CONNEMARA TRAIL ITINERARY:

1ST DAY: MONDAY
Meet at noon in Galway at the Great Southern Hotel and drive to Cloonabinnia starting point. The ride will take us through strange rock formations similar to those of the famous Burren Region, in County Clare. At the end of the day, we enjoy a lovely stop for tea on the grounds of the 13th century Aughnanure Castle, then ride the last two miles to let the horses free in their night pasture and return to the hotel in Oughterard.

2ND DAY: TUESDAY
Start around 10:30 a.m. for the impressive ride to Maam Cross. We will ride about six hours, with the morning ride taking us up in the mountains for fantastic views of Lough Corrib and the chance to see an old farmstead abandoned since the famine of the 1840s. After a picnic lunch, we will travel across one of the famed Irish bogs and end the day with a gallop on the old Galway-Clifden railway.

3RD DAY: WEDNESDAY
Start riding around 11:30 a.m. for a most beautiful seven hours ride from Maam Cross to Ballynafad. We first have the chance to examine the Maam Cross bog at close range, thanks to a road Willie has built right through the middle. After lunch on a small village green, we head up in the mountains, where we will have beautiful views of hidden valleys. At the end of the day, we stop for a refreshing cup of tea before our last gallop. We leave the horses grazing in Ballynafad and drive to Clifden, where we will be spending the next three nights.

4TH DAY: THURSDAY
Six hours of riding offers a great variety in beautiful scenery and the opportunity for long gallops. In the morning, well stop for a drink at Ballynainch Castle, ancestral home of the Martyn family. Lunch will be enjoyed by a small cottage on the old railway. The afternoon will take us past the Alock and Brown memorial, landing sight of the first transatlantic flight, and on to Ballyconneely. We return to Clifden for the night.

5TH DAY: FRIDAY
A full day on the fantastic Mannin Beach, cantering, optional jumping over small stone walls and sandy banks and swimming with the horses.

6TH DAY: SATURDAY
We spend this last day riding along the coast and then up into the mountains overlooking the sea. Our ride will end at a field near Cashel, where the horses will spend the weekend. We will drive back to Galway for the last night.

Transfers to and from the airport can be arranged at an additional cost.