castle, lakeshore, sink holes and more. Children will especially enjoy the treasure hunt on Sunday and the orienteering on Tuesday. They will climb a tower and learn about tree species we encounter as we go.

Cong is a beautiful place in County Mayo, traversed by numerous river channels, with islands and forest tracks that mean we can stay off the roads while walking.

At night, parents can discover the local pubs, relax and chat, while the children will enjoy movies, boardgames and popcorn, under supervision.

Choose between B&B or hostel private room accommodation. They are literally straight across the quiet cul-de-sac from eachother. All meals will be held together in the B&B, with packed lunches on each day we’re in the great outdoors.

We will endeavour to accommodate each family’s preferred sleeping arrangements. The B&B has rooms with one double plus one single bed, others with twin beds, etc. The hostel has en-suite rooms with four beds.

Saturday, March 23, 2013 :

Arrive at your leisure in Cong during the afternoon, for dinner together around 6 pm.

Sunday, March 24 :

We will walk in woodland and by Lough Corrib. After our picnic lunch, we will have a treasure hunt in the woods.

Monday, March 25 :

We will discover new woods and Lough Mask. After our picnic lunch, we will walk around Cong village and feed the ducks.

Tuesday, March 26 :

Having departed our accommodation, we will enjoy an orienteering event in a lakeside woodland located 30 minutes along the road.

Get in touch if you are interested in coming along with your children on this single parent outdoors break, in one of Ireland’s loveliest locations.

Included : Three nights in a B&B or hostel, 3 x dinners, 3 x packed lunches, 3 x breakfasts, treasure hunt, orienteering, full guiding throughout.

Not included : Travel to Mayo, miscellaneous purchases, drinks.

We suggest that this break is most suitable to children aged roughly 7 to 14 years.

Single Parent Families Outdoors at Easter Prices & Reservation :

Full board B&B Accommodation in a shared room – Price for parent (€260) + first child (€100)  
Date :
 € 360
Full board B&B Accommodation in a shared room – Price for each subsequent child (€40)  
Date :
 € 40
Full board Hostel Accommodation in a shared room – Price for parent (€230) + first child (€90)  
Date :
 € 320
Full board Hostel Accommodation in a shared room – Price for each subsequent child (€40)  
Date :
 € 40

Please Note : Drinks are not included in the prices.

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Achill Island Walking Tour 2013

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Barry Murphy

Join us on a weekend walking tour of Achill Island, from April 5th to 7th, 2013.

Walking tour Achill Island, Mayo, Ireland

Croaghaun mountain, Achill Island

Our small group will be based at Keel village, from where we can discover the best of the island on foot, with no need for transfers from our B&B. Our walking tour will take us to Slievemore and Croaghaun mountains, the famous Deserted Village, a Napoleonic Tower and much more. We will enjoy the superb ocean views that this island offers the visitor. From Slievemore, we can look across lovely Blacksod Bay towards the Mullet Peninsula and Iniskea beyond. From Croaghaun, boasting Ireland’s highest cliffs, we gaze out west into the vast Atlantic, or south towards Clare Island, Inisturk and Inisbofin beyond.

This is moderate to tough hiking, with Slievemore at 671 m and Croaghaun at 688 m. The schedule is as follows :

Friday :

Arrive at Westport train station Friday evening. There’s no need to bring the car to Mayo. Jump on a train from Heuston at 12.45, relax and arrive in Westport at 15.55. Transfer to Achill and an after-dinner stroll on the wonderful Keel beach, just metres from our B&B.

Saturday :

We will hike Slievemore, taking in the famous Deserted Village and archaeological features of this northern part of the island (approx. 6 hours).

Sunday :

A superb hike up to Croaghaun and to its exquisite corrie lake. Descent past old booley houses to the iconic beach at Keem Bay (approx. 6 hours), before departure on the 17.45 train that gets in to Dublin at 21.10.

As always, accommodation on this walking tour is full board, with dinner at our base and packed lunches for the walks. This is an ocean weekend, with views of the deep blue all around. We’ll stroll on the sand and you might like to dip your toe in the spring tides.

Walking Tour of Achill Island – Bookings

To view further detail on this event and to book, please call 086 8318748.

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Walking Holidays – Shared Rooms Only ?

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Barry Murphy

I’ve been wondering about this for quite a while now. Could I offer a walking holiday with shared rooms only ?

Guided walking holidays in Ireland

Walking in West Mayo

We’ve all heard about ‘production orientation’ versus ‘customer orientation’, right ? The former is where a business puts production values before customer ‘wants’. The latter is where a business puts the customer’s ‘wants’ at the centre of all decisions. The former is generally deemed bad, while the latter good. And yet …

One of the pillars of ecotourism / green tourism / sustainable tourism / rural tourism (whatever you’re having yourself) is the notion of supporting local communities and their tourism providers.

Which Walking Holiday ?

So here’s the conundrum. Up in far-flung Erris, out on the Mullet Peninsula, there are only a small number of B&Bs. Each has only a limited number of rooms. Now, I try to support them by bringing some walkers out there each year (not enough, but that’s another story). Anyway, my issue is that it bothers me greatly when I ask them for single bookings, because I know I’m occupying their very limited rooms while not maximising their income.

Guided walking holidays Ireland

B&B Partner, Léim Siar

In this case, is it really that bad to be somewhat ‘production-oriented’, by offering walkers shared rooms only for this walking holiday experience ? Does this mean I’m favouring the product over the customer ? I think not. I hope you think not too.

In my heart, I know it’s a lovely walking holiday product that’s being offered. I believe that walkers will agree to this perhaps unusual ‘condition’. So, for the 2013 version of my popular Western Ocean Walking Weekend, taking place over the August bank holiday weekend, I’ll only be offering shared accommodation. Let’s see how this one pans out.

Cick on the link to book your room-sharing place on this lovely guided walking weekend.

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Poland Walking & Wildlife 2013 Trip

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Barry Murphy
Poland walking holiday

Walking in Poland

I’m delighted to announce the details of my annual trip to the truly beautiful National Parks of Biebrza and Bialowieza, in eastern Poland. We will travel on March 30, 2013 (Easter Saturday) and return to Dublin on April 4.

The itinerary is as follows :

March 30 : Fly Dublin to Warsaw with Aer Lingus or Ryanair (tbc) and transfer to Biebrza National Park.

March 31 – April 2 : Walking and wildlife spotting in Biebrza NP, home to Elk, Red Deer, Beaver, Wolf, Lynx and birds, such as Lesser Spotted Eagle, Crane, Stork, Woodpecker, Owl, Geese, etc. Biebrza (‘beaver’ in Polish) NP is based around the river basin of the same name and is a spectacular area of river marsh and wetland woodlands. Beautiful forest tracks are perfect for exploring the woodland and marsh areas.

April 3 - 4 : Walking and wildlife spotting in Bialowieza NP, home to Bison, Deer, Wolf, Lynx, various species of Woodpecker and many other fabulous birds. Bialowieza NP is based around the primeval forest of the same name – one of the very last tracts of such beautiful and serene forest in central and eastern Europe. An iconic location for lovers of nature and Europe’s biodiversity, memories of your visit to Bialoweiza will never leave you.

April 4 : Return to Ireland.

We stay in shared rooms in lovely traditional Polish ‘pensions’. Meals, transport within Poland and full guiding with our wonderful local expert are all included (with the exception of one lunch).

Flights are not included and should be booked directly with Aer Lingus or Ryanair as soon as it becomes clear which is offering the better deal AND once you have received confirmation from me that the trip is proceeding. In previous years, the return flight to Poland with no luggage in the hold has cost approx. Euro 120 – 150.

Walking in Poland, Bialoweiza

Bialoweiza Forest National Park

The cost of this great trip with us is Euro 500 per person sharing. If we get a group together and you then book your flights and bring just cabin luggage, the total cost should be around Euro 620 – 650. I cannot recommend this trip highly enough. Our local guide is so good, he’s written the guide book to the nature and biodiversity of Biebrza National Park – literally.

Walking is easy, on forest tracks with no hills of any note. This is a lovely relaxing trip into the vast nature of Poland. See pictures of this trip in previous years, by visiting here.

Watch a YouTube slideshow of a past group here.

If you would like to join our small walking group for this excellent trip to Poland next March & April, please get in touch, via e-mail or phone, and reserve your place. Note that travel insurance is a prerequisite for this trip, as my walking guide insurance does not cover overseas trips. Also, there is no option of single rooms on this trip – accommodation is in shared double or twin rooms only.

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Discussing Walking Holidays with the Heritage Council

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Barry Murphy
Guided walking holidays Ireland

Walking holidays in Mayo

I was delighted to be invited to speak about my guided walking holidays at the Heritage Council’s event at Lough Lannagh, Mayo this morning, entitled “Heritage as an Engine for Economic Growth”.

I kept it simple, demonstrating how even a small operator like myself (and other colleagues) can bring a little economic benefit to an area, through delivery of guided walking holidays. The organisation of walking holidays requires partners – be that in accommodation, food provision, local transportation or great rural pubs. In a coastal county like Mayo, transportation can include not just bike and minibus hire, but also boat charter to reach offshore islands.

I try to work with B&Bs, like Hannah at Léim Siar, that will provide my guests with evening meals. Where that’s not possible, I work with local food providers, like the excellent John at the Clubhouse in Belmullet.

But I also spoke of how heritage tourism can involve getting down and dirty with locally based conservation projects, like the environmentally sensitive removal and eventual eradication of non-native invasive species, such as Rhododendron or Gunnera Tinctoria (‘Giant Rhubarb’). It was great to meet some people with whom I might be able to work on such projects in the future, by involving guests on my walking holidays.

Mayo is working hard to improve its position in the Irish tourism product offer. Domestically, we know we’re competing with the likes of Kerry and West Cork and much has been done by the County Council and other bodies on improving the walking product here. Internationally, we’re putting our offer up against Scotland, Norway and other European destinations for walking holidays. Where we’re different is in the quantity and quality of our heritage experiences. Being a county with a very low population density has allowed Mayo to retain much of its built, natural and cultural heritage.

Of course, I once again couldn’t resist the wheeling out of my big dream – to see long, looped walks of over 100 km around Mayo. Our county is a great, wild and very ‘real’ place for a walking holiday … and getting better.

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Walking The Bangor Trail with Lenny

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Barry Murphy
Walking Holidays in Ireland

The remote Bangor Trail, Mayo

A few weeks back I had the pleasure of accompanying freelance journalist Lenny on The Bangor Trail. We had beautiful weather for our walking trip, especially considering it was the middle of winter.

The Bangor Trail is a centuries old stock-moving track, allowing travllers to come down from the north of the county (around the modern village of Bangor) to the west coast, exemplified by Newport village. There they might buy or sell some livestock.

Reproduced below is Lenny’s lovely article from the Irish Times. I’ve had to remove both the map and accompanying photograph, as the paper unfortunately printed the wrong one on both counts.

Let me know if you’d like to undertake this Bangor Trail hike. At nine hours walking from beginning to end, it’s easily Ireland’s longest linear off-road hiking trail. Traversing vast blanket bog landscape and travelling beneath the Nephin Beg mountains, with not a house or home in sight, it’s also the very loneliest place – but in a wonderful, positive and serene sense.

Walking in Mayo Ireland

Irish Time article, part 1

 

Walking holidays in Ireland

Irish Times article, part 2

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