Itinerary · Walking the West
Updated 20265 Days Walking the West of Ireland
Five days on foot through Connemara and the Burren. Two nights at Ballynahinch in the heart of Connemara, two at Gregans Castle on the lip of the Burren, one transfer day through Galway with the option of the Aran ferry. No Dublin, no padding, no driving holiday with a walk attached. The West rewards walkers who give it three days at a time and a fire to come back to.
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The Ireland Deborah returns to. Read her editorial perspective
If you want the West done on foot:
→ Fly into Shannon, out of Shannon. No open-jaw needed at this scale.
→ Two nights Ballynahinch, two nights Gregans Castle, one transfer day through Galway.
→ The three bookings that decide the trip: Ballynahinch riverside room, Gregans Castle garden room, the Doolin taxi back from Hag's Head on Day 4.
Lock those and the walking writes itself.
Route Overview
5 Days, Two Bases, Three Walks That Earn It
- Day 1: Shannon, north through Galway to Ballynahinch, riverside dinner.
- Day 2: Diamond Hill at Letterfrack, Kylemore lakeshore, Sky Road sunset.
- Day 3: Transfer south via Galway, optional Aran ferry, into the Burren.
- Day 4: Mullaghmore loop in the morning, Cliffs of Moher coastal walk after lunch.
- Day 5: Black Head circuit, Doolin lunch, Shannon return.
Two bases, no daily checkout. Boots on by 9am, off by 4pm. The West asks for the legs but pays them back at the dinner table.
Cartography
5 Days, Two Bases, Three Walks That Earn It
Ballynahinch Castle
Regions
1 stop
You've landed. The walking starts tomorrow. Today is the arrival.
Shannon to Ballynahinch
Arrive at Shannon, north to Connemara, dinner over the river.
Quick Read
What this day is: Shannon arrival, a slow Galway lunch, then the drive north into Connemara to Ballynahinch Castle.
Best way to do it: Private transfer with a Galway lunch stop. Day one is not for driving on the wrong side after a red-eye.
What you'll remember: The first easy loop along the Owenmore river behind the castle, at last light.
Choose Your Path
Self-Drive
Pick up a manual at Shannon, drive north via Galway and Oughterard, into Ballynahinch by 4pm. The road from Galway to Maam Cross is one of the great Irish drives, but it is your first day on the left.
Who it's for: Confident left-hand drivers who would rather be on their own schedule than a transfer's.
Trade-off: Four hours of driving on day one. You will be tired before the boots ever come off.
Guided Version· Recommended
Private transfer from Shannon to Ballynahinch with a two-hour Galway stop for lunch and a short walk along the harbour. About six hours door to door.
Why it's better: Day one is jet-lagged and the wrong day to learn Irish roads. A driver gives you the window seat and lets you arrive ready to walk in the morning.
Trade-off: Higher cost than a rental for the first day. Pick the rental up at Ballynahinch through the hotel on Day 2 if you want.
The Day
Morning
Aer Lingus red-eye into Shannon around 9:30am. Transfer collects at arrivals. Coffee and a scone at the Shannon Costa if you need fifteen minutes to come back to the world. Out of the airport by 10am.
Midday
North to Galway, about 90 minutes. Lunch at Kai on Sea Road at 12:30pm, the chalkboard menu only. Soup, brown bread, a glass of Vermentino. Bill by 1:45pm. Walk Quay Street to the Spanish Arch, fifteen minutes, no shopping.
Afternoon
North through Oughterard and Maam Cross. The Twelve Bens come up on your left around Recess. Into Ballynahinch by 4pm. Rooms ready, bags up, boots on for the Owenmore riverside loop behind the castle. 45 minutes, flat, the river on your right the whole way. The first walk of the trip, on purpose easy.
Evening
Dinner in the Owenmore Restaurant at 7:30pm. Window table on the river side, request when booking. Connemara trout, glass of Sancerre, the cheese plate to close. In bed by 10pm.
