Client Reviews

Pre-Trip Service
Had very good communication about the trip.

Trip Comments
Brilliant trip all round. The one hiccup was when the water was unfortunately cut off from the Mail Reidh Hotel one morning. Loved the countryside and the food. The trip members lovely. Our guide Calliam perfect. The weather was great too apart from the day of the Fjord Walk. But we knew it was going to be wet so we were well covered. I can’t get over how much greenery and water there was. A real privilege to be walking on these remote mountains.

Accommodation and Food
The hotels were great. All different but all fantastic had service and we had lovely meals in the first and last hotel. On the whole the other restaurants we went to were great too lots of lovely local food. The one not so good restaurant was the seafood place we went to on our first night in Maol Reidh. The service was very slow and the food not up to the standard of all the other places. Had a great lunch at The Misunderstood Heron food truck. A treat.

Your Guide
Calliam was the perfect guide, very knowledgeable about plants, the countryside and the walks. He always kept a good pace to suit all members of the group. He was alway ready to answer any questions and even took us to a lovely beach for a swim/paddle. Also picked great routes up and down for our walks.

The Bottom Line
A brilliant trip with a fantastic company, guide and such beautiful countryside.
We were lucky to have fabulous weather for the most part too!

Pre-Trip Service
I found that my pre trip inquiries were always quickly taken care of

Trip Comments
Our, guide, Tom was excellent. Sandy and I were the eldest of the group and often were at the back of the pack on the trials. Tom always came back to check on us and gave us great support, especially on our accent of Mount Djouse. Our week with Wilderness Ireland was a trip of a lifetime!

Accommodation and Food
Our accommodations were better than we had expected based upon our past experience and the food was great. Most places handled our dietary needs (gluten free meals) without a problem.

Your Guide
Again Tom was great! I can't say enough positively to reflect how much I enjoyed his knowledge and support during our week with the tour. The highlight was Tom's impromptu concert at the Enniskerry Inn pub

The Bottom Line
The difficulty rating that Wilderness Ireland gives to its tours maybe slightly lower than the trip may really be. This was based upon our experience with day 2 of the Wiklow Way tour.

Pre-Trip Service
Very helpful staff. Very professional and knowledgeable and everyone I dealt with in the team dealt with any questions I had in a polite and reassuring manner.

Trip Comments
The walks were well planned and the guide ensured that everyone in the group was looked after and enjoyed each day.

Accommodation and Food
Good food and accommodation. Packed lunches good as well.

Your Guide
The guide was first class and could not have been more helpful.

The Bottom Line
Wilderness Ireland staff were so helpful from the minute that I enquire do about the trip and throughout the booking process. Nothing too much trouble!
The trip was so memorable in many ways. Lovely walks,food, accommodation and company.

Pre-Trip Service

Trip Comments
Beautiful green rolling landscapes, stone-wall-lined lanes and fields dotted with sheep and cattle, fun and interesting travel mates, great food and drink plus unbelievably nice weather made our 5-Countries bike trip very memorable and satisfying. Carefree active holidays don't get any better than this!

Accommodation and Food
Pub lunches every day were great, but a lunch in the field once or twice would have been OK too, especially on the longer days. There was an interesting mix of accommodations. We especially enjoyed the ones that were set out in the countryside. We were always well fed and never had a bad meal. Sampling the local foods, beers and gins was great.

Your Guide
We've done quite a bit of supported outdoor travel over the years and Ben and Simon are second to none when it comes to Guides! They made our lives easy, they adapted smoothly to every challenge, they were a wealth of knowledge and they're both just really fun guys to be around.

The Bottom Line
This was a really fun trip! The route was interesting, scenic, challenging enough and the choice of roads (appropriate for biking) was excellent. We loved the winding country lanes, stone walls and hedgerows, grand vistas, awesome descents and even the super-steep climbs. With so much to see along the way each day, we'd like to have been able to slow time down to better soak it all in. Our guides, Ben and Simon, were true professionals. They made our lives carefree so we could just ENJOY!

Pre-Trip Service
Speedy, helpful, resourceful assistance.

Trip Comments

Accommodation and Food
Our accommodations in the town of Dingle were no less than excellent, and the breakfast presentation was astonishing.

Your Guide
Tom was the total package of a fine guide, from patience, knowledgeability, tolerance, flexibility, and seasoning to a well-honed sense of humor, generosity, and fine musicianship.

The Bottom Line
Final verdict is big thumbs up all across the board. Everyone involved from start to finish went above and beyond with good grace, humor, and expertise.

Pre-Trip Service
Communication from Erin and Louise was excellent . We booked far enough in advance that hearing from them and getting reminders was nice. The final trip information from Erin was excellent.

I assume that almost everyone from outside Ireland flies into Dublin so some specific web sites for bus and/or train to get to Galway the pick-up point would be nice. We did fine but I wonder if we could have been more efficient . We took a taxi to Heuston rail station and then a train to Galway.

Trip Comments
Georgia is the gold standard for guides. She modified our itinerary as necessary. She adjusted for a rainy day and swapped a climbing day with a long hike day. Georgia even helped my wife and I mutiny on the last day hike to Crough Patrick and set up a bike ride for me and gave great tips for my wife explore Westport.

