We will be visiting Ireland in April, and are contemplating a day trip to Inishmore, catching the ferry from Rossaveel (we plan to stay in Galway). We see the popularity of E-bikes, but my wife has mobility issues and will not ride a bike. I see that there may be Pony Trap tour options or other options on the island - we'd love to hear what others have tried and experienced.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6522 posts
I took this tour, or one just like it, in a minivan. It was comfortable enough, the driver-guide was informative and entertaining, and we saw as much as we wanted in several hours. There were a few breaks to get off and explore on foot, including a long break to hike up to Dun Aengus, but that might be too much of a trek for your wife. (There's a cafe and gift shop, and I think some exhibits, where the vans stop.)
I can't tell from the website whether you need to schedule such a tour ahead of time, but it would be wise to contact them. Other companies may also do this type of tour, you might find them via Google.
Posted by
OP
Birmingham, AL
5 posts
Thanks, Dick. This is very helpful.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
21 posts
We took the ferry to Inishmore back in 2005 with no plans, and at the ferry a horse cart driver came up to use offering a tour to Dún Aonghasa, the ancient fort, the ride and the character of the driver was a memorable experience! I would be interested to know if these horse cart "tours" are still available.
Posted by
5 posts
After seeing some YouTube videos on it, we decided to book our family on the Aran Off-Road Experience in May:
Posted by
Granite Bay, CA
1914 posts
We took this tour :
https://www.aranponytrap.com
I loved that we did spend one night and this was the last tour for the day, so the day trippers were gone. We had Dun Aengus practically to ourselves and the island was peaceful and quiet.
I was surprised how many day trippers do arrive and bikes are everywhere! I am not very comfortable on a bike but we did rent them early and when the masses of bike riders arrived we headed in the opposite direction of Dun Aengus and we had the road to ourselves. We visited a very old cemetery and it was a wonderful experience. Maybe you could walk there? But, the pony trap was super fun and we learned a lot of history.
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
610 posts
I second the thought of spending one night to see what the island is like with fewer visitors. When we went (in May) there were vans and pony traps waiting up on the main road. The drivers were barking their offers with no obvious need for reservations - later in the summer could be different.