Welcome to Ireland!

Today everyone arrives in Dublin, where our adventure begins.

Once we’ve gathered, we’ll head out with a local guide for a walking tour through central Dublin, getting our first introduction to the city’s history, neighborhoods, architecture, and personality.

Afterward, the rest of the afternoon is free to explore on your own.

Tonight we’ll meet for dinner and have our first evening together in Ireland.

Because tomorrow morning, the road trip begins.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: N/A

OVERNIGHT: Ashling Hotel Dublin

MEALS: None

Note: I will be arriving on Friday. If anyone wants to do the same so we can spend a little more time in Dublin and have a little more time to rest after the flight, we can arrange that.

Today the road trip officially begins!

We’ll load up the van and leave Dublin behind, heading south to Kilkenny, one of Ireland’s best-preserved medieval cities.

We’ll explore Kilkenny Castle, wander through the old streets, and have time for lunch before continuing south.

Our next stop is one of the most dramatic historical sites in Ireland.

Perched high above the surrounding countryside, the Rock of Cashel looks like something straight out of a fantasy movie. Kings ruled from here for centuries before the site became an important religious center, leaving behind an extraordinary collection of medieval buildings and ruins.

From Cashel, we continue to Waterford, Ireland’s oldest city and our home for the next two nights.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 3h45m–4h, broken into drives of about 1h45m, 1h, and 1h10m–1h20m
OVERNIGHT: Dooley’s Hotel
MEALS: Breakfast

Today we trade the van for bikes as we cycle the famous Waterford Greenway. Considered one of the most beautiful bicycle rides in the world, the Waterford Greenway is a 28-mile route that follows a former railway line from Waterford to Dungarvan through countryside, old stations, bridges, viaducts, tunnels, and beautiful coastal scenery. This will be optional, as not everyone is up for a 28-mile ride. We can rent electric bikes, and the route is pretty level, so I highly recommend it, though.

The group not doing the ride will have a free morning in Waterford. The group doing the ride will pick up our bikes after breakfast and ride to Dungarvan. We’ll have plenty of time to ride at an enjoyable pace, stop for pictures, and take in the scenery along the way.

Once we reach Dungarvan, we’ll hop on a shuttle back to Waterford, where we’ll meet up with the rest of the group for lunch.

After lunch, we travel much farther back in time.

Waterford was founded by Vikings more than 1,100 years ago, and we’ll spend the late afternoon exploring the city’s historic Viking Triangle, including the option to visite Reginald’s Tower and the King of the Vikings experience.

Bikes and Vikings. Seems like a perfectly reasonable Monday!

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Essentially none in our van. The separate Waterford-to-Dungarvan transfer takes approximately 1 hour.

OVERNIGHT: Dooley’s Hotel

MEALS: Breakfast

We start the day exploring the must-see Blarney Castle, including a chance to kiss the legendary Blarney Stone. According to Irish legend, kissing the stone gives you the “gift of the gab,” which means great eloquence, skill at flattery, and persuasive charm. So, unless you want to be a boring person forever, you better do it!

From Blarney, we continue into the second-biggest city in the Republic of Ireland, the beautiful must-see city of Cork, where we’ll have several hours to explore, wander the city, and have a late lunch or early dinner.

Then we continue west into West Cork and check into our hotel in Skibbereen.

But our day isn’t over.

As darkness falls, we head to Lough Hyne for a nighttime kayaking adventure.

Lough Hyne is a unique marine lake connected to the Atlantic, and under the right conditions, the water can come alive with flashes of bioluminescence as our paddles move through it.

I deliberately picked the dates for our trip so that we would be doing this activity under a dark sky, close to the new moon, giving us some of the darkest conditions possible to see the bioluminescence. Nature makes no guarantees, but if everything lines up, this could be one of those experiences we’ll tell our great-great-grandkids about.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 4 hours, broken into drives of about 1h50m, 20m, 1h20m–1h30m, and 15m.

OVERNIGHT: West Cork Hotel

MEALS: Breakfast

Today is a road-trip day in the very best sense of the word.

Leaving West Cork, we head toward Kenmare, where we join the legendary Ring of Kerry.

From here, we travel through the colorful villages of Sneem and Waterville, following the coast west.

But we’re not sticking to the standard route.

At Waterville, we detour onto the spectacular Skellig Ring, a wilder and less-traveled section of coastline.

