Ireland
Hiking Ireland’s Coastal Northwest
Program No. 22544RJ
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Hiking Ireland’s Coastal Northwest
Hiking Ireland’s Coastal Northwest
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Participant Reviews
Based on 36 Reviews
SHOWING
This was Mike's and my very first Road Scholar trip. I must admit I was a bit nervous: had we prepared enough, could we keep up and would we get along with our fellow hikers. My trepidation was unfounded. We kept up with the group and made great friends. Our guide, Mags was absolutely phenomenal, she took great care of our group and she was fun and engaging. Our local experts Fiona, Urelia, the gardners at Glenvegh castle, and Liam were top notch and so knowledgeable! The hikes and the views were phenomenal and the difficulty of the hikes was exactly as advertised so we were ready! We were also blessed with fantastic weather for the hiking days - very little rain. It was a bit windy at times, but we were properly prepared so it wasn't an issue. The hotels were nice and the food was fantastic (in fact, I often felt bad, because I left so much on my plate). The bus transportation was very nice - we had a small group of just 10 of us plus Mags - so there was lots of room to spread out on the very, very comfortable bus. The timing was perfect - we stayed at three different locations - starting in Letterkenny, on to Donegal, Galway, and ended in Shannon. My all-time favorite hike was Slieve League Cliffs, a little sad that we had to cut the hike a bit short since one of our group got ill. Several of our group had been on other Road Scholar hiking trips and have inspired us to start dreaming and planning our next adventure. This was a wonderful way to see Ireland with a scripted tour - but not of just the "touristy" things. We bookended our trip with extra days to explore Ireland on our own (driving a car), Dublin, Belfast, Dingle, and Kinsale. It was a perfect way to spend a month learning about a very beautiful country with a long history and experiencing the "real" Ireland. Highly, highly recommend this Road Scholar trip if you enjoy hiking!
— Review left June 6, 2026
This was my first trip with Road Scholar and I was apprehensive about being with a group of 18 different, unknown fellow travelers. I have always hiked with one or at the most two different people and that has always worked. I have never hiked with a guide either. It took about a day to realize I could never discover so much without an extremely knowledgeable guide like the one leading this trip. My fellow group members were also people with a tremendous amount of life experience and had an optimistic and positive outlook on life. It was a joy to get to know them all. Every person has a story and it was fun getting to know their life stories. My partner shared these same feelings. We both concluded that we're spoiled on the Road Scholar approach to travel. We didn't have to deal with logistics at all and that goes for food, too. There were a few times when we had to buy a sandwich for lunch and there were 1 or 2 nights where we were left to our own devices to find dinner. Other than that, EVERYTHING was taken care of. This is so much better than having to figure out the myriad details that come with travel, especially in an unfamiliar place. The price was very reasonable considering all that is included in the trip: multiple guides, food, lodging, and ground transportation (not including the cost of the flights). We will be going on more of these trips in the future. Highly recommended.
— Review left June 3, 2026
Take this trip if you are a confident hiker and are eager to learn more than you can absorb about Irish history!
Our guide, Mags, was superb in every way and I can't imagine doing this trip with anyone else. The trip is a wonderful mix of wilderness hiking and urban walks.
— Review left May 31, 2026
This trip is a superb introduction to Ireland, its history, its culture, its people, and most obviously, its sometimes breathtaking scenery. Mags (Margaret Collins) is an excellent guide--warm, personable, knowledgeable, entertaining, and superb at the mundane essentials like making sure everything happens at the right time and place. Somehow she even arranged good weather. The hiking was strenuous at times, just what I wanted, and the landscapes always fascinating. Local beer and whisky were a plus, and my wife and I heard traditional music on four evenings (some nights we were just too exhausted. Mags facilitated the development of a coherent group, but the real magic was Ireland itself. Highly recommended.
— Review left May 30, 2026
Absolutely wonderful, fantastic trip. This was our very first outing with Road Scholar.
Our tour guide, Mags, was a wonderful combination of friendly, knowledgeable, and caring. She hit the right cadence of quiet time to simply enjoy the sights and sounds both on the bus and out on the hikes, and to also talk about the interesting features and history of the land and towns. We felt the headsets for the hikes were brilliant, to allow us to hear Mags even if we fell a bit behind to enjoy a view or snap a photo, and even under windy conditions.
The scenery, of course, was stunning. Our absolute favorite hikes were at Glenveagh, Horn Head, and Slieve League. The local guides at each location were fantastic.
At other sites we were fascinated by the ancient history, and the struggles of the people of Ireland up through the modern era. Thoroughly enjoyed the journey and tour of Inis Oirr island. Our local guide there, Kathleen, was a treasure of knowledge of the history and customs of the island families.
We will certainly return to Ireland for more adventures in the future!
And we will certainly be using Road Scholars again as we experience new countries.
We are so grateful to have had this experience.
— Review left May 26, 2026
Spectacular trip! Our travel companion group was wonderful. And I can't say enough good things about our leader, Shane. He was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic.
Despite unusually cold/rainy weather, we had some delightful hikes. The hotel accommodations and restaurants were top notch.