Signature Moment
→ The Owenmore loop at last light. The river running fast after rain, the castle behind you with its lights on, the bog stretching off into nothing. The trip has barely started and you already know why you came.
Where You'll Eat
Where: Kai in Galway for lunch. Owenmore Restaurant at Ballynahinch for dinner.
Order: Kai: whatever the chalkboard says, a glass of Vermentino. Owenmore: the Connemara trout, a glass of Sancerre, the cheese plate.
When: Kai 12:30pm. Owenmore 7:30pm, window table on the river side.
Skip: Eating in Galway town in the evening. The hour back to Ballynahinch in the dark, after wine, on roads you have not driven, is the wrong way to end day one.
What People Get Wrong
Trying to fit a proper hill walk on arrival day. The Owenmore riverside loop is the only walk that belongs on day one. Save the legs and the lungs for Diamond Hill in the morning.
"We landed at nine, were eating trout by the river by seven. The riverside room was worth every cent."
Recent traveler, Boston
The Ireland Edit Take
Riverside room at Ballynahinch, not the courtyard, not the suite. Twenty pounds a night more than the standard. The morning light comes off the water onto the ceiling and that is the room you remember. Book it the same week you book Shannon.
What We'd Book First
Three bookings decide the West on foot. Lock these the same week you confirm Shannon.
- 1.Ballynahinch Castle, two nights, riverside room. Fills six months out for May to September. Riverside rooms are the morning light on the water. Book the Owenmore dinner the same week.
- 2.Gregans Castle, two nights, garden room. Twenty rooms total. The garden rooms go first, three months out. Book the set-menu dinner the same week you book the room.
- 3.Doolin taxi back from Hag's Head on Day 4. Fifteen minutes, twenty euro, prevents the only thing that can go wrong on the coastal walk. Pre-book it from Gregans the morning of.
Boots on at 9am. The first proper walk of the trip.
Diamond Hill, Kylemore, Sky Road
The day Connemara delivers.
Quick Read
What this day is: Diamond Hill at Letterfrack in the morning, Kylemore Abbey lakeshore at midday, Sky Road sunset from Clifden.
Best way to do it: Self-drive for the freedom of timing, or a private chauffeur day if you would rather not move the car between three trailheads.
What you'll remember: The summit of Diamond Hill, the Twelve Bens behind you, the Atlantic ahead on three sides.
Choose Your Path
Self-Drive
Drive yourself between Ballynahinch, Letterfrack, Kylemore and Clifden. About forty minutes of driving total across the day, all on the N59. The trailheads are signposted and the parking at each is straightforward.
Who it's for: Walkers who want to set their own pace at the summit and on the Sky Road.
Trade-off: You drive after Diamond Hill on tired legs. Not a hard drive, but a drive.
Guided Version
Private chauffeur day from Ballynahinch. Driver meets you at the lobby, drops you at each trailhead, picks you up at the far end. No car shuffles, no map. About nine hours.
Why it's better: On a three-walk day a chauffeur turns Diamond Hill into a pure walk: no car key in the pocket, no thought about where you left the rental.
Trade-off: Higher cost than self-drive. Save the chauffeur for the day that earns it. This is that day.
The Day
Morning
Breakfast at Ballynahinch by 7:30am, the porridge with whiskey and cream, two coffees. Out the door by 8:30am. Drive to Letterfrack, thirty minutes on the N59. Diamond Hill upper loop from the National Park visitor centre, 7km, about three hours. Out by 9am for the cooler walking and the morning light.
Midday
Down off the hill by midday. Drive ten minutes to Kylemore Abbey. Lunch in the Mitchell's Café in Kylemore, or, better, push twenty minutes on to Mitchell's in Clifden for the seafood chowder and brown bread. Walk the Kylemore lakeshore on the way back, 45 minutes, flat, the abbey reflected in the water.