We’ll stop at Coomanaspig Pass, visit the dramatic Kerry Cliffs, and continue through Portmagee before crossing onto Valentia Island, where we’ll see real dinosaur footprints that are hundreds of millions of years old!

Weather permitting, we’ll also hike out toward Bray Head, where the Atlantic stretches endlessly below us and the Skellig Islands rise offshore.

Eventually, we continue toward Killarney, where we’ll settle in for three nights.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 4h15m, broken into drives of about 1h15m to Kenmare, 30m to Sneem, 30m to Waterville, shorter drives through the Skellig Ring and Valentia Island, and 1h15m to Killarney.

OVERNIGHT: Killarney Court Hotel

MEALS: Breakfast

Today we tackle the highest mountain in Ireland.

At 1,038 meters, Carrauntoohil isn’t enormous by international standards, but this is still a real mountain day.

This will be guided ascent for safety and efficiency, allowing plenty of time for weather, changing trail conditions, and different hiking speeds.

For anyone who doesn’t want to climb Carrauntoohil, no problem: You’ll have a relaxed free day in Killarney. Explore town, visit Killarney House & Gardens, stroll along the lake, grab lunch, or simply enjoy a slower day.

The hikers return to Killarney later in the afternoon, and we will all have a free evening in Killarney.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 45–50m, broken into two drives of about 20–25m to and from Carrauntoohil.

OVERNIGHT: Killarney Court Hotel

MEALS: Breakfast

Today is our full Killarney National Park day.

We begin with some of the famous scenery we skipped when we joined the Ring of Kerry at Kenmare.

Our morning takes us past Torc Waterfall, Ladies View, and Moll’s Gap, completing one of the most beautiful sections of the Ring.

Then we head to Ross Castle.

But instead of getting back into the van, we get into a boat. We’ll cross the beautiful Lakes of Killarney, traveling deep into the national park to Lord Brandon’s Cottage. From there, we’ll climb aboard traditional jaunting cars for the approximately 12-kilometer journey through the spectacular Gap of Dunloe, a narrow mountain pass between some of Kerry’s highest peaks.

Lakes, stone bridges, mountains, sheep, narrow roads, and scenery that looks like somebody designed it specifically for an Ireland postcard.

We’ll eventually emerge at Kate Kearney’s Cottage, where transportation takes us back to Ross Castle and our van.

After some time to shower and rest, we head out for dinner.

Then at night, we’ll watch Celtic Steps, a high-energy performance of traditional Irish music and dancing.

Mountains by day, Irish music and dancing by night. This one should be a pretty great day!

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 1h30m in our van, broken into drives of about 15m, 15m, 10m, 30–35m, and short local drives later in the day.

OVERNIGHT: Killarney Court Hotel

MEALS: Breakfast

This morning we begin with a private falconry experience near Killarney.

We’ll get a close-up introduction to birds of prey and have a chance to interact with some extraordinary animals before continuing west toward the Dingle Peninsula and the colorful town of Dingle.

After lunch in colorful Dingle, we head out on the legendary Slea Head Drive, another of the most beautiful scenic drives in the world.

But, as usual, we aren’t just driving it.

We’ll stop at Coumeenoole Beach, walk out onto Dunmore Head, the westernmost point of mainland Ireland, look down on the ridiculously photogenic Dun Chaoin Pier, and visit the ancient Gallarus Oratory. If time allows, we’ll also stop at Clogher Strand.

This entire peninsula is one of those places where the road itself becomes the attraction. So we’ll take our time and enjoy it.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 2h15m–2h30m, broken into about 20m to Falconry Kerry, 1 hour to Dingle, and shorter drives around Slea Head.

OVERNIGHT: Base Dingle

MEALS: Breakfast

After breakfast in Dingle, we continue to one of Ireland’s most famous natural landmarks: The Cliffs of Moher.

Rising dramatically above the Atlantic, the cliffs stretch for kilometers along Ireland’s western coast.

We’ll have time to explore the viewpoints, walk the accessible trails, and take in the scenery.

From there, we head up to the Burren, where the landscape changes completely: a vast limestone region that feels almost otherworldly compared with the green Ireland most people imagine. In the middle of it sits Poulnabrone Dolmen, a portal tomb more than 5,000 years old.

Eventually, we continue to Lisdoonvarna, our base for the night. This is also traditional music country, so anyone who wants to experience an Irish pub in the evening will have the opportunity.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 3h10m–3h20m, broken into drives of about 1h20m, 55m, a scenic drive through the Burren, and 20–25m.

OVERNIGHT: Hydro Hotel

MEALS: None. Base Dingle does not have a restaurant. There are breakfast options right across the street, but we’ll have to pay for breakfast on our own.

This morning we head to Doolin Pier and board a ferry for the beautiful island of Inis Mór, famous for its dramatic prehistoric stone forts, stark limestone landscape, and for being one of the places where Irish is still commonly spoken.

The best way to explore Inis Mór is by bike, so when we arrive, we’ll pick up bikes or e-bikes and spend most of the day exploring the island.

The highlight is Dún Aonghasa, a prehistoric stone fort dramatically positioned at the edge of a sheer Atlantic cliff.

But the island itself is the real experience.

Stone walls crisscross the landscape, tiny roads wind between villages, ancient ruins appear unexpectedly, and the Atlantic is never very far away.

We’ll have time to bike, explore, stop for lunch, and experience a part of Ireland that feels very different from the mainland.

Late in the afternoon, we ferry back to Doolin, retrieve our van, and continue to Galway, the “Cultural Heart of Ireland,” celebrated for its vibrant traditional music scene, medieval architecture, and lively nightlife.

We’ll check into our hotel, then head into the city center for dinner and to experience some of Galway’s famous evening atmosphere and traditional music.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 1h30m, broken into about 15–20m to Doolin Pier and 1h10m–1h15m to Galway.

OVERNIGHT: Menlo Park Hotel

MEALS: Breakfast

This morning we leave Galway and drive through the rugged scenery of Connemara toward Killary, Ireland’s only true fjord.

And rather than simply looking at it from the road. We’re going out on the water. We’ll board a boat for a 90-minute cruise through Killary Fjord, surrounded by mountains rising steeply from the water on both sides. It’s going to be one of those experiences that is less about checking off a sight and more about simply sitting back and taking in where we are.

After the cruise, we’ll have time for lunch before continuing deeper into Connemara to one of Ireland’s most recognizable buildings: Kylemore Abbey.

Set beneath the mountains along the edge of a lake, Kylemore looks almost too perfectly placed to be real.

We’ll have plenty of time to explore the abbey, the neo-Gothic church, the Victorian Walled Garden, and the surrounding grounds without having to rush through any of it.

Then we continue north through the beautiful Connemara countryside to Westport, a scenic Georgian heritage town located on the Carrowbeg River. We’ll check into our hotel and have some free time before dinner.

After kayaking at night, climbing Ireland’s highest mountain, biking across an island, and everything else we’ve been doing, this is intentionally a slightly more relaxed day.

We’ve earned one.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 2h30m–2h45m, broken into about 1h20m from Galway to Killary, 20–25m to Kylemore Abbey, and approximately 55m to Westport.

OVERNIGHT: Westport Coast Hotel

MEALS: Breakfast

Today is our biggest driving day of the trip, but there’s something pretty spectacular waiting for us along the way.

We drive north through western Ireland toward Slieve League.

The Cliffs of Moher may be more famous, but Slieve League rises dramatically above the Atlantic and reaches heights far greater than Moher.

We’ll spend time exploring the viewpoints and taking in the enormous coastal scenery before continuing north.

By late afternoon, we cross into Northern Ireland and arrive in Derry. Officially named Londonderry, this is a historic cathedral city known as Ireland’s only completely intact walled city.

We’ll explore the historic center and walk along the city’s famous defensive walls, which have surrounded the old city for more than 400 years.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 4h45m–5h, broken into about 2h50m–3h to Slieve League and 1h45m–2h to Derry.

OVERNIGHT: Maldron Hotel Derry
MEALS: Breakfast

Today we reach Northern Ireland’s spectacular Causeway Coast.

And we’re not just going to look at it from the road. Oh no, not a 1000 Treks group! We are going on the water and kayaking near Giant’s Causeway. How close we get will depend on Mother Nature, but we have a really good relationship with her, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she lets us get pretty close… 😉

After kayaking, we continue to Giant’s Causeway on land. Giant’s Causeway is one of the most unusual natural landscapes in the world: thousands of interlocking basalt columns descending toward the sea, formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago.

Of course, Irish legend has another explanation: the Giant’s Causeway was built by the giant Finn McCool (Fionn mac Cumhaill) as a stepping-stone bridge across the sea to challenge his rival, the Scottish giant Benandonner.

