8-Day Private Tour – North West of Ireland

Your exclusive tour of the stunning North Causeway and Wild Atlantic West Coast.

This morning we head to the mystical Boyne Valley to soak up the tales and the folklore. This will include a tour of the prehistoric monument of Newgrange in County Meath with a dedicated tour guide specialist.

Built circa 3100 B.C it is older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.It is an exceptionally grand passage tomb built during the neolithic period and is a World Heritage Site comprising a number of Henges, burial mounds and other standing stones.

Royal Hillsborough visit

• Newgrange
• Hillsborough Castle
• Belfast Black Taxi Tour
• Belfast Grand Opera House

This morning we explore Belfast, the Capital city of Northern Ireland, Its a city with a unique, fascinating and at times turbulent history.

Belfast has many attractions including the St. Georges Market. now a food and craft market popular with city visitors.

In the afternoon we arrive at Titanic Belfast for your unforgettable Titanic Experience. On this Discovery Tour you will see how the world’s most famous ship was built and hear about the tragic personal stories forever liked to its history. In this interactive visitor centre you’ll learn about the shipbuilders and designers who built the Titanic and what happened in its last dramatic hours.

Belfast itself has a resurgent buzz to it as evident in its many lively city restaurants, shops and traditional pubs.

We start at Carrickfergus Castle on the northern shore of Belfast Lough. Its a Norman Castle from 1177 and one of the best-preserved medieval structures in Northern Ireland.

• The Gobbins Visitor Centre
• Titanic Exhibition
• Belfast Cycling Tour
• St. George’s Market

North Coast Drive – we then drive along a coastline that has some of the most stunning and breathtaking scenery in the country with the looming mountains of neighbouring Scotland only 12 miles off the coast.

We then stop at either the splendid fishing harbour of Ballintoy (a Game of Throne filming Location) or weather permitting we can brave a thrilling crossing on the nearby Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge which connects the mainland to a island towering above the Atlantic below.

We travel up to Ireland’s fantastic world-famous North Causeway Coast stopping at the mythical Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has been named as one of the greatest natural wonders in the United Kingdom. It is an area of approximately 40.000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. Due to the manner in which this basalt rock cooled, it has formed these amazing hexagonal patterned rocks.

Black Taxi Tour, Coastal Drive, Carnlough Whiskey Experience or Bushmills Tour.

We take the scenic route up the North East coast stopping at Carrickfergus Castle and then on to the pretty seaside of Carnlough and the seven Glens of Antrim.

• Carrickfergus Castle
• Rathlin Island Boat Trip
• Bushmills Distillery

Ballycastle is a small seaside town in County Antrim in the North-eastern tip of Ireland and Glens area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Visit to Grianan of Aileach – an majestic, ancient stone ring fort sitting on Greenan Mountain in Donegal. A historic site known for its extensive views and links to Celtic mythology.Its a National Monument with terraces, passages and stone walls offering panoramic views of nearby Lakes.

We’ll then meander down to Barnesmore Gap – a dramatic mountain pass in the Bluestack Mountains. Its a deep glaciated valley created during the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago.

In Donegal we visit Slieve League on the Wild Atlantic Way with some of Europe’s highest cliffs towering almost 2,000 ft above the Atlantic. These majestic cliffs offer dramatic coastal views, pilgrim paths and the challenging “One Mans Pass” ridge.

We’ll have Lunch at Biddy’s O’Barnes gastro pub for a hearty Irish lunch. This is an authentic Traditional Irish pub with open fires, cozy seating areas and the finest Guinness in Donegal. Delicious hearty meals and a great pub experience.

• Walking Tour of Derry City Walls
• Guild Hall in Derry
• Chocolate Making Tour in Castlerock
• Glenveigh National Park

After a delicious breakfast we go to Slieve League Mountain and its spectacular sea cliffs, some of the highest in Europe at almost 2,000 ft high. Here we will embark on a boat excursion to have great craic on board and enjoy the great views, and wildlife spotting from the base of the cliffs. If anyone doesn’t wish to partake on the boat trip we can also drive to the clifftops instead.

Afterwards we go in for coffees or some tasty food at the Rusty Mackerel in Teelin and sit around a turf fire.

Glenesh Pass, also known as the Glen of the spells, with its stunning views features next on the itinerary. Then its on to the beautiful tow of Ardara a town often described as the festival capital of Donegal.

While in Ardara we can visit the Maghera Caves and waterfalll, visit Ardara Distillery the and Triona and Donegal Tweed visitor centre. Here we will have lunch in Nancy’s Pub on the main Street.

We return to Donegal for an evening at your leisure to take in the atmosphere of this special town.

• Glenveigh National Park
• Teelin Pier Sauna
• Kilclooney Dolmen
• Donegal Tweed Experience
• Ardara Whiskey Tasting

Today we journey back to Dublin following a route that brings us through County Fermanagh and the town of Enniskillen, its largest town.

Marble Arch Caves Experience a fascinating natural underworld of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers while stunningly beautiful cave formations glisten all around. The cave tour consists of a 1.5 km walk through the cave and a short underground boat trip if water levels permit.

Guided Cave Tours depart from the visitor centre throughout the day.

The Cavan County Museum discover fascinating artefacts dating from the Stone Age through to the 20th century, see the ancient Killycluggin Stone, uncover Cavan’s medieval past and learn about the area’s recent past through photographs and documents in the Folklife Gallery. See what life was like on the battlefield at the World War One Trench Experience, the largest outdoor replica trench open to the public in Ireland and the UK.

Then we meander down to the Hill of Tara which is a 5,000 year old site and was once the seat of the High Kings of Ireland. It is often called the jewel in the crown of the Boyne Valley. Tara consists of numerous monuments and earthworks including a passage tomb, burial mounds , round enclosures and a standing stone believed to be the Lia Fail or “Stone of Destiny”

Return to Dublin for an evening at your leisure.

• Marble Arch Caves
• Hill of Tara

Enjoy the Dublin City Centre at your leisure.

Complimentary walking tour of Dublin city. There is a wealth of shopping destinations, museums and galleries to explore in this capital city – most within easy walking distance of each other.

Major attractions include Trinity College and the Book of Kells, which has been described as the world’s most beautiful book.

Visit St. Patricks Cathedral, Christchurch, Stephen’s Green, Dublin Castle, Phoenix Park, the world famous Guinness Storehouse Experience as well as the Jameson Whiskey Distillery and Kilmainham Gaol*.

Dublin is also awash with free museums such as the National Museum of Ireland, the National Gallery of Ireland, the Collins Barracks Museum featuring the National Museum of Decorative Arts and History and the Hugh Lane Gallery showing the works of Francis Bacon. All these museums as a bonus are free admission!

* Kilmainham Gaol and gardens are well worth a visit but please bear in mind you should book in advance in the busy season.

• Guinness Storehouse
• National Gallery of Ireland
• Book of Kells / Trinity College