Afternoon
Drive to Clifden for 3pm. Park at the upper Sky Road viewpoint, not the lower. Walk the loop counter-clockwise, 90 minutes, the eastern viewpoint catches the late light. Inishbofin offshore, Errislannan beneath you. Back at the car by 5pm.
Evening
Back to Ballynahinch by 6pm. Casual dinner in the Fisherman's Pub at the castle, not the Owenmore. Pint of Galway Hooker, the lamb stew, an early bed. Day three is a transfer.
The Better Version of This Day
Connemara & Galway Private Chauffeur Day
Your chauffeur-guide drives the Connemara loop full-time and knows the trailhead parking, the back road to Kylemore that skips the tour buses, and which lay-by on the Sky Road catches the light. About nine hours, hotel pickup and drop-off, three walks in one clean day.
Instead of shuffling the rental between Letterfrack, Kylemore and Clifden on tired legs, the driver moves the car for you. Diamond Hill becomes a one-way walk: down at the visitor centre, picked up at the gate.
"We did Diamond Hill, Kylemore and the Sky Road without ever looking at a map. Best decision of the trip."
Recent traveler, San Francisco
Door-to-door from Ballynahinch. Three trailheads, no car shuffle, time at every summit. About nine hours.
Reserve the Connemara chauffeur day →Signature Moment
→ The Diamond Hill summit at 10:30am. The Twelve Bens to the east in cloud, the Atlantic to the west in light, Inishbofin and Inishturk floating offshore. The reason the West is the West, in one frame.
Where You'll Eat
Where: Mitchell's in Clifden for lunch. Fisherman's Pub at Ballynahinch for dinner.
Order: Mitchell's: seafood chowder, brown bread, a half-pint. Fisherman's: pint of Galway Hooker, the slow-cooked lamb stew.
When: Mitchell's 1pm, the front room. Fisherman's 7pm, by the fire if it is lit.
Skip: Driving the Sky Road in the dark. The viewpoints are the trip and they close at dusk. Be back at the upper layby by 4:30pm at the latest.
What People Get Wrong
Doing Diamond Hill in the afternoon. The morning is the photo, the cooler walking and the dry forecast. By 2pm the cloud comes off the Atlantic and the summit goes white. Be at the trailhead by 9am.
"Diamond Hill in the morning, Sky Road at sunset. The single best day of walking we have ever had on a trip."
Recent traveler, Chicago
The Ireland Edit Take
The Sky Road counter-clockwise. The eastern viewpoint above Errislannan catches the late light off the Atlantic and most visitors miss it because they drive it clockwise out of habit. Park at the upper layby, walk the loop, come back to the car. Ninety minutes well spent.
Connemara recedes. The Burren opens.
Ballynahinch to the Burren
South via Galway, into the limestone country.
Quick Read
What this day is: Transfer day. Galway lunch and a harbour walk, drive south into the Burren, Gregans Castle by 5pm.
Best way to do it: Self-drive or private transfer. Add the Aran ferry from Rossaveal as an optional half-day if your legs want a lunar morning.
What you'll remember: The first sight of the limestone pavements as you drop over Corkscrew Hill into the Burren.
Choose Your Path
Self-Drive
Check out of Ballynahinch at 10am, south to Galway in 90 minutes, lunch, then south into Clare via Kinvara and the Corkscrew Hill road. Into Gregans by 5pm. Easy driving the whole way.
Who it's for: Travellers who want the freedom to pull over at the Burren viewpoints.
Trade-off: You eat one of the better lunches of the trip and then drive. Modest, but real.
Guided Version
Private transfer Ballynahinch to Gregans with a Galway lunch stop and, optionally, the Inishmore food and heritage tour as a half-day add. A long day if you do Aran, a clean day if you don't.
Why it's better: If you are adding the Aran ferry from Rossaveal, the driver handles the timing and the ferry car park so the day still ends at Gregans for dinner.