Personally, I believe the giant version. Otherwise, why would it be called Giant’s Causeway???

We’ll spend the afternoon exploring the Causeway before continuing to Ballycastle for the night.

TOTAL DRIVING TIME:

Approximately 1h45m–2h, broken into about 1h10m–1h15m from Derry to Ballintoy Harbour, 15m to Giant’s Causeway, and 20–25m to Ballycastle.

OVERNIGHT: Marine Hotel Ballycastle

MEALS: Breakfast

We start early this morning at Ballycastle Harbour and ferry across to Rathlin Island.

May falls right in the middle of seabird season, and we’ll head toward the island’s West Light area to look for nesting seabirds, including the little orange-beaked celebrities we came here to see:

Puffins! The most adorable birds you will ever see. Puffins are like the puppies of birds: so cute you just want to hold them! We can’t. But we are actually going to get pretty close to them. Rathlin Island is one of the best places to see them up close.

Then we ferry back to Ballycastle and completely change the character of the day, because this afternoon we’re going coasteering!

If you’ve never heard of coasteering, it basically means exploring a rocky coastline by scrambling, climbing, swimming, jumping, and working your way along the edge of the sea. In other words, exactly the sort of activity that tends to end up on a 1000 Treks itinerary.

After drying off, we get back on the road and head to the atmospheric Dark Hedges, an avenue of twisted beech trees made internationally famous by Game of Thrones.

Then we continue south along the beautiful Causeway Coastal Route, passing through small seaside villages including Cushendun, Cushendall, Carnlough, and Glenarm.

And tonight, our last night on the road, we have a special treat. We’re sleeping in a castle!

Ballygally Castle is an authentic 17th-century castle sitting directly on the Antrim coast, and it even comes with its own ghost stories. Yeah, we couldn’t come to Ireland and not sleep in a castle! If we did that, it would be embarrassing! We would have to change our name to 999 Treks or something!

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 2 hours, broken into short drives around Ballycastle and Ballintoy, about 15–20m to the Dark Hedges, and a longer scenic drive along the Causeway Coastal Route.

OVERNIGHT: Ballygally Castle

MEALS: Breakfast

Today we begin closing the loop back toward Dublin.

Our first stop is Titanic Belfast, the place where the Titanic was built, which today is a museum that tells the story of the RMS Titanic, from her conception to her tragic maiden voyage. We’ll explore the Titanic Experience and learn about Belfast’s shipbuilding history, the construction of the Titanic, and the story of the ship itself.

Then we leave the 20th century behind.

Very, very far behind.

Our next stop is Brú na Bóinne, one of the most important prehistoric landscapes in Europe. Here we’ll enter Newgrange, an enormous passage tomb built more than 5,000 years ago.

That makes it older than Stonehenge.

Older than the Egyptian pyramids.

And its builders designed the passage so that sunlight enters the inner chamber around the winter solstice.

After exploring Brú na Bóinne and Newgrange, we continue south and complete our road-trip loop back in Dublin.

Sixteen days ago, we arrived here.

Since then, we’ve driven around most of Ireland, climbed its highest mountain, biked across the countryside and an island, paddled lakes, fjords, and the Atlantic, walked ancient ruins, explored wild coastlines, looked for puffins, and somehow slept in a castle.

I’d call that a pretty good lap around Ireland… 🙂

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: Approximately 3 hours, broken into about 30–35m to Titanic Belfast, 1h20m–1h25m to Brú na Bóinne, and 55m–1h to Dublin.

OVERNIGHT: Ashling Hotel Dublin
MEALS: None. Breakfast at Ballygally Castle is not included. It is made to order, and meals cannot be paid for in advance.

All adventures eventually have to end.

Flights will leave at different times today, so we’ll keep the morning flexible.

For anyone with a later departure, this is our chance to catch anything we didn’t see earlier in Dublin.

Depending on timing, possibilities include:

• Kilmainham Gaol, Ireland’s Alcatraz
• Guinness Storehouse, where we can not only drink, but also learn more about Ireland’s most famous stout
• Trinity College, where we can see the Book of Kells, a manuscript from around 800 AD, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament.
• A cold-water swim at Sandycove Beach
• Or simply more time wandering Dublin

I’m staying for an extra night, and if you want to do the same, we can arrange that too…

TOTAL DRIVING TIME: N/AOVERNIGHT: N/A
MEALS: Breakfast