Northern Irish Extreme Lighthouse Tour 2012
8 day tour August 20th to 28th €995 per person
FULLY BOOKED. SOME SPACES LEFT ON SOUTHERN TOUR
Spend 3 nights at Blackhead Lighthouse
| Limited to 9 people |
fully booked, no places left |
There is only the one Northern Irish Lighthouse Tour in 2012
Go with Tommy Hartnett a qualified Irish bus driver to the lighthouses of the north coast of Ireland with John Eagle author of the Collins Press book 'Ireland's Lighthouses ~ A Photo Essay' Included in the price is accommodation, breakfast, boat trips, lighthouse visits, bus, driver and John Eagle |
| 8 day tour starting near Ennis in County Clare. 20th we meet up at the Clare Inn, or if you prefer we can arrange to pick you up at Shannon Airport and then take you to the Clare Inn where we will become acquainted with one another over supper which is included in the price. After supper I will present my slide show of Irish lighthouses. |
| Day 1 August 21st we head north to Galway for a tour of Mutton Island, which is a recently restored lighthouse no longer in operation. We need special permission to go there. If this isn't possible we go to the Aran Islands, passing Straw Island lighthouse and landing on Inishmore where we can visit the old lighthouse |
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| After our tour we head north through the hills of Connemara where the John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara movie 'The Quiet Man' was filmed. We travel up the west coast into Mayo and to our destination near Blacksod lighthouse. This area is windswept, friendly people, lots of sandy beaches and four lighthouses. We will visit the lighthouse at Blacksod after dark, which is very exciting! |
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Eagle Island |
Blackrock |
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Blacksod |
Broadhaven |
| Day 2 August 22: We spend the day in the Belmullet Peninsula. Blacksod is the only square lighthouse in Ireland. We will see it daylight after our introduction the evening before. If the weather allows us we take a boat out to visit Blackrock and Eagle Island. Back on land we go to visit Broadhaven. We will be staying in Blacksod for 2 nights as there is so much to see here in this beautiful part of County Mayo, also giving you time to soak it up and write some postcards home. |
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The Metal Man |
Oyster Island |
| Day 3 August 23rd: we head for Rosses Point in Sligo where we view the Metal Man and Oyster Island. We can also see, at a distance, Blackrock. We then head further up the west coast through Bundoran to Killybegs, one of the biggest fishing ports in Ireland, for our bed for the night. |
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St John's |
Arranmore |
| Day 4 August 24th: we take a tour of the lighthouses of Donegal, such as St. Johns and Rotten Island, Arranmore and then over Lough Swilly by ferry to Buncrana, and up to Malin Head where we will see both Inishtrahull and Fanad at a distance, and Inishowen up close and personal. We spend the night on the Inishowen peninsula |
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Buncrana |
Inishowen |
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Day 5 August 25th: In the morning after breakfast we take the ferry from Greencastle over to Derry and go make the short ferry crossing over to Rathlin Island to view the lighthouses there like Rathlin West seen here |
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On our return to the mainland we explore the coast of Antrim, visiting the Giant's Causeway and then Chaine Tower (above) and goto Blackhead lighthouse for the next three nights, below. We might go straight from Rathlin Island to Blackhead and see The Giant's Causeway and Chaine Tower the following day, all depends on how we get on at Rathlin Island. Whilst at Blackhead we will go into Belfast for a look around.
The nights of August 25th 26th and 27th will be spent at the Keeper's Cottage of Blackhead lighthouse |
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Blackhead |
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Day 8 August 28th: We head south to Donaghadee to see the lighthouse
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then make our way down the east coast, calling in to visit St Johns Point lighthouse, the only yellow and black lighthouse in Ireland. Watch out for lots of small lighthouses along the way before and after St. Johns. There is a charming little ferry crossing at Strangford. |
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Mountains of Mourne |
Ardglass |
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| After our visit to St. Johns we make our way south through the lovely Mountains of Mourne to Howth, where we will spend the last night of the tour. The harbour has an old and new lighthouse on the pier. |
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| The Baily and the lantern |
August 29th: After breakfast at the King Sitric in Howth, where we have spent the night, we visit the Baily lighthouse for a guided tour, (above) then take you into Dublin and leave you off at places suited to your place for the night. You might like to visit Poolbeg lighthouse, which can be reached after a lovely walk at the mouth of Dublin harbour. |
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Price includes visits to all lighthouses, places to stay with breakfast, boat trips, bus and driver |
The 2012 Northern Extreme lighthouse tour is fully booked |
| Boat trips are weather permitting, I will do my level best to get you out on the water but in some cases the seas might be too rough |
| Also see the Southern Extreme Irish Lighthouse Tour please click here |
| All photographs © John Eagle Photography |
