SHANNON PRINCESS's new Walking Itinerary for the 2010 season, embraces the luxury and comfort of barging along with the satisfaction and exhilaration of quality guided walking tours in a unique & beautiful environment that only Ireland’s river Shannon can offer.

Along with their chauffeur-driven luxury mini coach and professional walking guide, Shannon Princess provides the perfect floating vista for your Irish walking adventure. The walks are guided by professional walking guides, all with backgrounds in archaeology, history and natural science, along with a smattering of local knowledge.

SHANNON PRINCESS follows an ecologically pure route little changed through the centuries. Enjoy gastromony, culture, folklore & glorious rambles or hikes through spectacular & varied scenery. The Walking Cruises combine all the pampering of a regular cruise with five guided & catered walks.

The Shannon Princess follows a natural trail through the heart of hidden Ireland, as do your walking trails. Each day wake to freshly baked pastries & our excellent Wellness Style breakfast. After a leisurely breakfast your guide will muster his troops and set off for that day's trail. Routes will typically vary between 14-20 km, or a 4-hour period. With undulating routes, many of the walks are areas of special environmental preservation. Enjoy alfresco gourmet lunch and refreshments catered by the barge crew and our support vehicle. Return to the Shannon Princess for Captain's cocktail reception and a leisurely afternoon or evening dining cruise to our next port of call.

Relax as the last rays of light wash over Shannon Princess and the River Shannon. Soak up the Shannon’s tranquil ambience and watch the world float by. Spend your late evening at leisure or catch up with new friends in a local country pub and perhaps enjoy an impromptu music season. Your overnight mooring will be the starting point for the next day's Walking Tour.

THE TÁIN TRAIL
TÁIN BÓ CULAINE is the legendary route taken across Ireland taken by Queen Maedbh of Connacht in her attempts at the theft of her husband's riches and his prized Brown Bull of Cooley.  The Tain Trail is steeped in mythology and history as it retraces the journey and battles between Maeve and her armies and the warrior hero, Cúchulainn. Join the Tain Trail along the Shores of Lough Ree where Maeve met a bloody end. We follow the trail for 3 to 4 hours. This is a charming lakeshore byway on natural surfaces with only slight gradients.

THE PILGRAM'S PATH
We moor at Clonmacnoise ruins - an atmospheric and spiritual 6th century monastic settlement soaked in history and myth. Clonmacnoise was the ancient burial grounds of the High Kings of Tara & Connaught and quickly became a popular place of pilgrimage. Here on the Shannon Riverbanks, we start our walking trail on THE PILGRIM'S PATH. This ancient walking route crossed early historic Ireland from east to west and was known in Gaelic as An tSlí Mór, the Great Road.  The modern Pilgrim Path covers an intact stretch of that ancient route which winds along the Esker Riada and provides the walker with an elevated view of the bog and River Shannon rich in wildlife and flowers. We follow the trail for 3 to 4 hours, over gently undulating & natural terrain.

THE SLIEVE BLOOM WAY
We travel by luxury coach to the nearby Slieve Bloom Mountains. Steeped in history and folklore, the Slieve Blooms dominate the landscape as it straddles the border of counties Offaly and Laois. Its highest peak, 529m Arderin, translates from Irish as the height of Ireland. Connections with the past are everywhere as the area is dusted with monuments dating back as far as 4500 years. This is a 3 to 4 hour walk along riverside paths & bog tracks and through woodland trails.

THE EAST CLARE WAY
The East Clare Way walk starts from overnight mooring in Mountshannon. This is a 127km route of marked Highways and Byways. You will be guided through what is considered the most beautiful section, "The Ogonnello Way". A gentle climb up through riverside villages and into the Slieve Bernagh hills until we overlook some of the most spectacular scenery in the whole of Munster with Lough Derg and its many islands at our feet creating a landscape rich in beauty, colour and variety.  This is a 3 to 4 hour walk on natural terrain and trails with moderate gradients.

THE GRAVES OF THE LEINSTERMEN
We take a hike into the Arra Mountains from our mooring in Killaloe.  At the summit of Tountinna is the "GRAVES OF THE LEINSTER". Today, one stone is standing, the rest are covered in undergrowth. The site may have originally been a stone circle or a Neolithic Tomb. Keep a look out for evidence of the area's great slate quarrying tradition. Magnificent views can be had from these parts, and blanket bog and several varieties of heather add to the allure of the landscape. This is an excellent walk and can take between 3 to 5 hours to walk. We are walking on natural terrain with moderate gradients.

NOTE: On alternate weeks the cruise is in the reverse direction. Itineraries are subject to change.

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