Top Activities / Things to do in Connemara

Sea Fishing
Some of the finest angling in Europe is available off the Connemara coast. With most of Connemara no more than 10 miles from the sea, angling is a great way to spend the day and to work up an appetite for your evening meal. Blue Water Fishing (Tel: 095 21073) have been running now for over 20 years sea fishing and sea angling charters and individual rates begin at €55.

Golfing
Connemara is a popular location for golf. Connemara Golf Club in Ballyconneely and Oughterard Golf Club offer splendid golfing facilities and both offer food and drink. For all the family why not try Glendalough 18 Hole Pitch and Putt open from morning until night and is located in Recess, just 20 minutes from Clifden town.

Horse Riding / Pony Trekking
With open countryside and dozens of deserted beaches Connemara is well suited to leisurely pony trekking for both adults and children and there are many centres locally. Errislannan Manor, Cleggan Beach Riding Centre, Renvyle Equestrian Centre and The Point Pony Trekking Centre are just some of the trekking centres in Connemara. Rates begin at around €30 per hour per person but be sure to check with individual riding centres. 

Walking & Hill Walking
An often overlooked and free activity in Connemara is walking. There’s something for every fitness level in Connemara and Connemara National Park has ‘Diamond Hill’ now a very popular walk that takes about 2 hours and has truly breath-taking views over Ballynakill Bay, The Twelve Bens and several beautiful valleys. The hill which is very accessible in Letterfrack has two circular paths which begin and end at the Connemara National Park Visitor Centre. Read a good article here on the walk >> . Apart from the Diamond there are countless other walks in Connemara. If you don’t fancy heading off yourself and making your own trail, there are several very good walking guides in Connemara. By going on these guided walks you are making the most of your holiday time, you’re learning about the landscape itself, its history and how to respect it. We recommend two walking guides ConnemaraWalks.com with local archaeologist Michael Gibbons & WalkConnemara.com with Paul Phelan– guided walks of Connemara and Mayo.

Scuba Diving
Scubadive West, Ireland's leading PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) dive school  and scuba dive centre, is located in Renvyle, Connemara. Here you can learn to dive or for the more experienced explore the dozens of dive sites this dive centre has on offer. A full day beginners course is €140.

Cycling  
Cycling is a hugely popular activity in Connemara. Bring your own bike or rent them locally at Mannion’s Bike Hire Clifden among other places. There is miles and miles of roads and tracks to explore. For the more adventurous there’s the Derroura Mountain Bike Trail Network, over 16 kms in length, expect long climbs and thrilling descents with great views overlooking the entire of Lough Corrib from the halfway point of the trails. More on this here >> 

Adventure
Connemara is perfectly suited to the much talked about adventure breaks. Locally there are two adventure centres offering the very best in great outdoors activities (weather dependant of course). The Delphi Adventure Company located in Leenane offers over 25 ocean, forest and mountain based activities with local knowledge. The Killary Adventure Company also based in Leenane, specialises in adventure activities including bungee jumping! Both companies offer activities such as rock-climbing, hill-walking, kayaking, orienteering to name just a few. See their websites for more details.

Soak up the Culture
For a true Connemara experience your visit will not be complete without experiencing the Irish culture through traditional Irish music, song, and dance. Connemara is a stronghold of Irish musical culture and in recent years there has been a major revival amongst the youth of the area and their appreciation of their national music song and dance. Trad in the West is a weekly summer show of Irish music, song and dance  (Every Monday starting at 8pm) in the Clifden Station House Theatre – not to be missed. On Tuesday from 9pm onwards in Tully, Renvyle the ‘Teach Cheoil’ (Music House) plays host to another show of the finest Irish music song and dance – also not to be missed. Apart from these seated shows, the pubs of Connemara whether in Clifden, Roundstone, Letterfrack or other villages, there is an abundance of Irish music song and dance to be seen throughout the year. Along with this there are dedicated festivals to the arts running year round. 

© Connemara Coastal Cottages - 2011

Connemara Coastal Cottages (CC Cottages www.cc-cottages.com ) will not accept responsibility for accidents, injuries or loss that might occur from following these suggested activities.