Oct 22, 2024
A beautiful little adventure! - We loved the Aran Islands bike tour. The e-bikes were a bit finicky but definitely the right call, as the hills were steep and we didn't want to miss a thing. I don't remember our tour guide's name but he was a ginger fella who used to be an art teacher--and he was GREAT! So funny, so warm, and told great stories. I also saw him go above and beyond to make it up to a couple who got a bad tour with someone else; taking them on his own to the top sites and leaving his own tea and scones behind. We got caught in a torrential rain the last few minutes of our bike ride and he made sure we took the right turns and made it to the tea shop. Could not have asked for better!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 20, 2024
Great bike tour with fun guide - Super fun day on Inisheer with our guide, Sophia! The ferry ride was a bit rough, so I suggest riding in the back outside if you’re prone to seasickness. Was far worse than normal winds, they said. The biking was easy with standard bikes, even for our 7 year old (although to be fair, we bike often). There were lots of stops and only 2 big hills. The historical sites were impressive, and the cafe was great fun.
Review provided by Viator
Oct 15, 2024
Memorable in so many ways! - Wonderful day with our excellent tour guide Sofia! Enjoyable bike ride- no e bike needed. Sofia was mindful of each of us and our abilities. Gorgeous scenery and memorable ferry ride looking at the Cliffs of Moher. Loved stopping at the cafe for local history and the best scone I’ve ever had. This was a great day!
Review provided by Viator
Oct 14, 2024
Great Tour! - We has a lovely time exploring the Aran Islands. The guide was friendly and fun. We would definitely recommend this tour to other travelers.
Review provided by Viator
Oct 8, 2024
Absolutely great time with Ollie! - We found this outing from Doolin and had no issues making the reservation. There was great communication before our tour and had no issues finding our guide “Ollie”. He made the tour very enjoyable and covered everything within the time we had on the Aryan Island. We had a GREAT and fun time throughout the tour! I highly recommend this tour to anyone without hesitation. If your lucky enough to get Ollie, get ready for a great time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 8, 2024
Ollie is the best! - What a fantastic trip, Ollie was extremely knowledgeable about the island history. His humor and wit made for a very entertaining afternoon. We will definitely take one of his tours again, absolutely brilliant!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 5, 2024
Do it! Do it! Do it! - I solo travelled in Ireland for 3 weeks, and of alllllllll the things I did during that time, my day exploring Inisheer still holds the title for one of my top favorite days! Due to others' cancellations because it was pretty windy, I ultimately ended up getting a private tour :) (being from New England in the US, I came to Ireland already conditioned for trickier weather lol)
I have to give a big shout-out to my tour guide - I absolutely struck gold being paired with Phill! He was very knowledgable, answered any questions I had, anticipated what I might find interesting (which I did, lol), and delivered cultural information with the dignity and passion it so rightly deserves. Honestly just a gem of a human that made my experience memorable.
The outlined description of what's included on the booking page matches what you get in real life. The "sunken" church, the Plassey shipwreck, O'Brien's fort on the hill, the landscape, the sub-culture of the island - all wicked cool! Also, I was obsessed with a couple of the dogs roaming around living their best island lives, lol - they might come up and say hi :) Speaking to John at the cafe was really nice too, getting the perspective of a local is priceless. I asked a fair amount of eco-consciousness/environmental questions and was pretty impressed!
Helpful Tips:
- Parking at Doolin Pier: pretty straightforward, it's a pay-to-display system. Find a spot (as close to the ticket office as possible), go to the meter to pay, put the stub on your dashboard. I put in €4 and it worked out great.
- Bathrooms at the Pier: They weren't open the morning I was there, but they were open when I got back.
- The bike: I did an eBike for an extra €20 instead of a regular bike, so that is an option if needed/desired.
- Personal rec: If you're coming to the Doolin area from the north/northeast, hit up the Country Life Museum in Castlebar, Co. Mayo before doing this tour if your plans allow. Having done this a couple days prior to Inisheer really enhanced my insight into what will be encountered/shared on the tour. And I found an amplified appreciation of visiting Inisheer :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 27, 2024
Wonderful trip! - What a wonderful trip! We had a clear day and the ferry ride was smooth. Eleanor kept our group organized and engaged. She had amusing stories during the tour and gave us recommendations for our upcoming days in the Burren. She was very knowledgeable about the island.
The tea and scones were excellent. John and Una at the cafe were very friendly as they described what it was like to live on the island.
I highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 23, 2024
Ollie is one to recommend! - We selected Ollie to kick off our Irish adventure today. He kept us entertained and laughing from beginning to the end of our tour! Such a broad scope of interests. We threw questions back and forth with Ollie. I completely get why he's known and popular in the County Clare area. Definitely sign up for the Ollie tour....his entrepreneurial spirit is a gift!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sep 21, 2024
Perfect Day! - We absolutely loved this tour! The ferry was fun (although chillier than we expected - bring a jacket even if it's a warm day!). The bikes were great and easy to ride. Our guide Phil was super entertaining and knowledgeable. He even went out of his way to arrange for one of our crew who were unable to make the morning ferry and tour, to be able to come over later and do the trip on his own, but using the tour reservation.
We had a group of six with varying degrees of cycling experience. Phil made sure we all stayed together by letting the faster folks know when to stop and wait for the others to catch up. Stopping wasn't a problem as the views were stunning from everywhere!
Our group opted to stay and catch the later ferry back so we could meet up with the friend who had to come later (and have a few pints at the pub). A few of the group went swimming at the beach and we all enjoyed sweater shopping and meeting the local jeweler. Phil also made sure that the ferry knew this, so it was no problem getting passage back.
The island is so amazingly beautiful, rugged, and historic. We also had perfect weather, so that was helpful as well. Don't hesitate to book this tour. Well worth it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor