Clare Hills, History and Community

Owing to the popularity of the tour to Inis Cealtra from Tuamgraney, we are adding another tour of County Clare which starts and ends at Tuamgraney for 2026. This tour takes you up into the hills, away from the lakeshore, and offers beautiful countryside, historic sites and community projects for you to drop in on! There is a choice of 2 routes, a short one and a longer one, so this should suit all abilities. And although we’re going up in the hills, the climbs aren’t too arduous with our powerful Trek eBikes. The tour starts from Tuamgraney and calls in at Scariff, Seed Savers and the Slieve Bearnagh range. To read more details, click link, or to book, click booking link, and select ‘Tours Starting from Killaloe’ then select ‘Tuamgraney Uplands’ 2.5 hours or 4 hours option.

 

The Routes

 

The map above shows the longer version of the route, which is 37km long. The shorter version is 20km long, and omits the loop to the east of Tuamgraney. The shorter version also omits the steepest climb.

Route Highlights

Tuamgraney

The tour starts and ends at Tuamgraney, at the car park of Wilde Irish Chocolates. As the name suggests, this is a great place to stock up on artisan chocolate, and you are welcome to avail of a drink from the coffee shop and/or a factory tour at the start or end of your eBike tour. See the above link to book the factory tour. Also in Tuamgraney is St Cronan’s, which was built in the 11th Century and is the oldest church in Ireland which is still regularly in use for Sunday services.

 

 

Scariff

A short distance from Tuamgraney is the market town of Scarriff. On our way between the two, we pass what remains of the Workhouse. Most of the workhouse was burnt down during the War of Independence, but some of the external walls remain, as a reminder of harsher times. Today, however, Scarriff is a pleasant town, and you have the option of calling in at the East Clare Community Co-Op. Here you can view the community gardens, see artworks and get freshly made food with local ingredients, or enjoy a tea or coffee.

 

Irish Seed Savers

A little way outside Scarriff, we will pass Irish Seed Savers. This is a 20-acre site whose mission is to conserve native plant species, and the site includes orchards and an organic farm. Tours can be booked at the above link. If you wish to do the Seed Savers tour, then I would recommend that we start and end the eBike tour from the Seed Savers car park, so that you can explore the Seed Savers site either before or after you eBike tour.

The Slieve Bearnagh Range of Hills

The majority of the Ebike tour takes you along quiet roads in the lower reaches of the Slieve Bearnagh range. In the first section, we loop through the countryside, returning to the edge of Tuamgraney. If you have opted for the shorter version, we then return to the start point. If you have opted for the longer version, we then head up in the hills to the east of Tuamgraney, reaching the summit at Faltagh, where there is a Killeen (a children’s graveyard), before enjoying spectacular views of Lough Derg as we descend to the lake shore at Ogonnelloe. We then return to Tuamgraney, enjoying views of the Lough and of Inis Cealtra (Holy Island).

 

Whether you choose the shorter or the longer version, this tour is a great way to see some of the lesser visited spots in County Clare.