Itinerary · Walking the West
Updated 20267 Days Walking the West of Ireland
Seven days lets the West breathe. Three nights at Ballynahinch in the heart of Connemara, two at Gregans on the lip of the Burren, two at Lough Eske in Donegal. The full Atlantic edge on foot: Diamond Hill, the Cliffs coastal walk, Slieve League. The order is what makes the trip work, every walking day landing before the next one starts.
The places we recommend to friends.
The Ireland Deborah returns to. Read her editorial perspective
If you want a true seven-day walking trip:
→ Fly into Shannon, out of Knock if you can, Dublin if not.
→ Three nights Ballynahinch, two Gregans, two Lough Eske.
→ Bookings: Ballynahinch riverside room, Gregans garden room, Lough Eske lake-view room.
Lock those and the Atlantic writes the rest.
Route Overview
7 Days, Three Bases, The Atlantic Edge
- Day 1: Shannon, north through Galway to Ballynahinch.
- Day 2: Diamond Hill at Letterfrack, Kylemore lakeshore.
- Day 3: Twelve Bens shoulder, Sky Road at sunset.
- Day 4: South via Galway into the Burren, Gregans by 5pm.
- Day 5: Mullaghmore loop, Cliffs of Moher coastal walk.
- Day 6: North to Donegal, Lough Eske Castle by dinner.
- Day 7: Slieve League cliff walk, depart Knock or drive Dublin.
Seven days, three bases, no walking day shorter than two hours or longer than five. The Atlantic the way it was meant to be met.
Cartography
7 Days, Three Bases, The Atlantic Edge
Ballynahinch Castle · Lough Eske Castle
Regions
2 stops
You've landed. The walking starts tomorrow. Today is the arrival.
Shannon to Ballynahinch
Land at Shannon, north into Connemara.
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 through Galway and Oughterard, into Ballynahinch by 4pm. The Recess road past the Twelve Bens 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 set their own schedule than a transfer's.
Trade-off: Four hours of driving on day one. You will be tired before the boots come off.
Guided Version· Recommended
Private transfer Shannon to Ballynahinch with a two-hour Galway stop for lunch and a short harbour walk. 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 on Day 2 if you want.
The Day
Morning
Aer Lingus red-eye into Shannon by 9:30am. Transfer collects at arrivals. Coffee and a scone at the Costa if you need fifteen minutes to come back to the world. Out of the airport by 10am.
Midday
North to Galway, 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, 45 minutes, flat, the river on your right the whole way. The first walk 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.
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, the cheese plate.
When: Kai 12:30pm. Owenmore 7:30pm, window table on the river side.
Skip: Eating in Galway 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 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.
What We'd Book First
Three bookings carry this 7-day walking trip. Lock these the same week you book Shannon.
- 1.Ballynahinch Castle, three nights, riverside room. Fills six months out for May to September. Three nights in one room is the rhythm walking demands.
- 2.Gregans Castle, two nights, garden room. Twenty rooms total. The garden rooms go first.
- 3.Lough Eske Castle, two nights, lake-view room. Knock departures save four hours back to Dublin. Two nights is the minimum for Donegal.
Boots on by 9am. The first proper walk of the trip.
Diamond Hill & Kylemore
Connemara's first headline walk.
Quick Read
What this day is: Diamond Hill at Letterfrack in the morning, Kylemore Abbey lakeshore at midday, an easy evening back at the castle.
Best way to do it: Self-drive for the freedom of timing. The N59 between Ballynahinch, Letterfrack and Kylemore is twenty minutes between each.
What you'll remember: The Diamond Hill summit, the Twelve Bens behind you, the Atlantic ahead on three sides.
Choose Your Path
Self-Drive
Drive between Ballynahinch, Letterfrack and Kylemore yourself. Forty minutes of driving across the day, all on the N59. Trailheads signposted, parking straightforward.
Who it's for: Walkers who want to set their own pace at the summit.
Trade-off: You drive after Diamond Hill on tired legs.
Guided Version· Recommended
Private Connemara chauffeur for the day. Driver meets you at the Ballynahinch lobby, drops you at each trailhead, picks you up at the far end. No car shuffles.
Why it's better: Turns Diamond Hill into a pure walk: no car key in the pocket, no thought about where the rental is.
Trade-off: Higher cost than self-drive. Save the chauffeur for the day that earns it.