Trade-off: Aran is a full extra day inside a transfer day. Skip it unless you have always wanted to walk Dún Aonghasa.
The Day
Morning
Slow breakfast at Ballynahinch, last walk along the river if you want one, 30 minutes. Check out by 10am. South to Galway via Oughterard, 90 minutes. If adding Aran, ferry from Rossaveal at 10:30am, four hours on Inishmore, back to Rossaveal by 4pm. Skip if you'd rather walk Mullaghmore fresh tomorrow.
Midday
Lunch at Kai or, if Kai is full, Ard Bia at Nimmo's by the Spanish Arch. Walk the Long Walk along the harbour, twenty minutes, the swans and the Claddagh. No shopping, no detours.
Afternoon
South out of Galway by 2:30pm. Through Kinvara, past Dunguaire Castle, then the climb up Corkscrew Hill. The Burren opens beneath you, lunar and grey. Into Gregans Castle by 5pm. Walk the kitchen garden before dinner, 20 minutes, the bees if it is summer.
Evening
Dinner at Gregans at 7:30pm. The set menu, the wine pairing, the bread course. The dining room is small and the wine list is the best in the West. Bed by 10:30pm.
The Better Version of This Day
Inishmore Food, Heritage & Culture Tour (optional add)
Your Aran guide meets the ferry at Kilronan, walks you through the village to the famine cottage, on to Dún Aonghasa on the cliff edge, back through the Inis Mór bakery for the lunch. Five hours on Inishmore, ferry handled, back in Rossaveal by mid-afternoon.
Instead of trying to do Inishmore on a self-guided ferry day and missing the timings, the guide handles the bike or pony cart, the famine cottage, and the lunch. You walk the cliff, you eat brown bread that came out of the oven that morning, you make Gregans for dinner.
"We hesitated on Aran. It ended up being the morning of the whole trip we talk about."
Recent traveler, New York
Ferry from Rossaveal, full Inishmore loop, back by mid-afternoon. Only add it if Aran was already on the list.
Check the Inishmore tour →Signature Moment
→ Dropping over Corkscrew Hill into the Burren. The limestone catching late light, Galway Bay behind you, the Aran Islands a low grey line offshore. You pull over at the layby for two minutes without meaning to.
Where You'll Eat
Where: Kai in Galway for lunch. Gregans Castle dining room for dinner.
Order: Kai: whatever the chalkboard says, a glass of Vermentino. Gregans: the set menu, the wine pairing, the cheese trolley after.
When: Kai 12:30pm, the back banquette. Gregans 7:30pm, the corner table on the garden side if it is free.
Skip: Eating in Lisdoonvarna. Twenty minutes from Gregans and a fraction of the quality. Make the dinner reservation at Gregans the same week you book the room.
What People Get Wrong
Skipping the Galway lunch to save an hour. The Long Walk on the harbour is the right pace between two walking days. You arrive at Gregans calm instead of rattled.
"Corkscrew Hill is the moment the trip changes shape. We pulled over without meaning to."
Recent traveler, Washington DC
The Ireland Edit Take
Garden room at Gregans, not the suite. The garden rooms open straight onto the herb garden and the dawn chorus comes through the open window in summer. The suite has more square footage and less of the thing you came for. Twenty rooms total at Gregans. The garden rooms go first, three months out.
The Burren in the morning. The Cliffs of Moher in the afternoon.
Mullaghmore and the Cliffs
Two walks. Different country. Same day.
Quick Read
What this day is: Mullaghmore loop in the morning, Cliffs of Moher coastal walk after lunch, McDermott's in Doolin before dinner.
Best way to do it: Self-drive for Mullaghmore, then the Doolin-to-Hag's-Head coastal walk one-way with a taxi back. Or the Cliffs private Mercedes tour if the weather is uncertain.
What you'll remember: The Cliffs from sea level on the coastal trail, not from the visitor centre car park.
