Programme
Day 1 | Meet at the airport at 5.30am for Ryanair flight to Shannon departing at 7.30am. On arrival, meet up with representative at airport and transfer to Westport. Midway stop at Galway, one of the brightest and most intriguing jewels of the West of Ireland. The city is wild and bohemian, and at the same time full of culture, artistry, exceptional food and music. As well as being a popular seaside destination with long sandy beaches, Galway is also a thriving and cosmopolitan city centre. It is always a joy to explore with its wonderful cobbled streets, colourful shop facades and offbeat café/bar culture.
Check in and free time to explore the area. Westport town is a pleasant 15 minute walk away from the Bed and Breakfast and it is lined with colourful flowers, traditional shop fronts, pubs and restaurants.
Day 2 | Breakfast followed by an optional excursion to Erris Head, offering a stunning trek through spectacular scenery. This loop will take you on grassy paths, earth banks and open ground around the steep cliffs of Mayo’s rugged and beautiful Erris Head. At the Head’s northernmost tip a railed viewing point gives views of Illandavuck Island, Pigeon Rock and dramatic sea arches.
Erris Head is a conservation area with an abundance of diverse flora and fauna. Irish crows (or choughs) and fulmars nest on the mountains while gannets and guillemots fish the waters. You may be lucky enough to see a couple of hares boxing in the grassland or view the Bottlenose dolphins, porpoises, and seals in the Atlantic Ocean below.
Day 3 | Breakfast followed by an optional cycling excursion along the Great Western Greenway. This cycling trail is one of Ireland’s fastest growing and most sought-after tourist attractions. The Greenway traverses Ireland’s Atlantic coast between Westport town and Achill Island and passes through the quaint towns and villages of Newport and Mulranny. Offering mild gradients courtesy of its initial beginning as a railway line, the trail is lined with magnificent landscape backdrops such as Clew Bay, Clare Island, the mythical holy mountain Croagh Patrick and the dramatic Nephin Mountains.
You will travel through bogs, woodlands and active farmland, while spotting wildlife and flora. The Greenway has something unique for each and every visitor. In fact the multi award winning Great Western Greenway was voted one of the top three cycling trails in the world by the New York Times.
Day 4 | Morning at leisure in Westport. Westport is a charming small town with fabulous, picturesque views. Just a 10 minute drive away from the bed and breakfast is Westport House, a grand country estate. Designed by the architects Richard Cassels and James Wyatt in the 18th century, Westport House is situated in a parkland setting with a lake, terraces, gardens and views overlooking Clew Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, Achill, Clare Island and Ireland’s Holy Mountain, Croagh Patrick. In the afternoon, transfer to Shannon Airport for our flight departing at 5.25pm. Land in Malta at 10.10pm.