10 Night Irish Castles and Manors Gold

The group meets at 6.30 pm in the Bar of Jurys Cork Hotel, Western Road (021 4252700). For location map, click on www.jurysdoyle.com (NOT to be confused with Jury’s Inn Cork on Andersons Quay. The hotel is only the meeting point and not our actual accommodation. However if you get there before the meeting time and wish to explore the city you can leave your luggage in the left luggage at the hotel reception. An introductory talk from the guide is followed by a light bar food menu, while your bags are transferred to our guesthouses. Afterwards you might decide to head into the city for a drink in one of Cork’s lively pubs.

After fitting you onto your bicycles, we head out by the banks of the Lee and travel along quiet back roads to a lunch stop in the market town of Macroom. In the afternoon we continue up the Lee Valley through rolling countryside to the wonderfully peaceful Lakeside retreat of Gougane Barra, the source of the River Lee and Ireland’s first National Park.

We cycle down to the coast past fields of grazing cattle and sheep to the bustling coastal town of Bantry where we stop for lunch. In the afternoon we head out to the beautiful Sheep’s Head Peninsula and cycle along quiet coastal roads with stunning views of the surrounding landscape. That night you have a home cooked dinner in your guesthouse before joining the group in a unique small tin shack pub for some quiet pints of Guinness.

In the morning we cycle through a gap in the mountains to the village of Schull. From there we pedal along a warren of backroads to the small fishing village of Baltimore where you will spend the next two nights. If you feel like a break from the bike you can take a boat ride across roaring water bay from Schull (usually very calm!) to Baltimore.

The day can be spent in rest and relaxation or you can take part in a variety of activities including a visit to Cape Clear Island with its stunning views looking back at West Cork. You can go horse riding or hike through the beautiful forest that overlooks the unique Lough Ine, the only salt water lake in North Western Europe. For those who want to experience a unique part of Irish rural life you can take a bus to the local town of Skibereen for the weekly cattle market.

In the morning we cycle along quiet back roads to the peaceful Lough Ine and then follow the West Cork coast to the village of Glandore where we have lunch overlooking the beautiful Glandore Harbour with its two islands, Adam and Eve. In the afternoon we visit a 3,000-year-old stone circle, one of the best examples of its kind in the country, before following another scenic coastal cycle to the bustling town of Clonakilty. We stay overnight in a family run hotel.

In the morning we follow the coast road before heading inland to the village of Timoleague, where you can visit a 15th Century Franciscan Friary. After lunch we continue to hug the coastline all the way to the historic town of Kinsale, site of the Battle of Kinsale in 1601. Kinsale is a very colourful cosmopolitan town with a wide range of excellent craft shops. Later that evening we have a final farewell night out on the town together.

You are free then to make your own way back to Cork city anytime on Saturday. We do not arrange this transfer but there are regular buses from Kinsale to Cork and it may be worth bearing in mind that the airport is on the way. The airport is about half an hour at the most from Kinsale.