A Day in Scenic Connemara
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Port
Galway, Ireland
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$234
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 7 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
Depart from the pier in Galway and drive via Oughterard and Maam Cross into the magnificent Connemara countryside. The rugged landscape of Connemara offers beautiful and contrasting scenery. Majestic mountains rise steeply from an earth of contrasting rock and boglands, with many lakes and rivers. Artists from all over the world come to paint this landscape with its ever-changing light.
Your first stop today is at Kylemore Abbey & Victorian Walled Garden. The abbey was originally built in 1868 and is now home to Irish Benedictine nuns. Nestled at the base of Duchruach Mountain on the northern shore of Lough Pollacappul in the heart of the Connemara Mountains, it is regarded as one of Ireland's most romantic buildings. The nuns have always used the garden with a deep desire to restore it to its former glory. Restoration began in September 1996 and today, the formal flower garden is quite beautiful. Two glasshouses have been reinstated, and the kitchen garden is once again productive, if not entirely weed-free. Every year, the standard of gardening gets closer to Victorian perfection. Enjoy some free time to purchase lunch in the café using a prepaid voucher (included).
Reboard your motorcoach and sit back and relax as you watch the ever-changing landscape of this truly wondrous place as you journey through Recess, Derryneen, Maam Cross and Spiddal.
Arriving back in Galway, you'll understand why Connemara is regarded as the Emerald of Ireland.
Notes:
Tour sequence may vary. You will receive a voucher for lunch at Kylemore Abbey and will have free time to enjoy it on your own. A shuttle transports you between the visitor center and the walled gardens. Walking within the grounds is at guests' discretion. Terrain includes even and uneven surfaces, flagstones, gravel, and steps.