CELTIC SHORES: SCOTLAND & IRELAND

You’ll get a real taste of both Scotland and Ireland on this tour. We avoid the more well trodden routes and mix some must see destinations with some of the beautiful remote locations on offer. Our first night is in Edinburgh. The welcome dinner will be in the hotels excellent restaurant serving locally sourced and produced food. Leaving from Edinburgh, Scotland’s iconic capital city we travel northwards to Balmoral Castle with the chance to stop and tour the castle (subject to HM the King not being in residence) and into Speyside, home of some of Scotland’s smoothest whiskies. A night spent in a charming local Inn and then onwards to the rugged North West coast. Your route goes via Loch Ness with the chance to visit Urquhart Castle perched on the banks of the loch. As you ride further north, you’ll see the landscape transform from rolling green hills into huge, towering cliffs, mountains and Lochs. The most common road signs you will see are “Passing Place” and “Deer”. A charming remote hotel overlooking a sea loch on the north coast is your home for the night. Turning south you wind your way down the coast on single track roads and over the Bealach na Ba (pass of the cattle) before crossing over to Ireland by ferry.

Once we arrive in Ireland, we’ll be making our way west across the island from Belfast to Donegal. Then we head south to Galway, a harbour city on Ireland’s west coast. Sitting where the River Corrib meets the Atlantic Ocean the city’s hub is 18th-century Eyre Square, a popular meeting spot surrounded by shops and traditional pubs that often offer live Irish folk music. Our next stop is Killarney. Hemmed in by sea and mountains this West Cork town has its own climate and even palm trees! Ride the famous Ring of Kerry taking in the untamed coastlines, the friendly towns, and the rustic villages. From Killarney you’ll ride south through the national park as we head towards Bantry for our overnight stop. The Ring of Kerry will be included in today’s route, and for all the rally aficionados out there we’ll get to ride the infamous Moll’s Gap! From Bantry, we once again ride the rugged coastline and detour to the most southerly point in Ireland, Mizen Head before a night in Waterford. Then the last leg of our adventure takes you to Dublin, where you’ll have two nights, which surely won’t be enough! The Temple Bar, Malahide Castle, Christ Church Cathedral with its 12c crypt and The Guinness Factory all await. We will enjoy a farewell dinner in the heart of the city and then it’s time to head for home.