Ireland, one step at a time

My lungs started to burn as I climbed a path through the woods. Beads of sweat formed along my hairline, even though the temperature was cool and crisp. I alternated between taking in the scenery and looking at the ground to avoid stepping in a puddle or tripping over a creeping root. 

Then I reached the top and caught my breath. Any thoughts of discomfort dissipated. The September sun spilled across farmland and glittered off the lake below. I never had seen that many shades of green.

Here in County Cork, I had just reached the top of Lady Bantry’s Lookout, a short walk that’s described as easy by most online sources. But the 262-foot ascent wasn’t so easy for me. While watching the breeze caress rhododendrons and listening to the wind whistle through the foliage, I told myself I would take the stairs more often. 

This was my first hike with CIE Tours, an Ireland specialist that debuted hiking and walking tours this year. The itineraries were created due to a growing demand for active itineraries, said head of product Conor Wall. 

Over the course of eight days, I recorded nearly 100,000 steps trekking through counties Cork and Kerry, ambling through farmland dotted with cows and stone ruins, seeing the region’s cultural attractions and soaking up the natural wonders, bogs and all. It was like stepping into a fairytale, complete with stone cottages, babbling brooks and striking views — sights I noticed more because I was walking among them. 

It’s the type of itinerary operators are developing as more travelers seek active trips that take them off the beaten path.

Intrepid Travel and Backroads are among the tour operators reporting that hiking trips are among their fastest-growing travel segments, fueled by guests who want to discover a destination on foot rather than from a tour bus. 

The itineraries leave an impression on guests — operators said that people who book hiking and walking tours are likely to book those kinds of trips again. In its first year of trekking itineraries, CIE  said some guests have already booked their next one. CIE is starting small with two itineraries in Ireland. Wall said Scotland would make sense for expansion due to “its scenery, walking traditions and strong appeal to our guests.” 

More established operators in walking tours say demand is strong. Frank Cheshire, Intrepid’s senior product manager of active tours, said bookings of hiking itineraries are up 16% this year. Bookings of its John Muir Trail itinerary in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains are up 75%. Bookings of a Kilimanjaro trek, one of Intrepid’s most strenuous and challenging tours, are up 63%. 

Macs Adventure, a self-guided hiking operator, said business has more than doubled since the pandemic and that Americans make up more than half of its customers, up from about one-third pre-Covid.

Walking is the sightseeing

The commonly heard phrase, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey,” couldn’t be truer than on a walking or hiking tour, where the journey is the attraction. 

Ireland was a fantastic destination for a walking tour, with its dramatic cliffs, mist-covered peaks and charming animal encounters.  

“With a place like Ireland, the hike is not just a way to access nature but also a way to tap into history,” said Lael Kassis, vice president of market innovation and development at EF Go Ahead Tours. 

I saw it throughout my trip, even when I wasn’t hiking: at the Guinness Storehouse, where the attraction pays respect to nature and the farmers who make the brew possible; at Molly Gallivan’s Cottage & Farm, where we toured the property and met the menagerie of animals that call it home (Salt the lamb and Black Pudding the pig were my favorites); and through learning about the country’s myths and legends, which often link back to nature. 

Along the way, we popped into pubs for a pint, chatted with the regulars and devoured fish and chips. Ireland’s weather happened to be kind on this trip, rarely misting and only outright raining once. In cafes, kind locals served mugs of tea and fluffy scones, displaying the hospitality for which Ireland is known. 

Though I was sure to enjoy pints, scones and chips while in Ireland regardless of my method of travel, they all felt more earned after a day of putting miles on my hiking boots. And according to the Irish themselves, breathing in the cool, fresh air makes one hungrier.

“You’re moving through villages, stopping for lunch, meeting local people, visiting historic sites and seeing landscapes that you wouldn’t normally experience,” said Intrepid’s Cheshire.

Our nine-day itinerary featured near-daily walks and hikes, ranging from easy to moderate. Within our group, there were differences in age, agility and speed. 

“The walks can feel moderately challenging at times because of distance, terrain, elevation or weather, but they are intended to be achievable and enjoyable, not endurance hikes,” Wall said. “We think the balance is an important part of the appeal in that guests can be active and feel a sense of accomplishment without the trip becoming solely about the physical challenge.” 

Indeed, a sense of accomplishment is a huge driver for why some travelers want to hit the trail instead of a beach lounger for their vacation, said Neil Lapping, founder of Macs Adventure, which offers self-guided inn-to-inn hikes. 

The operator, which launched in 2003, has focused on walking tours since its beginning. Over the last two decades, as the travel style has moved from niche to mainstream, Lapping has observed skyrocketing demand, particularly among North Americans who are eager to see the world in the most primeval way: on their own two feet. 

“It really is booming,” he said. “It ties into these core needs of wanting to be healthy, wanting to be challenged. We want to have a sense of achievement and also want to properly connect with the people we’re traveling with and with the place we’re traveling to.”

Blending adventure with comfort

Hiking and walking trips marry several travel trends into one itinerary: centering health and wellness through activity, ditching screens and destination immersion. Some guests don’t even know what they really want is a hiking trip, said travel advisor Tracy Hunt of Key to the World Travel in Harbor Springs, Mich., who specializes in hiking itineraries. 

What they ask for, she said, is “to experience the destination, be outside, see incredible scenery and do more than just traditional sightseeing.”

But they want all of that while not sacrificing comfort. 

My CIE itinerary would be classified as soft adventure. Though operators offer trips that are at the more physically demanding end of the spectrum — like that Intrepid trip to Kilimanjaro — all offer itineraries in a sweet spot that pairs activity with comfort. 

Even tours with strenuous itineraries often reward guests with luxe hotel stays, some with spas and saunas. Travelers want that balance between comfort and challenge, operators said. 

“There’s nothing women want more after three days of hiking than a massage,” said Paige Davis, president of AdventureWomen, a women-only tour operator that curates guided hiking trips. 

Some of AdventureWomen’s offerings skew more difficult — like the Camino de Santiago in Spain, which Davis herself is hiking next year — but the itineraries include elements of luxury, like comfortable hotels. Having a guide who handles logistics can be considered a luxury, too.

The luxury I most appreciated with CIE was not having to worry about luggage. Bags were whisked off to the next hotel while guests enjoyed the scenery while carrying only a light daypack. 

Itinerary designers aim to keep guests active, but not to the point of exhaustion, said Sean Benner of G Adventures. Guests want daily movement to be part of the daily activities but don’t necessarily want the entire trip to be hyperfocused on hiking, he said. 

“They might want to hike during the day, then come back to a comfortable hotel for a warm shower before doing something like a cooking class,” he said. 

The mix of activities is purposeful and designed so guests not only see a destination’s natural beauty but also experience cultural attractions, especially in rural areas. While in Ireland with CIE, those sorts of experiences included Molly Gallivan’s cottage, where we observed soda bread being prepared; visiting the Rock of Cashel, a collection of medieval ecclesiastical and royal buildings in nearby County Tipperary; and a boat tour of Lough Leane while visiting the Ring of Kerry.

The cultural sightseeing was a complement to the hiking, deepening the experience. 

As Backroads chief experience officer Avery Hale Smith put it: “We don’t see hiking and cultural sightseeing as competing parts of a trip. We choose activities that create deeper connections to a destination rather than taking time away from it.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report incorrectly spelled the name of operator Macs Adventure.