FAIRYTALE IRELAND

You made it! If you’d like to be picked up, book yourself an Optional Airport transfer from Dublin International Airport (DUB) or make your own way into town for the start of this exciting adventure around the Emerald Isle! Depending on when you get here you might have a chance to get your bearings, or perhaps catch up on some sleep, before meeting with our Local Insider and fellow travellers for a welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

After breakfast, our Local Insider will give you the ultimate guide to Dublin city centre on an immersive three-hour walking tour, which includes entry either to St Patrick’s Cathedral or Book of Kells, Trinity College’s famous old library. After a break for lunch, we’ll continue the tour, stopping at Ireland’s oldest medieval church, St Audoen’s, to touch the lucky stone. Then it’s an exploration of The Liberties, a beautiful centuries-old neighbourhood, home to our final stop, the Guinness Storehouse. Here we’ll learn all about the history of Ireland’s iconic stout, before reflecting with a freshly-pulled pint at the panoramic sky bar. After a chance to freshen up at the hotel, we’ll head for dinner and drinks in the lively Temple Bar district, or trendy South William Street.

Today we leave Dublin behind and head out to the countryside. First stop is the striking Rock of Cashel, a remarkably well-preserved medieval citadel with spectacular hilltop views. Then we head south, through Cork, to our home for the evening – the gourmet capital of Ireland, Kinsale. After checking-in you’ll head out on a tasty food tour along the town’s quirky rainbow streets. Later in the evening we’ll embark on the Scilly Walk, a fairly light hike that starts and ends in Kinsale, looping around the town’s beautiful natural surroundings, like the Old Head of Kinsale, as well as 17th-century Charles Fort. Upon your return to town you’ll be deserving of a delicious culinary treat, so it’s good you’re staying in such a foodie hotspot. Lastly, no night in Kinsale is complete without an evening of song and music in Oscar Madison’s Bar.

This morning we’ll head east through the West Cork Coastal Route, where charming old villages like Glandore and Skibbereen paint a picture of rural Irish life, before crossing into Kerry County and Killarney National Park. Here we’ll take in Moll’s Gap, a gorgeous rocky stop along one of the world’s most scenic drives, as well as panoramic lake vistas at Ladies View and gushing currents at Torc Waterfall. Mid-afternoon we’ll check into our hotel in Dingle, before a hike around Slea Head, for breathtaking cliffside views across the dramatic Atlantic coastline. We’ll settle in for the evening with a soul-warming whiskey tasting at Dingle Distillery, before dinner at the hotel restaurant and an evening at Dick Mack’s pub, for traditional Irish music, local craft beers and plenty of craic.

Today’s main activity is a little dependent on how the gods of wind and rain are feeling. The plan is to take a day trip to Great Blasket Island, a glorious abandoned island where the bright blues of the ocean contrast with pure white sand beaches and vibrant green hills. We’ll head out on a boat for a tour of the island, finishing with a picnic lunch. If the waters are a little too choppy then, fear not, we have an equally amazing back-up – a hike up Mount Brandon, Ireland’s second highest peak, with incredible views over the coast. This evening is yours to explore dinner options, before having the choice to join an optional night-kayaking session in Dingle Harbour.

We leave Dingle on four wheels this morning before hopping on a ferry across the Shannon Estuary, crossing from County Limerick to County Clare, where we’ll head up along the winding roads of the Wild Atlantic Way, passing charming villages en route to Lahinch, from where we’ll walk a cliff path to one of Ireland’s most jaw-droppingly beautiful sights – the Cliffs of Moher. These truly epic sandstone cliffs tower high over the crashing Atlantic waves, blending the beauty and brutality of the ocean in one perfect snapshot. You’ll be picked up in Doolin as we continue along the coastal roads of Galway Bay, stopping for lunch in Ballyvaughan before arriving in Galway City, our home for the night. After check-in we’ll have a late afternoon walking whiskey tour in Galway, which includes a visit to the city’s Micil Distillery. We’ll then head for a lovely dinner before enjoying the city’s warm and lively nightlife – we recommend The Garavan, An Pucan and Tigh Nora.

This morning, we’ll load up on one final hearty Irish breakfast before departing for Dublin Airport, where this trip finishes and where you’ll be dropped off late morning to catch your departing flight. You’re more than welcome of course, to stay in Galway as long as you’d like or to unwind with an extra night or two in Dublin.