Day 3 - Connemara National Park
Today, get ready to explore Connemara National Park, one of the most spectacular places in the entire country, characterized by sweeping wild mountains, white sand beaches, and rocky hillsides. You head south into the heather-covered mountains of Maamturks, one of the two mountain ranges, along with the Twelve Bens, that make up the iconic skyline of Connemara. It’s the biggest day in the saddle and the most varied with the initial bogland giving way to rising mountain peaks as the day wears on. There’s a perfect stop halfway at the picturesque village of Leenane on the shores of the Killary fjord. Here you can enjoy lunch at your leisure, taking in the dramatic scenery of the mountains plunging into the sea. You might also consider joining a wool-spinning demonstration at the Sheep and Wool Centre. Learn the history of the local woollen industry and observe how the sheep’s wool is made into yarn and cloth. In the afternoon you’ll skirt the banks of Lough Nafooey before turning north again through the remote village of Tourmakeady with its beautiful waterfall tucked away in a cleft in the hills.
Overnight: Westport | Westport Plaza Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast
Ride Details: 93 km / 58 miles | 1,129 m / 3,704 ft elevation gain
