Connemara. A timeless land of wild beauty. Famous for
its spectacular scenery. This is a region of contrasting landscapes. Dramatic mountains, silent lakes, rust
coloured bogs. The countless colours of the landscape change constantly beneath the shifting sky. It is a wilderness of extraordinary beauty, bordered by the
Atlantic Ocean.

The Connemara Trail began 1968.
It is the oldest trail ride in the world.The trail crosses the most wild and beautiful scenery that Ireland has to offer.
Riding is available from May to October.
Riders are in the saddle for four to six hours per day.
Lunch is eaten on the trail.

The trail takes the riders past the ruins of cottages abandoned since the famine, in the 1840's, which decimated the Irish population. As the trail winds its way through the spectacular scenery the view is magnificent, spanning the horizon is the vast expanse of Lough Corrib, the largest lake in southern Ireland. After lunch the ride continues through the mountains, traversing the bogs and rocks and wading through streams. Way below the trail is the 'Quiet Man Bridge', made famous by the John Wayne movie. The day ends with the first of many canters along the abandoned Galway to Clifden railway line. At the end of the day the horses are turned loose into a lakeside pasture while the riders travel to their accommodation.

Having spent the night at the lakeside pasture at Maam Cross the horses are refreshed and ready to begin the ride from Maam Cross to Ballinafad. The first stage of the ride goes through Willie's land at Maam Cross, where a path takes the riders alongside the beautiful Lough Sindle and past the remains of a long forgotten lime kiln, hidden in a grove of hazel trees.
Some of the trees in the area are ancient, yet they remain tiny, bent by the harsh Atlantic winds that batter this area during the winter. Lunch is eaten on a small village green, while the horses graze.

After lunch it is back into the saddle for the final stage of the days ride, through silent woodlands and through the beautiful Inagh Valley. On a clear day riders can see right over the spectacular Connemara landscape to the coast at Rosmuc. The day ends with another canter along the old Galway to Clifden railway line, before the horses are turned out in a pasture at Ballinafad, before the riders return to their accommodation.

There is a long canter along the old railway line. The grassy track is great fun for a long canter. The horses are set free on the edge of bogland close to Clifden while the riders eat lunch.

Then it is back into the saddle for the afternoon ride which goes along a grassy track close to Clifden and then heads inland over the Roundstone Bog, site of the landing of the historic flight of Alcock and Brown, who piloted the first transatlantic biplane and the site of the Marconi wireless station. Then we follow the coast to the seaside pasture where the horses will spend the next few nights. The riders then head to their accommodation in Clifden where they will spend the next few nights.

Thursday

This is a full day spent on the fabulous Mannin Bay beach. There is mile after mile of sandy beach where riders can gallop and jump over the small stone walls and sandy banks.

This is an unforgettable day. Riders are welcome to swim their mount in the clear water of the ocean. It is a unique and very special experience as the horse begins to swim under you. The horses dry off and rest in a beach side pasture while the riders eat a picnic lunch on over the beach over looking the ocean. Then it is back into the saddle for another ride along the beach to discover more of the wonders of this coastline.

Friday

The ride begins at the sea and ends at Toombeola, inland over the mountains.
The ride follows the coastline, passing small farmsteads, where generations of small farmers have lived and worked. The coastline is beautiful, the water often the colour of a tropical sea. The ride continues into Errisbeg mountain along an old grassy track before our lunch stop, which is eaten in the mountains, overlooking the pasture where the horses eat. Then they are saddled for the ride that takes us high into Errisbeg mountain high above the seaside village of Roundstone. Watch out for the leprechauns that are known to inhabit this area. Below is the stunning scenery of Dogs Bay, which curves out into the Atlantic Ocean. The horses spend the night in a pasture at Toombeola while the riders travel back to Clifden for the night.

Saturday

The riders are collected from Clifden for this, the final day of the trail.
After the horses have been saddled the ride heads straight up into the mountains overlooking Cashel Bay. The trail today goes through the mountains right around the beautiful bay, past long abandoned villages, where the potato ridges still remain, a memory of a long forgotten way of life. Lunch is eaten close to the small village of Cashel while the horses graze.

	Then the horses are resaddled for the final leg of the trail which takes the riders through Cashel and then along the coastline around Cashel Bay to Willie's Mountain, Shanndonnell, where the ride ends. The horses are unsaddled and set free into the mountain pasture while the riders travel back to Galway for a welcome drink.

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