The Day
Morning
Breakfast at Ballynahinch by 7:30am, the porridge with whiskey and cream. Out the door by 8:30am. Drive to Letterfrack, thirty minutes. 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 at Mitchell's in Clifden for the seafood chowder, or the Mitchell's Café at Kylemore if you prefer not to backtrack. Walk the Kylemore lakeshore on the way back, 45 minutes, flat, the abbey reflected in the water.
Afternoon
Back at Ballynahinch by 3:30pm. The fly-fishing beat on the Owenmore is open to guests, gillie included, or a slow afternoon by the fire in the library.
Evening
Casual dinner in the Fisherman's Pub at the castle, not the Owenmore. Pint of Galway Hooker, the slow-cooked lamb stew, an early bed. Tomorrow climbs again.
The Better Version of This Day
Connemara & Galway Private Chauffeur Day
Your chauffeur-guide drives Connemara 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.
Instead of shuffling the rental between Letterfrack and Kylemore on tired legs, the driver moves the car for you. Diamond Hill becomes a one-way walk.
"We did Diamond Hill and Kylemore without ever looking at a map. Best decision of the trip."
Recent traveler, San Francisco
Door-to-door from Ballynahinch. Two trailheads in one clean day. 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 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 lamb stew.
When: Mitchell's 1pm, the front room. Fisherman's 7pm, by the fire if it is lit.
Skip: The Kylemore tearoom on a tour-bus afternoon. Eat in Clifden and walk the lakeshore after.
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 at 10am, lunch at Mitchell's, the lakeshore after. The cleanest walking day we have ever had."
Recent traveler, Chicago
The Ireland Edit Take
Skip the suite at Ballynahinch and stay riverside three nights in a row. The same room is the point of the three-night base. You stop unpacking, you start arriving.
Day two of walking. The legs are in.
Twelve Bens Shoulder & Sky Road
Coastal road and a mountain shoulder.
Quick Read
What this day is: Twelve Bens shoulder walk from Benlettery in the morning, Sky Road from Clifden at sunset.
Best way to do it: Self-drive for the freedom to time the Sky Road for the light. A local guide for any Bens summit.
What you'll remember: Sky Road at sunset, the islands offshore in low tide gold.
Choose Your Path
Self-Drive
Drive to the Benlettery trailhead, walk the shoulder, drive on to Clifden for lunch and the Sky Road. About forty minutes of driving across the day.
Who it's for: Walkers who want the Sky Road to themselves at sunset.
Trade-off: The shoulder is straightforward. Any actual Bens summit needs a guide.
Guided Version· Recommended
Add a local mountain guide for a half-day Benbaun or Bencorr summit instead of the shoulder. Pickup at Ballynahinch, summit, back for dinner.
Why it's better: The Twelve Bens are a real range. A guide turns a summit from risky into the morning of the trip.
Trade-off: Only book the summit if you are a confident hill walker. The shoulder is the right call for most.
The Day
Morning
Out the door by 8:30am. Drive to the Benlettery trailhead, twenty minutes south on the N59. Shoulder walk, 6km return, about three hours. The lakes of Connemara open beneath you as you climb. Back at the car by midday.
Midday
Drive to Clifden, fifteen minutes. Lunch at EJ King's on the square, catch of the day, brown bread, a half-pint. Walk Market Street to Connemara Country Shop if you want a wool throw for home.
Afternoon
Sky Road from Clifden at 3pm. Park at the upper viewpoint, not the lower. Walk the loop counter-clockwise, 90 minutes. The eastern viewpoint above Errislannan catches the late light. Inishbofin offshore, Errislannan beneath you.
Evening
Back to Ballynahinch by 6pm. Dinner at the Owenmore at 7:30pm, the cheese course in the library after.
Signature Moment
→ Sky Road counter-clockwise at sunset. The Atlantic catching gold, Inishbofin a low silhouette, the road empty because everyone else drove it clockwise.
Where You'll Eat
Where: EJ King's in Clifden for lunch. Owenmore Restaurant for dinner.
Order: EJ King's: catch of the day, brown bread. Owenmore: the cheese course in the library after dinner.
When: EJ King's 1pm, the upstairs room. Owenmore 7:30pm.
Skip: The Bens without a map. The shoulder is signposted; any actual summit is not.
What People Get Wrong
Trying to summit Benbaun on a self-guided day. The shoulders give you the views; the summits ask for a guide. Save the summit for a return trip with a local.
"The Sky Road at sunset, the Owenmore cheese course after. The most Connemara evening of the trip."