Choose Your Path
Self-Drive
Drive to the Mullaghmore trailhead from Gregans, 25 minutes. Walk the loop. Lunch in Lisdoonvarna or Doolin. Park at Doolin pier, walk the cliffs south to Hag's Head, taxi back. The cleanest version of the day.
Who it's for: Confident walkers in good weather.
Trade-off: The cliff walk is exposed. In wind or fog, it is not the day to be on the edge.
Guided Version
Private Mercedes Cliffs of Moher tour from Gregans. Driver-guide collects after breakfast, handles the Cliffs from the visitor centre side and the boat from Doolin, back to Gregans for dinner. About six hours.
Why it's better: If the forecast is bad or you do not want to commit to the coastal path on tired legs, the driver-and-boat combination still delivers the Cliffs without the weather risk.
Trade-off: You do not walk the coastal path. That is the version most readers want, so most readers self-drive.
The Day
Morning
Out of Gregans by 9am. Drive to the Burren National Park Mullaghmore trailhead, 25 minutes. Mullaghmore loop, 8km, about three hours. Quiet, lunar, almost no other walkers, the limestone pavements at their best. Back at the car by 12:30pm.
Midday
Lunch at the Roadside Tavern in Lisdoonvarna for the smoked salmon plate, or at the Burren Smokehouse next door for the same fish at the source. Brown bread, a glass of white. Bill by 2pm.
Afternoon
Drive to Doolin pier, 20 minutes. Park at the pier. Walk the coastal trail south to Hag's Head, 8km, about 2 hours 30. The Cliffs rise on your right the whole way, no coach park, no railings on most of the path. Pre-book the Doolin taxi back from Hag's Head before you start: 15 minutes, twenty euro, the only friction of the day.
Evening
Pint at McDermott's in Doolin at 6pm, live trad if it is the night for it. Back to Gregans by 7:30pm. A simpler plate after the walking day: the soup, the bread course, the cheese trolley to close.
The Better Version of This Day
Cliffs of Moher Private Mercedes Luxury Tour Including Cliffs by Boat
Your driver-guide drives the Cliffs route in a private Mercedes from Gregans. Visitor centre with skip-the-coach entry, the boat from Doolin pier below the cliffs, and the back roads through the Burren on the return. About six hours, hotel pickup and drop-off.
Instead of risking the coastal path in bad weather and missing the Cliffs altogether, you see them from above and from sea level both. The boat below the cliffs is the angle the coastal walk does not give you.
"The boat below the cliffs is a different cliffs. We did both and would do it again."
Recent traveler, Atlanta
Door-to-door from Gregans. Visitor centre, Doolin boat, Burren back roads. About six hours.
Reserve the Cliffs private tour →Signature Moment
→ Arriving at the base of the Cliffs from below on the coastal path, the drop hanging over your right shoulder, the Atlantic green against the wall, no coach park in sight. The Cliffs the way they are meant to be met.
Where You'll Eat
Where: Burren Smokehouse for lunch. McDermott's for the pre-dinner pint. Gregans for dinner.
Order: Smokehouse: the smoked salmon plate, brown bread, a glass of Albariño. McDermott's: a pint of Guinness, nothing else. Gregans: a single course, the cheese trolley.
When: Smokehouse 1pm. McDermott's 6pm. Gregans 8pm.
Skip: The Cliffs visitor centre car park as the start of the walk. Walk in from Doolin and the entire experience changes. The coach traffic stays where it belongs.
What People Get Wrong
Doing the Cliffs from the visitor centre. The coastal walk from Doolin south to Hag's Head is the version that earns the photo and the version most visitors never find. The visitor centre is fine for ten minutes after the walk, not before it.
"The Doolin-to-Hag's-Head walk was the single best walk of our lives. The taxi tip alone was worth the itinerary."
