[jmulcahy]

hi! My husband and I are planning a vacation in the West of Ireland sometime in October. We'll fly into Shannon. We're interested in seeing the Burren, Connemara, the Aran Islands, Doolin, and maybe Galway. We're interested in the Gaeltact region especially and love dramatic landscapes. We really enjoy the small villages more than city life.

We've done self guided hiking tours before where our bags were brought from B&B to B&B (arranged by the tour company). We're considering something like that again, but we're not sure. It might be better to plan our own way and mix up hiking, biking and driving. Hiking takes you places you can't go otherwise, but it's slow going. Cycling is a nice alternative if we can find some quiet roads. Driving might be the best way to see some of the places we have in mind.

We're considering doing some self guided cycling, but I get pretty scared on busy trafficked roads and would like to avoid really steep hills, too, unless we're driving or hiking.

A tandem bike is also a possibility. Never tried one, but it could be fun. Has anyone tried one?

Also, I'm a photographer who has to lug contact lens solution around and my camera(s); otherwise I like the idea of just riding and hiking with my gear. Could get heavy, though.

Has anyone ever hired a cab to move their luggage from B&B to B&B?

Any tips on the best places in the west to bike, hike and drive? (Which to do where?)

Does anyone have any advice for us? I'm getting overwhelmed. We'll probably be in the area for about 8 to 11 days (we're flexible).

Thank you so much!!