Day 2 is the cliff walk on every version of the tour, and it is the reason most people book. After breakfast you are driven from your Liscannor guesthouse to the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre, then you walk the path north to Doolin. About 8 km of the 11 km is along the cliff top. The path is unfenced in places and the drops are sheer, so you stay on the path and keep back from the edge, particularly in wind. One section of the official coastal walk is currently closed; the route notes take you around it without affecting the walk, and if the closure lifts before you travel you walk the full path.

After Doolin the route turns inland across the Burren. Doolin to Fanore is 18.9 km, about six hours, finishing at a quiet beach with the Burren hills behind it. Fanore to Ballyvaughan is 19.3 km, about six hours, ending on the shore of Galway Bay where the walk finishes. The 7-day tour adds a fourth walking day: an 8.6 km loop from Ballyvaughan taking in Aillwee Cave, about two hours.

What separates the three tours is how much time you give yourself, not the route. The 5-day version has three walking days and no rest day. The 6-day version adds a free day in Doolin — people use it for the Aran Islands ferry, a bike ride or the live music the village is known for. The 7-day version adds that Doolin day plus the Ballyvaughan loop and Aillwee Cave. The operator's own pick for most walkers is the 6-day, because the free day in Doolin is the one guests say they were glad to have.

The nights are split between four places. Liscannor is a small harbour village with the cliffs on its doorstep and your first night. Doolin is the traditional music village at the end of the cliff walk — one night on the 5-day tour, two on the 6- and 7-day tours. Fanore is the quiet beach stop. Ballyvaughan sits on Galway Bay, with two nights there on the 7-day tour.

This is a self-guided holiday, so there is no instructor and no group timetable. You get route notes, a GPS route app and a 24/7 support line, and the operator has walked the route many times. Solo walkers are welcome on every date with no minimum group size. If you are coming as a group and want a guide, a Mountain Leader-qualified local guide can be added for some or all of the days.

What's included

- En-suite B&B and guesthouse accommodation for the nights of your tour - Breakfast every morning - Door-to-door luggage transfers on every walking day - Transfer from Liscannor to the Cliffs of Moher visitor centre on Day 2 - Route notes and GPS route app - 24/7 support line - Pre-departure pack sent three weeks before travel

What's not included

- Travel to and from Ireland - Transport to Liscannor at the start and from Ballyvaughan at the end - Lunches and dinners - Travel insurance - Single room supplement (€220, €275 or €330 depending on tour length) unless booking the solo price - Optional Mountain Leader-qualified guide for groups - Aran Islands ferry, bike hire and other free-day activities