Walking Weekend in Donegal

Date: Sept 17th – 19th 2021
Cost: €295pps, Hilltoptreks Members: €265pps,
Deposit: €35 required at the time of booking.

2 nights BB with breakfast in the Nesbitts Hotel in Ardara town
1 Evening meal
Guided walk on Slieve League
Visit to the town of Glencolmcille
3 Guided walks with qualified guides.
Transport from Dublin.

Tour Description

Walking Weekend in Donegal:

Donegal sits in the very North West of Ireland and offers some of the most scenic places to walk in the country.

Slieve League

There are numerous great beaches and locations to enjoy many different kinds of walks.

On this weekend we hope to bring you to some of these places such as Glencolmcille, an old monastic site of St Columbia and where today people still go on Pilgrimage.

We will along Ireland’s highest cliffs, Slieve League and you will be able to see far out towards the Atlantic Sea and the North West Coastline.

The scenery in this part of Ireland is stunning with a rugged coastline, wild mountainous terrain and miles of sandy beaches.

The people of Donegal are very friendly and also very proud of their county. It is the home of Irish Tweed and Ardara where we will be staying is the right to look for a tweed cap or jacket. The Irish language is still spoken today in many parts of this county and its not unusual to hear it been spoken among the locals. There is also a great tradition is Irish traditional music and dance and many great places to hear it. The band Clannad and Enya are both from this county and many of their songs are in Gaeilge. Today though the most famous person would probably be Daniel O’Donnell, who mainly sings Irish ballads and country music.

Walking Weekend in Donegal Includes:

2 nights BB with breakfast in the Nesbitts Hotel in Ardara town
1 Evening meal
Guided walk on Slieve League
Visit to the town of Glencolmcille
3 Guided walks with qualified guides.
Transport from Dublin.

Pickup:

From the Molly Malone statue on Suffolk Street (Dublin) at 09:30am

If you are making your own way down we will meet you in our hotel in Ardara at 14:30

New Flexible Cancellation Policy:

If the tour is cancelled or you can’t do the tour due to the any COVID19 travel restrictions. You will get a full refund or we can postpone to another more suitable date, otherwise policy is as below.

A cancellation fee of 100% applies for cancellations made less than 7 Days in advance, or in case of no-show.
A cancellation fee of 50% applies for cancellations made less than 14 Days in advance.
No cancellation fee applies for cancellations made 2 weeks or more in advance.

Itinerary

Itinerary: Walking Weekend in Donegal

Day 1) Pickup from Dublin, travel to Donegal, Ardara and Maghera Strand.

Walking Details: Maghera strand and caves Walk – approx 5km approx 1 -2 hrs (easy)

We will travel to Ardara in County Donegal, with a stop along the way, approx 4.5 hrs travel time in total.

Ardara is a small town in the South west of Donegal and sits at the bottom of Glengesh valley, one of the most beautiful valleys in Ireland. There are some great local pubs in Ardara which have local musicians playing most nights of the week. There is also one of the best fish and chips cafes I have ever visited.

Arriving in Ardara at approx 2.30pm. We can drop our bags at the Hotel and then take a drive out to Maghera on the way we will stop to view the Assaranca Waterfall. There is a lovely easy walk here on Maghera Strand to view its caves and stretch the legs.

Return back to the hotel to freshen up before going for an evening meal at the hotel.

Day 2) Slieve League walk and Glencolmcille.

Walking Details: Slieve League – Pilgrim Path – approx 12km approx 4hrs (moderate)

Today we travel to Slieve League for one of Ireland’s epic coastal cliff walks. At a breath taking height of 596m, these are some of the highest Cliffs on Ireland’s coastline. The Pilgrim path starts from the town of Teelin and comes from the back side of the Cliffs. It is mostly an old road trail which then leads onto mountain trails. It get its name the “Pilgrim Path” from a time in Ireland during the Penal laws when Catholics were unable to practice mass and would have to travel to secret places to do so. The views from the top of the Cliffs across the Atlantic are stunning and we will make our way back following a trail which overlooks the Cliffs.

After our walk we will drop into Glencolmcille (Gleann Cholm Cille), which is named after St Columbia one of Ireland’s three patron saints. It is a beautiful small coastal town, which is also one of the many Irish speaking towns in this part of the country. There will be time to have a walk about this town to view some of it’s unique pilgrimage stones or visit the Fr Dyer village before we make our way back to Ardara.

Day 3) Ardara and the Glencolmcille Loop Walk

Walking Details: Glencolmcille Tower Loop – approx 12km approx 3hrs (moderate).

Today being our last day, we will leave early to get to Glencolmcille to enjoy a wonderful loop walk overlooking the town which opens up to the incredible views across the sea and the Donegal coastline. The walk is on very good track and slopes gently from the start towards the hills above Glencolmcille and the signal tower.

After the walk we will have some time for a snack before we leave Donegal and make our way back towards Dublin.

What to Bring

What to bring along for this walking weekend in Donegal.

N.B. Ireland’s climate is of a moderate type and suited to walking all year round. Although it is quite changeable so starting a walk on a fine clear morning may not be the case for the afternoon.

Hill walking Boots
Rucksack for walks (25L)
Walking Trousers (Not Jeans)
Waterproof Jacket and leggings
Walking Socks
Thermal top / T-shirt (Not Cotton)
Sun Cream

FAQ

About the walks and fitness levels:

All the walks are taken at a pace to suit the group.
The groups can have a mixed level of fitness and age usually.
If the weather is to bad on a certain day to do the suggested walk, then the guide will suggest an alternative one.
The Guide will have the final say on the day of the chosen walk for the safety of the group.

The Accommodation: Nesbitt Arms Hotel, Ardara

• All bedrooms are en-suite with bath & shower, tea & coffee making facilities, iron & ironing board and hairdryer.
• A comfortable lounge area, fine dining restaurant with seasonal & locally sourced food produce..
• There are live music sessions in the bars close by every weekend.
• Fresh breakfast is cooked to order with table service