Recent traveler, New York
The Ireland Edit Take
The Sky Road counter-clockwise. The eastern viewpoint 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.
Experiences
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. Two hours total with the Galway stop.
What you'll remember: Dropping over Corkscrew Hill into the Burren, the limestone catching late light.
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.
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· Recommended
Private transfer Ballynahinch to Gregans with a Galway lunch stop. Optional Aran ferry add from Rossaveal as a half-day if your legs want a lunar morning.
Why it's better: If you are adding Aran, a driver handles the ferry timing and you still make Gregans for dinner.
Trade-off: Aran adds an extra day inside a transfer day. Skip it unless Inishmore was already on the list.
The Day
Morning
Slow breakfast at Ballynahinch, last walk along the river if you want one. Check out by 10am. South to Galway via Oughterard, 90 minutes.
Midday
Lunch at Ard Bia at Nimmo's by the Spanish Arch. Brunch plate, glass of Albariño. Walk the Long Walk along the harbour, twenty minutes, the swans and the Claddagh.
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.
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.
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 famine cottage and on to Dún Aonghasa on the cliff edge, back through the Inis Mór bakery for lunch. Five hours on Inishmore.
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.
"We hesitated on Aran. It ended up being the morning of the 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.
Where You'll Eat
Where: Ard Bia at Nimmo's for lunch. Gregans Castle dining room for dinner.
Order: Ard Bia: the brunch plate, a glass of Albariño. Gregans: the set menu, the wine pairing, the cheese trolley.
When: Ard Bia 12:30pm. Gregans 7:30pm, the corner table on the garden side.
Skip: Eating in Lisdoonvarna. Twenty minutes from Gregans and a fraction of the quality.
What People Get Wrong
Skipping the Galway lunch to save an hour. The harbour walk is the right pace between two walking regions. 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.
The Burren in the morning. The Cliffs of Moher in the afternoon.
Mullaghmore & 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 pre-booked taxi back.
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. Park at Doolin pier, walk the cliffs south to Hag's Head, taxi back.
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· Recommended
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 turns or you do not want to commit to the coastal path on tired legs, the driver-and-boat combination still delivers the Cliffs.
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. Back at the car by 12:30pm.
Midday
Lunch at the Burren Smokehouse in Lisdoonvarna for the smoked salmon plate 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.
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.
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, the back roads through the Burren on the return.
Instead of risking the coastal path in bad weather, you see the cliffs 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.
Where You'll Eat
Where: Burren Smokehouse for lunch. McDermott's for the pre-dinner pint. Gregans for dinner.
Order: Smokehouse: smoked salmon plate, brown bread, 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.
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. The visitor centre is fine for ten minutes after the walk, not before.
"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. Fifteen minutes, twenty euro, the smallest booking on the trip and the one that prevents the only thing that can go wrong.
Clare recedes. The Atlantic widens.
North to Donegal
South to north on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Quick Read
What this day is: Drive north along the Atlantic to Lough Eske Castle in Donegal, with a Sligo lunch and a beach stop.
Best way to do it: Self-drive with a Sligo lunch stop. Four hours total driving, the longest day of the trip.
What you'll remember: Ben Bulben on your right as you cross Sligo. Yeats's mountain, exactly as he wrote it.
Choose Your Path
Self-Drive
Check out of Gregans at 9am. North via Galway, Mayo, Sligo. Lunch at Hargadon's in Sligo, twenty-minute walk on Strandhill, then on to Donegal. Into Lough Eske by 5pm.
Who it's for: Everyone. The Wild Atlantic Way north is the drive of the trip.
Trade-off: Four hours behind the wheel.
Guided Version· Recommended
Private transfer Gregans to Lough Eske with a Sligo lunch stop and the Strandhill walk handled.
Why it's better: If you do not want to commit to four hours of driving after the Cliffs walk the day before.
Trade-off: Cost. The drive is one of the more enjoyable ones in the country.
The Day
Morning
Breakfast at Gregans by 8am. Check out at 9am. North via Galway and into Mayo on the N17.
Midday
Lunch at Hargadon's in Sligo at 1pm. Oysters, brown bread, a glass of stout. Walk Strandhill beach, twenty minutes, the Atlantic on your right.
Afternoon
North on the N15 past Ben Bulben. The mountain comes up on your right around 2:30pm, exactly as Yeats described it. Into Donegal Town, on to Lough Eske Castle by 5pm. Lakeshore walk before dinner.
