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Lodge or B&B as a Base in Connemara with access to hiking trails right from the lodge

I'm in the very beginning stages of planning a potential itinerary for Ireland. I'm going to focus on Connemara then head to Northern Ireland. This post isn't about my itinerary but about where to base myself in Connemara and whether there are options to get around without a car.

My plan would be to take a bus directly from the Dublin airport to Galway then have a taxi or private driver pick me up in Galway and drive me to my accommodation. I'd like to find a lodge or B&B near the west coast which would be my base for about 3-4 nights. It should have access to hiking trails so I can mostly hike all day and go back to the lodge for meals. I really don't want to rent a car. I'm traveling solo and I'm not too keen on driving on the left side nor can I drive a stick shift.

So my question is, does anyone know of a lodge or B&B which has hiking trails right near it and maybe some options to get around without a car such as buses or private drivers? I'd only need a ride to/from the hiking trail.

After the west coast, I'd go to Sligo for 2 nights then to Belfast. Get a tour from Belfast to Giant's Causeway. Then bus to Dublin for a few nights.

My main goal is just to do some hiking and maybe see a bit of scenery. I'm not trying to do a full blown tour of Ireland nor see everything.

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3165 posts

My suggestion is to take a look at the All Trails website to get an overview of the various hiking options available in the general vicinity ... of which there are plenty. I've always found their previews and user comments regarding degree of difficulty, etc. of the hikes to be on the mark. Choosing a central base to operate from would then be pretty straightforward I think.
A couple of options that come immediately to mind are any of the Aran Islands - which you can reach by ferry from Galway town, or the very pretty little island of Inishbofin which you can reach by ferry from the village of Cleggan. There are several nice hikes over there and you'll have them pretty much all to yourself ... especially after the last ferry of the day departs.
Connemara National Park is quite pretty too, and basing yourself in Clifden would be a good choice.