The hikes were excellent. Georgia set a good pace and was both friendly and informative. By the end of the week it felt like we were one family, which is a testament to how warm and friendly Georgia was the entire week.

The selection of B&B and hotels was excellent. Great locations and warm local atmosphere (ie. pubs)

Accommodation and Food
The accommodations were great. The breakfasts were all good and dinner selections were fantastic.

Georgia was excellent at getting lunches for the hike. The magic van that never seemed to need petrol, quick and tasty local sandwich shops and we were on our way. She made it look easy.

Your Guide
As stated, Georgia set a gold standard. She set the right hiking pace, adjusted and necessary and made it all look easy.

The Bottom Line
Wilderness Ireland is not cheap but the overall experience was more than worth it. A vacation to remember. I would book again.

Pre-Trip Service

Trip Comments

Accommodation and Food
We stayed in three places. I'd rate the Woodhill manor house in Ardara as average (though the food was very good), the Shandon in Dunfanaghy as very good, but the Rathmullan House was excellent (lodging, service, food and beer)

Your Guide
Duncan and Graham could not have been any more informative, helpful, cheerful and generally brilliant for the tour. They are immensely talented men and we were lucky to have had them

The Bottom Line
It was a first rate experience from start to finish. Biking in Donegal truly is one of those once in a lifetime experiences, with challenging routes, breathtaking scenery, wonderful people, and comforts beyond expectations. It should not be missed!

Pre-Trip Service
I called and spoke to Louise to understand about the fitness requirements for the trip and other logistical details. Louise was only too happy to help and provided additional information regarding ascents and train times.

Having spoken to my guide Georgia during the trip, I understand that the ascent figures provided to me were incorrect (too high) but this was not a big problem as it only meant I worked on my fitness more before the trip!

Trip Comments
While I enjoyed every day, my highlights of the trip mainly due to the best weather of the week and the wonderful views were the ascents to Mweelrea and Croagh Patrick. Both were tough going at times but Georgia, our guide kept us going at a decent pace with sufficient rest breaks for the whole group.

Accommodation and Food
The various accommodation we stayed at ranged from the very homely and personal Quay House to the more upmarket hotel experience at the Westford Plaza Hotel. I enjoyed every place we stayed and the breakfast was great at each place.

Your Guide
Georgia was a wonderful guide and I was very lucky to be in a small group meaning Georgia could get to know us better and accommodate all of our wishes. I believe we all got on quite well and it was nice that Georgia joined us for all the meals.

The walks were great and Georgia seemed to know the hidden/less common trails and areas which meant for most of the walks we did not encounter other people which I particularly appreciated. She also had an encyclopedic knowledge of Irish history, wildlife and fauna which she imparted to us during the walks.

Furthermore, kudos to Georgia for her driving skills too manoeuvring the big van winding down the country roads.

The Bottom Line

Pre-Trip Service
The website was informative and that was what got us interested initially. We originally booked on the Wild Atlantic Way Trip, which didn’t run; but when we changed to the Donegal Trip, we were given lots of advice and support on the best way to fill the time we had in Ireland before the trip began. That was really useful.

Trip Comments
We really benefited from the enthusiasm, professionalism and local knowledge of our two guides. They were a font of knowledge about all things Irish; stories, culture, history and environment. The cycling was great and it also enabled us to see the beautiful diversity of the Irish landscape.

Accommodation and Food
Previously we had stayed mainly in small BandBs. This accomodation was different, both to the BandBs and to each other. It had plenty of comfort and character and was sometimes a little bit quirky.

The food was plentiful and always good.

Your Guide
Both our guides were excellent. They love what they do and were totally professional. All our needs were catered to, both on and off the bikes. This was particularly true when Richard was sick one day and our guides did everything they could to facilitate his recovery and provide all the things that he needed, such as late check outs or early check ins.

They were both fun, with great senses of humour.

The Bottom Line
It was a great trip and a great experience. We had lots of fun and felt totally supported. We would not have been able to plan such an enjoyable trip without the benefit of your local knowledge.

The only one comment we would make is that it’s a pity that the jersey didn’t have more of an Irish design. After all, Ireland was where we wanted to go and the trip really made us feel that we really experienced it.

Pre-Trip Service
Overall clearer info upfront. The what to pack was really helpful but the info on meals wasn’t quite clear. We definitely did not need to bring all the energy bars we did as we weren’t responsible for rounding up the packed lunch - that was arranged. Similar with reservations on the nights we buy dinner - super helpful and would rather know up front. Minor stuff that helps clarify what to expect and what to plan.

Trip Comments

Accommodation and Food
Cold shower at one spot; a bit dirty and a worn at another (offset by the great views), but overall we weren’t bothered because we were having a lot of fun. Tartine restaurant a fav, one of the pubs I wouldn’t do again though the name we can’t recall.

Your Guide
Where do we begin. Liam was fabulous. Full of history and facts, full of laughs, good at knowing our energy levels and pacing even without asking. Working dynamics of a very small group can be tricky- by 1 day in the 4 of us felt like old friends. We wanted Liam in all our group pics.

The Bottom Line
We’ll be back. May need to bring our kids next. Would love to have Liam.