Hello
I am a new member planning a 3-4 week trip to Ireland in August focussing on walking. I am a senior citizen, so am not interested in mountain climbing. Could you please suggest 3-4 towns or small cities reachable by public transportation in which I could base and do day walks of 15-20 kilometer. Prefer that the walks be easy to moderate. Scenery does not have to be spectacular, just some places where I can experience nature and the beautiful Ireland countryside. Also, would the Aran Islands be suitable to stay for a few days to do walks? Thank you all for your help
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
1012 posts
Last summer I spent my last night in Drogheda, and at check-in the receptionist asked if I was doing the Camino. What? It's a little longer than your daily range, but I'm sure you can figure out how to make it work. Drogheda is an hour's bus ride north of the DUB airport. The Marcy Hotel is central and has small, clean, comfortable rooms (especially for one person). You might ask for one at the back, as my room overlooking the street had a little noise and occasional cigarette smoke coming in through the partly open window. Here's the link: https://www.discoverboynevalley.ie/plan-your-visit/things-to-do/boyne-valley-camino
The Great Western Greenway might be worth taking a look at, as well. It originates in Westport, which is at the end of one of the train lines from Dublin. https://www.greenway.ie
Posted by
1779 posts
Have you considered Killarney and its Killarney National Park? The town itself is not memorable but the park is. https://www.nationalparks.ie/killarney/. Killarney is accessible from Dublin by train.
Posted by
Ithaca, NY, USA
830 posts
Second vote for Killarney National Park. We spent the day there a few weeks ago and it is absolutely beautiful. Trails for all different levels of hikers. There’s also Abbey Ruins and Muckross House and Farms (the nicest open air museum I’ve been to) in the portion of the park close to Killarney—if you’re looking for a bit of a break from just walking.
I haven’t stayed overnight on the islands but wish I had! It’s easy to get to Galway by public transport and the ferry terminal is not far from the train station (the entire downtown area is quite walkable). I’m not sure whether there’s enough walking for several days on Inis Mor, but absolutely enough for 2 days. We loved it there.
We stayed in lovely accommodations within walking distance of the train stations in both Killarney and Galway and I’m happy to provide details if you’re interested.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all for your valuable information. I need to now do quite a bit of planning. Definitely going to the islands