Walkers, staycationers and penitents can dovetail their holiday desires beautifully with the Pilgrim Circuit, a tour organised by the Gyreum ecolodge, in Co Sligo. Embracing those of all faiths and none, it spans nine days and six counties. Billed as Ireland's mini Camino de Santiago, only with even more rain, the circuit takes you through bogs, along lakes and over hills, even crossing the sea to visit monastic islands.
In all you'll hike 250km, beginning and ending at the Gyreum. (A shorter, four-day option is also catered for.) It makes for an eclectic mix of religious history, from the megalithic cairns at Carrowkeel to the ruins of Europe's westernmost Knights Templar preceptory. You'll stop at the Carmelite Holy Hill Hermitage, visit the eighth-century monastic island of Innishmurray and the Church of Ireland hall at Lissadell. You'll also camp on the shores of Lough Derg, take a Viking boat trip down Lough Erne and stop for soup and sandwiches at Scots Presbyterian Church, in Enniskillen.
From there you have dinner and meditation at the Hare Krishna centre (above) on Inish Rath one night, followed by dinner and meditation at Jampa Ling Tibetan Buddhist Centre, near Bawnboy, the next. Have lunch with the Poor Clares at Drumshanbo, followed by a visit to the church in Geevagh that is a traditional gathering point for pilgrims travelling to Santiago from the northwest. You'll finish with a banquet at the Gyreum – and a great sense of achievement.
The all-inclusive nine-day tour costs €900. The next one is scheduled for early June. gyreum.com
