Hi, 4 of us have signed up for Rick's 8 days in Ireland next September. The itinerary mentions some days walking of "2-6" or "2-8" miles. My question is how does one walk "2-8" miles? Should we expect 2 miles, 4 miles or 8 miles that day? How can you do both? We want to make sure we aren't biting off more than we can chew!
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8367 posts
I think that they give a range because some people may choose to walk more or less than the rest of the group. Remember that this is a total for the day, not a forced march all at once.
I haven't been on the Ireland tour, but I can think of some examples on other tours. For example, once we came to town for a two hour lunch/sightseeing break. There was an interesting walk around the walls of the town. Some tour members ate lunch and enjoyed sitting at the restaurant and visiting. Some tour members ate lunch and then went for the walk around the walls of the town. They were all on the same itinerary, but certainly did different amounts of walking.
There have always been options on the Rick Steves Tours that I have been on that allowed for "opting out" of some of the walking and no one minded if an individual chose to relax vs. tour something on foot. The groups are congenial and interested in you having a good time.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4389 posts
expect 8, but walk as much or as little as you wish
Posted by
Atlanta
2469 posts
I’ve been on this tour and I don’t remember any day that involved 8 miles of walking. We were in Dublin 2 nights and did the orientation walk around the city center but this walk did not compare to the walk in Istanbul which was difficult for some people to keep up. It had lots of stairs and uneven terrain.
But the 8 Days Heart of Ireland tour had no difficult days of walking.
I just looked at the tour and it is rated moderate for activity.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8437 posts
efhask, they don't always use the same hotels or restaurants, or visit sights in the same order. So mileage may vary.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11174 posts
Remember that this is a total for the day, not a forced march all at once.
Worth emphasizing Carol's comment
Posted by
3122 posts
LOL LOL LOL "not a forced march" -- you really got me with that one!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Daily activity ratings are graded into categories of Light, Moderate, and Strenuous that apply both to the whole day and to a variety of conditions. The more strenuous aspect that generated the rating could actually be uneven off-road terrain, or stairs, or standing for a significant period of time on stone and concrete, or walking further than usual with your luggage, regardless of weather. For an in-city walking tour for example, the amount of standing may be harder on tired feet than the actual walking pace.
In addition to those categories on the Itinerary, see the separate short list in of Physical Demands for some additional description.
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2184 posts
We were in our 60s when we took this tour and in my memory, it was one of the least strenuous tours we’ve taken. Some of that mileage estimate may be because where you choose to spend your free time will vary. Dingle is on a hill as is the Rock of Cashel, but they aren’t especially long walks.