Barry's Guided Tours

The Bangor Trail tomorrow...

Cross Abbey, on The Mullet Peninsula. A beautiful little site with great views and the start point for a pleasant easy 6k walk.

Dún Briste on a sunny day. #WildAtlanticWay

West Mayo sunset, June.

Snipe Drumming

A sound of the summer to come. Get outside into boggy, marshy terrain and see if you can hear the magical sound of the male Snipe drumming. Typically, but not limited to, around dusk or dawn. Listen carefully. From Birdwatch Ireland's website : "During display flights over the nesting territory, they make an eerie goat bleating sound - this is called drumming and it is produced by stiff feathers sticking out at the tail sides, which vibrate as the bird flies in a roller coaster pattern in the sky."

Dolphins in Blacksod Bay

Bottlenose dolphins entertained us on the way out to beautiful Iniskea one day several years ago. Watch til the end!

Along the south coast of Achill Island.

People ask me, perfectly reasonably, why I sometimes announce overseas tours without exact dates. Well, let me tell you. First, Ryanair. This autumn / winter in particular, everybody's favourite airline was very slow to announce its spring / summer 2024 schedules for certain routes, including ones I use. That means I can't set dates when I'd like to. Second, I take my overseas tours very personally. I appreciate hugely that people are willing to spend their hard-earned money on coming on a walking holiday with Barry's Guided Tours. I try to make the trip as memorable as possible. However, in other countries, they can be much slower than we in Ireland to set the dates of their annual events, for example. That means I can't set dates when I'd like to. This video gives a glimpse of a wonderful festival I try to include in my Catalunya Walking Week. I tend to wait until I know when exactly it is taking place, so we can get to enjoy it, if at all possible. Third, the small, rural accommodation providers I like to stay with tend to close completely during winter. This means, as has happened with my France 2024 tour, that by the time Ryanair eventually organised its flights, it had become difficult to get responses from my accommodation partners on whether they have the rooms I need whn I need them ... And that, dear friends, is why I can't set dates when I'd like to! It's like trying to do a jigsaw blindfolded, while juggling the pieces in the air...

Yesterday, I visited the supposed crannóg at Srahrevagh (listed as "possible" in the 1996 Record of Monuments and Places, by the National Monuments and Historic Properties Service). I'm neither archaeologist nor expert, but I think it might be a flooded ringfort. If an expert wants to confirm that it is indeed a crannóg, I'd be happy to accept that.

Italy Week, October 2024. Just saying.

Recent places hiked, including the usual views from The Reek. 🤣

Fabulous weekend in Paris. From sport, to art, to jazz, La Ville-Lumière never disappoints.

From early summer in Connemara.

Good Times!

Flashback : The Dursey Island Cablecar. Anyone else been on this?

Just 1 room still available (2 people, a couple or sharing) for my guided walking week in the South of France next May. Request the brochure by message if interested. Our small group enjoys great scenery, woodlands, picture-postcard villages, fab food, wine and company! (unfortunately, single occupancy is not available on this trip) More at https://barrysguidedtours.com/france-guided-walking-week/