I liked our hikes. I would say they were in the moderate range. Everyone was able to set their own pace and we largely stayed together.
I would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to see Ireland and hike as well.
— Review left September 28, 2025
You can post anything from my survey answers.
This was a trip of a lifetime, both physically and educationally
— Review left September 22, 2025
Hiking the Irish coast was enjoyable, informative and enriching in many ways. I learned many things about Ireland and experienced a challenging and rewarding outdoor experience.
— Review left September 6, 2025
This trip was an outstanding hiking adventure through Western Ireland and a great introduction to the history of Ireland and its contemporary issues.
— Review left May 31, 2025
Great program, intelligently conceived and beautifully executed (of course, also having sunny warm weather while in Ireland sure helped)
— Review left May 24, 2025
This was our first Road Scholar trip and we absolutely loved it! Surprisingly perfect weather helped, but we felt the activity level was good, even though we are seasoned hikers (if we were 60 instead of 70 it might have been a bit easy). Guides and scenery were outstanding!
— Review left May 24, 2025
Wonderful trip. Blessed with good weather and a wonderful guide we enjoyed the sights and the hiking and learned a great deal about the history and the current state of Ireland. Accommodations and provided meals were all up to the standard we’ve come to expect from Road Scholar. It all left us convinced that Road Scholar is a great way to travel and with a desire to return to Ireland in particular.
— Review left October 23, 2024
Gorgeous hiking in less touristy parts of Ireland. The instructors offered rare insights into the places we visited.
— Review left October 9, 2024
Linda Howard is an outstanding trip leader and shared her knowledge freely. It was a wonderful hiking adventure on the Northwest coast of Ireland. The 4 local guides provided quality insights into their history and communities. Be sure to pack waterproof hiking boots, quality rain gear and hiking poles and you are in for an exhilarating trip.
— Review left August 24, 2024
This program is great for those who love outdoor views and love challenging hikes. It was a great way to see and learn about Ireland outside the cities.
— Review left June 6, 2024
The Northwest Ireland tour was brilliant. I had the most learning and fun experience.
— Review left May 25, 2024
The Hiking Ireland's Coastal Northwest is a fantastic experience. Away from the larger cities and in some of the most beautiful hills, cliffs, bogs and fields of rural Ireland. Sheep and deer all over the meadows! Hiking through magical areas with waterfalls, bogs and moss-covered woodlands.
— Review left May 23, 2024
What a wonderful adventure this trip was!!! Our guide Linda was just a gift in every way - patient, kind and considerate - and full of information on Irelands history and beauty. There was never a dull moment (including the ever changing Irish weather!) even the short transit rides were full of readings of Irish wit and literature, poetry and story-telling. Accommodations and food was outstanding - delightful traveling companions and bus drivers. Couldn't have had a better experience and looking forward to returning to the
Emerald Isle!
— Review left December 12, 2023
This was a great trip. Ireland has stunning scenery and the Irish are wonderful, warm and welcoming. I learned a lot and really enjoyed the entire trip. Joe was a wonderful group leader, very knowledgeable, a good teacher, friendly and helpful. The local guides for the Aran Islands and Galway were outstanding; both were exceptionally interesting and knowledgeable. The local guide for the cliffs was excellent; she was knowledgeable and communicated that knowledge clearly -- plus she stopped enough to allow the slower hikers to catch up. I appreciated that she stopped our hike because the wind made continuing too dangerous. I didn't like the local guide for Queen Maeve's Cairn; she walked too fast (although she said she'd go at an easy pace), didn't wait for people to catch up, and got so far ahead of those of us who were slower that she was out of range for our listening devices (and never noticed).
I enjoyed every place we visited and wouldn't skip any of them. I think that one day should be added to the trip to allow time to visit Yeats' grave (he's too important to Ireland to not include) and to visit a poor house (too important to Ireland's history to miss).
It's very difficult/tiring to switch hotels every other day; it made it very hard to do laundry (necessary when hiking) or to feel settled. It would be better to have at least 3 nights in 1 place, even if just once during the trip.
Construction dirt/dust in the hotels was a serious problem for people with allergies.
Overall the meals (especially the breakfasts) were delicious. I didn't think the lunches we bought for our hikes would be very good, but every place we stopped had really good choices that were tasty and reasonably priced.
Great recovery from the Shannon hotel fiasco!
— Review left November 11, 2023
Better than I expected!
— Review left September 24, 2023
The tour was great. We enjoyed the sites, the guides were well informed. The hikes were just long enough, without overdoing it and the views were breathtaking. Nice combination of ancient sites and views. The accommodations and transportation were excellent.
— Review left September 23, 2023
My sister and I took our father with us on this hiking adventure. We enjoyed the language, history, music, castles and scenery immensely. Our guide, Joe, kept us laughing and learning the entire time. He couldn't control the Irish summer weather, but he did a great job organizing everything else. I would recommend this program to anyone who loves to hike and learn.
