Ireland - The western Pennisulas

 

Novice or expert, rider or pillion you are all sure to enjoy this trip and find this tour easy to manage, with plenty of rest days off built into our schedule to relax and enjoy your surroundings.

 

Ireland truly is a charming country, you will experience the Irish culture at first hand which will leave you with a lasting smile, fond memories, and maybe a bit of a hangover. You will discover the beauty of the famous Ring of Kerry, visit Irelands cultural heart of Galway, and the home of Fungi the Dolphin in Dingle Bay.

 

Tour Format 

For this tour we shall be using Fishguard in South Wales as our departure point, not only does this provide easy access for our northern and southern guests, it also means our ride on the other side is only an hour long. 

 

Once we have disembarked from the vessel and had a quick head count, we shall make our short journey to the medieval town of Kilkenny which will be our first nights stop. Kilkenny is a fantastic place which in 2009 celebrated its 400th year of city status. Locally known for having almost as many pubs and bars as it does shops Kilkenny also boasts its very own Kilkenny Beer and a fine medieval castle which sits on the River Nore and the historic St Canice's Cathedral. With history dating back to the 13th century there is more to discover here than you would ever do in a day, we recommend you bookmark this city for a return visit in the future. With Kilkenny town centre only a 10 min walk away from our hotel, your evening is free to explore this historic city.

 

Time to leave Kilkenny behind us as we make our way west to Killarney, County Kerry which shall be our base for the next three nights, our hotel is a charming family run country house hotel where you can enjoy the very best of Irish hospitality serving classic Irish food with a modern twist. After our evening meal choose to ramble into the Ivy room bar which often provides traditional irish music sessions.

 

Today is a day off, however a fully guided ride out is planned. Assuming you haven't overdone it the night before, you will be looking forward to todays ride as we will be making our way round the Ring of Kerry, home of Macgillycuddy's Reeks and Killarney National Park. We will be out all day but with plenty of stops for photo opportunities, coffee and a lengthy stop for lunch. You should find this quite a relaxing day before returning back to our hotel. 

 

Day off: Today you can choose to take the day off to relax and explore this vibrant place. However we will be running a guided day to Dingle Bay the home of the world famous "Fungie" the Dolphin which made its home in Dingle Bay since 1984 and has remained in Dingle since. A good friend to the locals Fungie was christened by local fishermen. He  lived and played totally wild and free in a small area at the mouth of Dingle Harbour. To this day a bronze monument stands in his honour.

  

Having enjoyed your time in Killarney it's time now to move on, however the holiday is far from over as we travel upto Galway which will be our home for the next three nights. Our route will take us past the Sleive Mish and Stacks Mountains then take the Tarbet Ferry over the Estuary to Killimer. Following the Atlantic Ocean our road takes us passed the Cliffs Of Moher and The Burren before our arrival into Galway Bay where our next hotel awaits us.

 

Day off: (Optional)  Today we have arranged a special treat which is included in the cost of your holiday courtesy of the Galway Tour Company www.galwaytourcompany.com  A guided tour to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren which appeared in Harry Potters Half Blood Prince .

 

The Cliffs of Moher & Burren Tour departs at 10am from your hotel. Taking you along Galway Bay, your first stop is at the fishing village of Kinvara to see Dunguaire Castle & into The Burren- home to 75% of Ireland's native flora & location of numerous ancient monuments many of which we visit including the Gleninsheen Wedge Tomb, the 5,800 year old Poulnabrone Dolmen and Ballyalban Fairy Fort- home of little men with green hats and orange beards!.

Stopping also at Kilfenora to see the famous Celtic Crosses (Irish High Crosses), we make our way to the coastal village of Doolin for our lunch stop at Gus O Connors Irish Pub www.gusoconnorsdoolin.com 
before visiting the 200-metre high, 8kms long Cliffs of Moher. Enjoy stunning views over the Atlantic Ocean and the Aran Islands and take your time to soak up the natural beauty of the Cliffs of Moher. (2 hour stop- FREE admission to Cliffs!) We return via the Coast Road with views of Connemara & Galway in the distance making a short stop to walk on the lunar like landscape of the Burren and take in sights such as Leprechaun Head before returning to Galway between 5:30-6 pm
 

Day Seven:Today is a l complete free day for you to relax and enjoy the area and do your own thing, an opportunity for souveneirs and a little shopping. What ever you choose to do im sure you will find Galway an interesting and diverse city, Galway Bay is also only a short distance away.

By now you should have enjoyed and experienced the variety of culture, music, traditional food, great roads, stunning scenery.  Hopefully leaving you with lasting memories and having taken plenty of photos that you can look back on in time with a smile and sense enjoyment and satisfaction.

 

Time now to make our way homeward bound as we make our way to Dun Laoghaire to catch our afternoon Fast Ferry back to the UK. For our guests from the south we can alternatively arrange a departure back to Fishguard if you wish, however please advise of this at the time of booking and we shall arrange for one of our Tour Guides to Escort you on the route back to Waterford.

 

Ring of Kerry

Killarney National Park

Sleive Mish & Stacks Mountains

Cliffs Of Moher & The Burren Tour

Galway Bay

 

** Please note departure from Fishguard or Holyhead can be arranged, please advise of your preference at time of booking**