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Route Rating Level 2 to Level 5

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Premiere Inns
  • From $4,398
    To $4,498 pp dbl. occ.
  • (+$1,140 for sgl. occ.)

Reserve early for the best available price. More Info

6 DAYS, 5 NIGHTS
ROLLOVER DATES BELOW FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
2008 DATES
CLASSIC TRIPS
ROLLOVER DATES ABOVE FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
TRIP NOTES

All meals included except 3 lunches and 1 dinner.

PERFECT FOR A PRIVATE TRIP
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Cancellation Policy

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Meet / Depart

Cork, Ireland

Special Interest

Culture & History, Fine Wine & Cuisine, Golf, Spa

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Call: 800-462-2848
or 510-527-1555
Fax: 510-527-1444
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Berkeley, CA 94710

Business Hours:
7 days a week
from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time

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Ireland Biking Vacations

Ireland Biking

Cork & Kerry in the Southwest

“Ireland, especially the rural West, is a cyclist’s dream,” writes Bicycling magazine, “A network of intertwined little roads...wind above seaside cliffs and past evenly spaced white cottages with gray slate roofs, each one trailing its signature plume of smoke from a turf fire.” Join Backroads to weave your way through this spectacular landscape, along the quiet nooks of western Cork and Kerry and past ancient fortresses, crumbling churches and peaceful glens dressed in emerald. You’ll be charmed by a local historian, a spinner of folk tales and an expert in fine whiskey, and enjoy warm Irish hospitality in country manors and inns.

You are viewing the Classic Premiere Inns version of this trip.
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Day 1 Kinsale

Meet in Cork   Pedal into the countryside, following a hilly route to the cliffs at the Old Head of Kinsale, where castle ruins and a watchtower from the Napoleonic War invite exploration Join a local historian for a walking tour of Kinsale.

Day 2 Baltimore

Take in sweeping vistas of the south coast’s emerald bluffs en route to the market town of Clonakilty Continue on to Baltimore, winding through a classic Irish tableau of verdant hills, small farms, quaint cottages and woolly sheep Enjoy an evening of local Irish entertainment.

Day 3 Bantry

Ferry to Skull, a vibrant resort town An afternoon ride to Ballylickey follows quiet country roads lined with small villages painted in cheery colors  Visit Mannings’ Emporium for a cheese tasting.

Days 4-6 Kenmare

Bike to Glengarriff and catch a ferry to Garinish Island, an unlikely garden paradise filled with fountains, statues and plants from around the world Explore the town of Kenmare, or treat yourself to an afternoon at the Park Hotel’s world-renowned spa  Explore the wild and rugged Beara Peninsula and subtropical gardens of Derreen House Enjoy a private whiskey tasting with expert John Moriarty Ride alongside the Roughty River and past rolling green pastures dotted with cows.

Route Rating What's this? Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. Each offers options for more or less activity, so you can decide exactly how much you want to do day by day.

Lodging What's this? Our lodgings are divided into three different categories.

Premiere Inns:These lodgings possess both elegance and authentic regional flair.

Casual Inns:These lodgings are comfortable and appropriate to the areawith such characteristics as authenticity, scenic settings and proximity to our activities.

Deluxe Camping:We set up the tents (and take them down), handle every camp chore and perform culinary magic.

Detailed Itinerary

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Trip praise

One of best run and organized trips ever. The organization was particularly outstanding. The routes, for the most part, kept us on lightly traveled, beautiful roads.
Joel Howell - Ann Arbor, MI

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For more than 29 years, Backroads has been perfecting the art of active travel. We are the Ireland tour experts. For biking tours in Europe At Large, trust our in-depth connections. To see all our Europe At Large biking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe At Large walking and hiking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning Europe At Large multisport tours click here.

Ireland Biking

IRISH TRADITIONS : Premiere Inns*

Old Bank House

Kinsale (1 night): The picturesque town harbor is just steps from this welcoming Georgian inn, decorated with period pieces and original art.

Casey's of Baltimore*

Baltimore (1 night): Ann and Michael Casey’s cheery inn with a traditional pub is tucked in a classic fishing village.

* With 1 Casual Inn night

Seaview House

Bantry (1 night): A four-star country house on the shore of Bantry Bay, where owner Kathleen O’Sullivan pampers us.

Park Hotel Kenmare

Kenmare (2 nights): A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, with luxurious guest rooms and a world-renowned spa.

Ireland Biking Ireland Biking

Park Hotel Kenmare

You are viewing the Classic Premiere Inns version of this trip.
View the Classic Casual Inns Itineraries.

Ireland Biking

Route Rating

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1
  • Level 1    2 Route Options Available
  • Biking 19 miles
  • 1000- 1500 feet elevation gain
  • Optional Walking Tour of Kinsale 1.5 hours
  • Optional Walking 3.5 miles 
Day 2
  • Levels 2 to 5 3 Route Options Available
  • 27, 44, 57 miles
  • 1000 - 3500 feet elevation gain
Day 3
  • Levels 1 to 2 2 Route Options Available
  • 20, 29 miles
  • 1000 - 2000 feet elevation gain
Day 4
  • Levels 1 to 3 3 Route Options Available
  • 8, 25, 31 miles
  • 0 - 2500 feet elevation gain
Day 5
  • Levels 3 to 5 2 Route Options Available
  • 31, 64 miles
  • 1000 - 3000 feet elevation gain
Day 6
  • Level 1 1 Route Option Available
  • 15 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
Ireland Biking Ireland Biking

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level Average Time Average Distance
    Biking Walking
& Hiking
1 2-3
hours		 10-20
miles		 2-5
miles
2 2-4
hours		 21-30
miles		 5-7
miles
3 3-5
hours		 31-40
miles		 7-9
miles
4 4-6
hours		 41-55
miles		 9-11
miles
5 5-7+
hours		 56-75+
miles		 11-13+
miles