— Review left September 7, 2023
I enjoyed the hiking adventure in Northwest Ireland tremendously! The experience exceeded my expectations. The place is stunningly beautiful and the people are lovely. Our trip guide also exceeded my expectations as did the local guides for our field trips. The day hikes were invigorating physically and intellectually. The other guests enhanced my experience. I am a solo traveler and this was so comfortable and fun for me. My recommendation is whole-hearted.
— Review left June 5, 2023
Hiking in Ireland was beautiful and interesting terrain. Linda was an encyclopedia of knowledge of her country.
— Review left May 28, 2023
Wonderful trip. The main Group Leader Linda Woods was fabulous. Filled with information about Irish culture and history as well as the hiking locations. Our local guides were also excellent. Lovely scenery, well thought out hikes and experiences. Hard to choose favorites, but I was excited to visit one of the Aran Islands and meet our enthusiastic local guide. A special thank you to LW for organizing the knitting shop visit in Galway. As a longtime knitter I enjoyed discussing patterns and traditions of Aran knitting with the shop owner. Wish the trip extended into Connemara, but that leaves something for another time. I would rank this at five star, but seem to have missed that option!
— Review left May 27, 2023
As a solo traveler on the hiking trip through NW Ireland, I felt very included in the group. Our guide, Anne, was wonderful. In addition, we had 3 other day guides that were very informative, funny, and added interest to the activity that day. Enjoyed the variety of delicious food, loved the scenery, and broadened my horizons.
— Review left September 8, 2022
This program combines scenic beauty, cultural understanding of an intriguing region, and good hiking. If you are interested in this area of the world at all, you should really consider it.
— Review left September 1, 2022
This was our first Road Scholar program and a really great introduction to the way travel and learning need are facilitated. The small group format really worked for us. I am grateful for the detailed planning and wonderful experience. This was a hiking program and the challenge was just what we were hoping.
— Review left August 30, 2022
Easy to navigate
— Review left August 15, 2022
Be sure you have a clear understanding from Road Scholar should you become ill with Covid in Ireland. The instructions provided during this tour were inaccurate and constantly changing.
— Review left August 15, 2022
I highly recommend Road Scholar for anyone wanting a great learning experience while traveling! They took care of all of our needs for the trip in terms of schedules, booking of flights, and transportation from site to site. The trip to Ireland, exploring the Northwest Coast, exceeded my expectations! Thank you!
— Review left August 14, 2022
This was a wonderful trip. We had some challenging hikes to beautiful places. I learned about a part of Ireland that I hadn’t considered before. I highly recommend it.
— Review left May 15, 2022
This year (September 2019),my wife and I made our first Road Scholar trip. I have always been a "plan my own trip" traveler, who felt group trips could not match my interests. Our west Coast Ireland hiking trip changed my mind. The hikes were lengthy, scenic, and away from the crowds. It was nice to be dropped off at one end and picked up at the other end. I could go at my own pace (slow, in order to photograph) and my wife could continue at her own pace, and have others to talk to. It was nice not to have to worry about parking, driving, reservations, etc. The group was small enough (20 of us) that everybody could get to know each other. We were all like-minded in the reason for being on the trip. One day it was cold and windy and rained - but not one person complained. We certainly plan to do more trips. The only problem is deciding which one next!
— Review left November 30, 2019
For anyone who loves hiking and exploring, who would enjoy learning about the past while taking on the challenges of the sometimes difficult but always magnificent Wild Atlantic Way along the NW coast of Ireland, this is the trip for you. Every day was different as we walked and hiked coastal trails, through bogs and sand dunes, uphill to wonderful coastal views, through castles, Abbeys and Victorian gardens, historic towns and villages and finally to one of the Aran Islands. Our guide, Anne, was an inspiring and caring leader who became our "Irish mother" for the 8 days of our travel. Local experts who were all so very well prepared and able to share their expertise added to our learning. In all, it was a wonderful, sometimes challenging and always extremely interesting learning experience. I highly recommend it!
— Review left August 29, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure, my first trip with Road Scholar. Any apprehension I had about joining the group as a solo traveler was quickly erased.
We hiked 6 to 9 miles a day along stunning coastal cliffs and green hills and fjords, getting an immersion course in Ireland’s social and political history as we went. We got a full sampling of Irish weather, including rain and wind (but we were ready for it) as well as brilliant sun. One or two nights we had time to hear traditional music at local pubs.
There were 10 of us in our friendly group – from the U.S. and Australia – plus our extraordinary trip leader Anne Leonard. You couldn’t ask for a more knowledgeable or caring guide.
All the instructors we met along our way were also sharp and eager to share their passion for culture and history. From the archaeologist who took us to an ancient portal tomb in Kilclooney to the geologist who raced us up a hill to a probable passage tomb at Knocknarea, from the man who gave us a history tour of old Galway City to the woman who told us about her childhood on Innisheer—the smallest of the Aran Islands—as we climbed up to the 14th-century O'Brien castle, they were all terrific and added immensely to our appreciation of what we saw.
Thanks for a wonderful trip.
— Review left June 16, 2019
The overall program was everything I expected and was every happy with the overall experience . The only negative was one hotel was unsatisfactory however the staff were great. One hotel was above expectations.
— Review left May 20, 2019