5 Amazing Adventures to fuel your New year’s resolutions.
1. Visit a Waterfall – Tourmekeady
A really nice walk that can be anything from 30mins, an 1 hour or up to 3 hours long depending on the loop you decide to take.
It’s a beautiful drive out from Clifden along the banks of Lough Mask and the walk itself is surrounded by woodlands and streams. Take a picnic on a nice day and make use of the many picnic benches that are available throughout the walk. Warning on a bank holiday or summers day it can get very busy, try and go out of season during the week to enjoy it to it’s full.
2. Sign up to an outdoor adventure event
Whether it’s a 5k run, a fun challenge or a full-blown adventure race once you’ve made the decision and booked it in it’s much easier to get motivated to get out and train. Especially great when you need the extra encouragement on those cold, wet and windy days. There are so many adventure races and charity runs to choose from in Ireland. If you have never done anything like this before then start small by going for a 1km run to begin with and build it up week by week. You’ll be easily running 5km before you know it. Signing up to an event helps to give you focus and a target it’s also a really great feeling one you’ve completed it and it can be done solo or shared with friends.
Here is just a few adventure races in Ireland that I would recommend
Runamuck – 4th March
Hell and back 10th June
GaelForce West – 17th June
Park west Dublin Night Run 5km/10km – July 25th
Great Fjord swim – 9th September
Turf Warrior – 11th November
Westport sea to summit 12th November
3. Hike Connaught’s highest mountain
Mweelrea mountain near Westport is the highest in Connaught and is one of the most spectacular in the country, with amazing views from really early on in the hike. It’s on the Western tip of Ireland and on a clear day you will get views as far as North Mayo and beyond.
There are a few routes to the mountain some more challenging than others but this is not a mountain to take lightly. With epic views come very steep sections and it is not advised to be up here without a guide or solid experience in map reading. There are no trails that mark the way, and it is really easy to get into trouble should the weather come in. Contact us for information on hiring a guide for the day. You will need to have decent hiking boots, rain gear and thermals, hats and gloves for the winter months.
4. Book an adventure festival
Resolutions don’t just have to be about being more healthy and improving physical fitness. Improve your mental health too by booking something fun to do in Ireland with a
Date 24th – 26th March
Location – Kerry
Outdoor fun – Everything and anything outdoors. Hiking, kayaking, climbing, yoga and light therapy, boat tours, wilderness packages, swimming, biking, horse riding.
Date 2nd – 4th June
Location – Westport
Outdoor fun – Paddle boarding, kayaking, flying monkey trapeze, wild west sailing, boat tour, sauna, Wim Hoff experience and some really great music.
Connemara mountain walking festival
Date – 10th – 11th September
Location – Leenane, Co Galway
Outdoor fun – Hiking for all abilities
Date 15 & 16th June
Location – Bundoran
Outdoor fun – Surf, Urban street jam, beach sports & beach yoga
Date – TBD – usually around the end of September
Location – Achil Island
Outdoor fun – Kite surfing, yoga, surfing, paddling boarding, sauna
5. Go underground
Potholing, spelunking, speleology or simply caving.
Whatever terminology you use for exploring underground cave systems there are many places in Ireland you can give it a try.
Basically, any region with plenty of limestone is likely to have caves lurking beneath the surface.
It’s not advised to try caving without a guide and the necessary equipment there are a couple of providers in Ireland
Ballymaclancy cave
Location – – Cong, Co Mayo
Expect to experience descending small waterfalls in a narrow subterranean chasm. Be amazed by a stunning array of calcite formations.
Contact – Petersburgh outdoor centre/094 9546483
White Fathers
Location – Black Lion, Sligo
Expect a perfect intro to caving, this underground river canyon takes you past a series of stunning natural formations.
Contact – Corralea Activity centre/028 6638 6123
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