Connemara Walking Holiday — 7 Days

Tomorrow the walking begins. Tonight, settle in.

Arrive in Oughterard, the gateway town on the eastern shore of Lough Corrib. From Galway it's about 45 minutes by car or bus. We send detailed public-transport instructions in your pre-departure pack. If you'd prefer a private transfer, we can arrange one as an optional extra.

Collect your route notes, GPS files and maps from reception. Dinner in town.

The Western Way leaves Oughterard along the Lough Corrib shoreline, then climbs onto open moorland under the Maamturk Mountains. Blanket bog, Connemara ponies, black-faced sheep. The trail drops into the quiet Maam Valley. Keane's pub at Maam Cross for the evening.

Distance: 18km. Ascent: ~200m.

The longest and finest walking day. The trail climbs from Maam onto the shoulder of the Maamturks, then descends into the Inagh Valley — a long glacial corridor with the Twelve Bens rising sheer to the left and the Maamturks continuing on the right. You walk the old coach road its full length, almost entirely alone.

Overnight at Lough Inagh Lodge in Recess — a Victorian fishing lodge on the lakeshore surrounded by the Twelve Bens, with a serious kitchen. The setting at dusk is worth the stage on its own.

Distance: 20km. Ascent: ~250m.

The final Western Way stage follows the route of the old Galway–Clifden railway line across open blanket bog — a gentle, perfectly graded track with the Atlantic glinting in the distance. The first sight of the sea comes around midday. You walk into Clifden in the early afternoon, with two more days ahead.

EJ King's for a pint; Mitchell's for dinner.

Distance: 14km. Ascent: ~100m.

Morning transfer from Clifden to Connemara National Park at Letterfrack. The Diamond Hill loop climbs a well-made stone path to the quartzite summit at 442m. From the top: the full sweep of the Twelve Bens, Killary Fjord to the north — which you'll walk tomorrow — and the Atlantic islands to the west. The descent follows the mountain's western flank through open bog.

A 5km walk from the summit brings you to Kylemore Abbey on the shore of Kylemore Lough — a Victorian neo-Gothic castle now run by a Benedictine community, with a restored walled Victorian garden on the lakeshore. Lunch at Veldon's Seafarer in Letterfrack, then transfer back to Clifden.

Distance: 16km. Ascent: ~350m.

Transfer from Clifden to the southern shore of Killary Harbour — Ireland's only true fjord, a 15km glacial inlet cut between the Mweelrea Mountains to the north and the Maamturks to the south. The Green Road follows an old drove road along the fjord shore at water level, past mussel rafts floating in the still fjord water, with the steep mountain slopes rising sheer on the far bank.

At the head of the fjord, Leenaun sits at the water's edge. Dinner at the Leenaun Hotel — Killary mussels farmed in the fjord directly below, served with soda bread. An evening in Gaynor's pub, then transfer back to Clifden for your final night.

Distance: 18km. Ascent: minimal — the Green Road follows the fjord shore at water level.

Last breakfast in Clifden, then your scheduled transfer back to Galway (approximately 1h 30m). If you'd like to add the Sky Road and a day at Roundstone, the 8-day tour is the complete version.