Evening
Dinner at Cedars at Lough Eske at 7:30pm. The lake-view conservatory, the tasting menu, the cheese trolley after.
Signature Moment
→ Ben Bulben from the N15 at 2:30pm. The flat-topped mountain on your right, the Atlantic past it, Yeats's lines coming back to you uninvited.
Where You'll Eat
Where: Hargadon's in Sligo for lunch. Cedars at Lough Eske for dinner.
Order: Hargadon's: oysters, brown bread, a stout. Cedars: the tasting menu, the cheese trolley.
When: Hargadon's 1pm. Cedars 7:30pm, the conservatory side.
Skip: Trying to fit a Slieve League walk en route. The drive is the day. Save the cliffs for tomorrow.
What People Get Wrong
Treating Donegal as a day trip from Sligo. Two nights at Lough Eske is the minimum. The Atlantic north needs an arrival night before the walk.
"Ben Bulben on the right, Lough Eske at dusk. The drive north was the surprise of the trip."
Recent traveler, Boston
The Ireland Edit Take
Lake-view room at Lough Eske, not the courtyard. The conservatory at breakfast is the photograph. The morning mist coming off the lake is the room.
Experiences
Final walk. The biggest of the trip.
Slieve League & Departure
Europe's highest sea cliffs. The closer.
Quick Read
What this day is: Slieve League cliff walk in the morning, lunch in Donegal Town, depart Knock or drive Dublin.
Best way to do it: Self-drive. The trail is signposted, no guide needed for the Bunglass-to-Eagle's-Nest section.
What you'll remember: The view from the Bunglass car park before the walk even starts. Six hundred metres straight down.
Choose Your Path
Self-Drive
Drive to Bunglass car park from Lough Eske, 50 minutes. Cliff walk to the Eagle's Nest turnaround, 6km return, two and a half hours. Lunch in Donegal Town, drive to Knock.
Who it's for: Everyone. Departure day does not need a guide.
Trade-off: None worth naming.
Guided Version· Recommended
Add a local mountain guide for the One Man's Pass full traverse. Pickup at Lough Eske, the longer ridge walk, back for the lunch.
Why it's better: One Man's Pass is the full Slieve League. A guide makes the exposed section safe.
Trade-off: Only book if you are a confident hill walker with a head for heights. Most readers turn around at Eagle's Nest.
The Day
Morning
Breakfast at Lough Eske by 7:30am. Out the door by 8:15am. Drive to Bunglass car park, 50 minutes. Stop at the lower viewpoint for the postcard. Cliff walk to Eagle's Nest, 6km return, about two and a half hours.
Midday
Back in Donegal Town by 1pm. Lunch at the Olde Castle Bar. Seafood chowder, brown bread, a pint of Guinness, the snug by the fire.
Afternoon
Knock Airport for the 4pm departure if connecting via Dublin. Or drive Dublin direct, three and a half hours, for an overnight at the Aloft before the morning transatlantic.
Signature Moment
→ Slieve League at 10am. The Atlantic six hundred metres below, the cliffs running west to the horizon, the only sound the wind off the sea.
Where You'll Eat
Where: The Olde Castle Bar in Donegal Town for lunch.
Order: Seafood chowder, brown bread, a pint of Guinness. The snug by the fire if it is empty.
When: 1pm, the back room.
Skip: The One Man's Pass full traverse without a guide. The Eagle's Nest turnaround is the right end-point for self-guided walkers.
What People Get Wrong
Booking the same-day transatlantic from Knock. Connect through Dublin overnight and fly home the next morning. The Slieve League walk is better unhurried.
"Slieve League closed the trip the way it should. We did not want to leave the cliff."
Recent traveler, Portland
The Ireland Edit Take
Stop at the Bunglass lower viewpoint before the walk. The car-park view is the postcard. The walk is the photograph.
Where to Stay
Experiences
Experiences
Why three bases on a 7-day walking trip.
Each base anchors a different Atlantic chapter. Two nights is the minimum that lets a walking day breathe. Three at Ballynahinch is the difference between visiting Connemara and arriving in it.
- Connemara: Diamond Hill, the Bens shoulder, the Sky Road. Three nights at Ballynahinch, three walks.
- Burren: Mullaghmore and the Cliffs coastal walk. Two nights at Gregans, two walks.
- Donegal: Slieve League and Lough Eske lakeshore. Two nights at Lough Eske, the trip's closer.
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