Ireland:

Dublin to Cork

7 nights - £2,750 (includes all food, distillery tours and a support van) + bike hire

Thursday12th June - Wednesday 18th june 2025

Fabulous scenery and great cycling. We spend our first evening in Dublin with a walk around the Libertines - once home to the grandees of Irish whiskey (Jameson’s, Power’s, Roe & Co), before dinner in our hotel. We head south in the morning on quiet roads and a gentle climb into the beautiful Wiklow mountains. As the route meanders on towards Cork, we will call at a few of our favourite distilleries including Powers Court, Royal Oak, Blackwater and Waterford. The idea of these visits is to meet the makers and enjoy tasting something in situ at the end of a day’s cycling. As ever with Saddle Grape & Grain, it’s the journey and the shared experience that matters most.

Ireland’s whisky scene has transformed in the last decade. Whilst triple distilled ‘pot still’ whiskey is still a speciality they aren’t limited by quite the same regulations as Scottish. There is plenty of variety; there even Irish peated malt whiskies being made that match the production of Scottish malts. We can judge for ourselves how they’ve succeeded!

Along the way, we’ll stay at Glendalough in the Wiklow Mountains National Park, followed by a longer day heading South West, conquering most of the hills in the morning. We spend the next two nights in Graiguenamana on the Marow river allowing a relaxed day’s cycling, a visit to the Royal Oak distillery or the option to row or kayak down the river.

We then set off for Waterford, leaving the afternoon free for our visit to Waterford distillery, followed by dinner in the excellent Momo restaurant a few streets back from our hotel on the waterfront.

On day five we take the traffic-free cycle path to Dungarvan for a picnic and then branch off to Blackwater distillery at Ballyduff. From there, we transfer by minivan/ taxi to the coast for a well-earned feast of local food and good wine at our hotel a wonderful hotel near Ardmore.

Our final ride takes us along the coast and then a quiet back route via a small ferry at Passage West and on to Cork. Here we spend our last night together before departure by train or plane the next day. If you fancy staying on in Ireland longer, we’ve got a great route suggestion from Cork to Dingle partly along the Wild Atlantic Way. We may even add this second week to our Ireland tour in the future. There’s even a ferry to Brittany if you fancy a 600km cycle on to Paris!

A new tour for 2025

The beautiful Wicklow mountains

Quiet back roads and cycle paths as far as possible

Scenic and quality hotels and delicious food

A chance to experience the warm and welcoming City of Dublin at the start of the trip (stay an extra few days beforehand if you want to explore the City)

One longer day 55 miles but generally moderate cycling distances.

All food, some wine and the distillery tour fees are included.