Recent traveler, Seattle
The Ireland Edit Take
Pre-book the Doolin taxi back from Hag's Head before you leave Gregans in the morning. The walk is one-way and there is no good way to retrace it on tired legs. Fifteen minutes, twenty euro, the smallest booking on the trip and the one that prevents the only thing that can go wrong.
Final morning. The shortest walk, the best.
Black Head and Departure
Last walk. Lunch in Doolin. Shannon home.
Quick Read
What this day is: Black Head loop on the Burren coast, lunch at the Wild Honey Inn, Shannon by 4pm.
Best way to do it: Self-drive. The loop is 90 minutes, mostly flat. The right pace for departure day.
What you'll remember: Galway Bay from the Black Head shore, the Aran Islands offshore, the trip closing the way it should.
Choose Your Path
Self-Drive
Drive from Gregans to the Black Head trailhead at Fanore, 20 minutes. Walk the loop. Lunch at the Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna or Gus O'Connor's in Doolin. South to Shannon for the afternoon flight.
Who it's for: Everyone. Departure day does not need a guide.
Trade-off: None worth naming.
Guided Version
Private transfer Gregans to Shannon with a Black Head stop. Driver waits at the trailhead while you walk, then on to the airport. About four hours.
Why it's better: Only if you do not want to think about returning the rental on a tight flight window.
Trade-off: Cost. The drive to Shannon from Gregans is one of the easier ones in the country.
The Day
Morning
Breakfast at Gregans by 8am. Out the door by 8:45am. Drive to the Black Head trailhead at Fanore, 20 minutes. The loop is 5km, about 90 minutes, coastal limestone, sea on one side, the round tower at Black Head as the turning point. Back at the car by 11am.
Midday
Lunch at the Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna at 12:30pm. Front room, by the window. Whatever the chalkboard says, the wine by the glass is short and right. Bill by 1:45pm.
Afternoon
Drive south to Shannon, about 75 minutes from Lisdoonvarna. Return the rental at the airport return, fifteen minutes from departures. Wheels up after 5pm.
Signature Moment
→ Black Head at 10am, the Aran Islands offshore in low cloud, the Burren limestone underfoot, no one else on the path. The trip closes the way it began at Ballynahinch: quiet, the sea on the right, the legs that brought you here.
Where You'll Eat
Where: Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna for lunch.
Order: Whatever the chalkboard says. A glass of Albariño or the natural red, depending on the plate.
When: 12:30pm, front room, window table.
Skip: A second breakfast at Gregans. You will not make Shannon comfortably and the lunch at Wild Honey is the one to keep.
What People Get Wrong
Booking a same-night transatlantic. Move to a morning flight from Shannon the next day and add a final night at a Shannon airport boutique. The Black Head walk is better unhurried.
"Black Head was the right last walk. Quiet, short, the Atlantic on one side. We did not want to leave."
Recent traveler, Portland
The Ireland Edit Take
Drop the rental at Shannon, not back in Galway. The Shannon airport return is fifteen minutes from departures and the drop is straightforward. The Galway return adds two hours and a taxi to the airport you are not flying from.
Where to Stay
Experiences
Experiences
Self-guided or guided? Here is how to decide.
You can self-drive the entire five days with this as the script. Or you can upgrade Day 2 to a private Connemara chauffeur, Day 3 to the optional Inishmore add, and Day 4 to the Cliffs private Mercedes. Same route. The guided path costs more and removes the friction on the two days that have friction worth removing.
- If self-guided: book the Doolin taxi back from Hag's Head before you start Day 4. Fifteen minutes, twenty euro. The single most important small booking on the trip.
- If upgrading: take the Connemara chauffeur on Day 2 and the Cliffs Mercedes on Day 4. Day 2 has three trailheads. Day 4 has weather risk. Both days are the ones a driver earns. Days 1, 3 and 5 self-drive comfortably.
- Optional Aran half-day on Day 3. Only add if Inishmore and Dún Aonghasa were already on the list. Otherwise the transfer day is better as a transfer day.
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