Western Ireland - The Burren and Aran Islands

May TBA, 2011
$ TBA plus airfare
* Please see price note below

A rare chance to combine the fabulous flowers of the Burren with an exploration of this lovely part of Ireland, including a two-night stay on the beautiful Aran Islands.

The Burren, from the Gaelic An Bhoireann, meaning a stony place, is a plateau of carboniferous limestone. Worn bare by the last glaciation, only 15,000 years ago, the bare rock forms an amazing landscape of limestone pavements cut by gullies, swallet holes and underground rivers and caves. The area is renowned for these rock formations and its relics of ancient civilisations, but is best known for its unique and rich combination of Mediterranean and Arctic-Alpine flora. Here can be found together such gems as Spring Gentian and Mountain Avens, with oddities like a pure white form of Common Spotted Orchid. The gullies between the limestone pavements harbour rare ferns, including Maidenhair Fern, and the whole area is an exciting plant-hunting ground, with several endemic insects.

To the south, the spectacular Cliffs of Moher harbour superb seabird colonies, complete with Chough and Peregrine, and there is always a chance of whales and dolphins offshore. The area has much evidence of man's past, with megalithic tombs, portal dolmens, ring forts, round towers and castles.

We'll also be making a two-night visit to the delightful Aran Islands. We first visit Inishmaan, perhaps the quietest of the islands, and then travel across to Inisheer, where we stay for two nights at our friend Bríd Póil�s guest house, with superb views over the island and across Galway Bay and the mainland. Bríd will be determined to ensure that we don�t starve during our stay!

The islands are made of limestone, and have many of the Burren plants, but the unique landscape of tiny gateless fields with high stone walls seems much further back in time. Birds here include Red-billed Choughs and pleasingly numerous Cuckoos. But the charm of the islands lies mainly in their remoteness, and lack of traffic - we'll be on foot during our stay.

We start and finish the holiday at Shannon Airport.

Accommodation: On the mainland we stay at an excellent, small, family-run inn in Lisdoonvarna, with all rooms en suite.
On Inisheer we stay at a guest house with views over the island. Here rooms are mostly en suite, but we regret that single rooms are unavailable, although we may be able to find one or two at other guesthouses on the island.

Travel: We meet at Shannon Airport, which gives clients the option of travelling from their local airport, or by their own transport if wishing to combine the tour with a longer stay. We'll aim to arrive and depart early afternoon on the first and last days. Please do not book your flights before consulting us about the flight times!

Leader: Liz Charter

Numbers : Max. 14 clients

The price per person includes 7 nights' accommodation, meals from supper on day 1 to lunch on day 8, coach or minibus transport, round trip ferry crossing to Inisheer, admissions, tips, and the services of the leaders. The price does NOT include travel to and from Shannon airport, holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.

* Please note price is based on the pound sterling as of TBA and can fluctuate depending on the value of the U.S. Dollar to the pound sterling. The final price will be based on the exchange rate in effect at final billing, 90 days prior to departure.