Throughout history, the magic of Ireland has been so richly celebrated, you may ask yourself whether the country could possibly live up to its reputation. Rest assured - it does. Let Backroads lure you and your family to the southwest counties of Cork and Kerry, where weather is mild, the locals are welcoming, and scenery - from Bantry Bay, across the Caha Mountains, to the rugged Beara Peninsula and beyond - is out of this world. Special activities such as chocolate making and a scavenger hunt keep young ones entertained, while adults will appreciate the intimate look at daily life and culture, topped off with exhilarating hikes and bike rides for all abilities.

IRISH TRADITIONS: Casual Inns

Glengarriff Park Hotel (1 night): This quaint hotel, ideally located in the heart of the picturesque coastal town of Glengarriff, has a lively bar and bistro.

Lansdowne Arms Hotel (2 nights):

Built in the 1790s, the hotel is steeped in history and a long tradition of hospitality. It houses two bars, The Bold Thady Quill, which often has live music, and the quieter Poet Bar.

Randles Court Hotel (2 nights): Once a rectory dating to the turn of the 20th century, this historic inn is embellished with antiques and art.

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1

• Levels 1 to 3 3 Route Options Available
• Biking 13, 22, 31 miles
• 500 - 1000 feet elevation gain

Day 2

• Levels 1 to 2  2 Route Options Available
• Biking 7, 26 miles
• 500 - 2000 feet elevation gain

Day 3

• Levels 1 to 2  3 Route Options Available
• Biking 7, 13, 27 miles
• 500 - 1000 feet elevation gain
• Scavenger Hunt (Kids) 1.5 Hours 

Day 4

• Level 1  2 Route Options Available
• Walking 2.5 miles (Adults)
• 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
• Kids Sailing Excursion 2 hours
• Hiking 3.8 miles
• 500 - 1000 feet elevation gain

Day 5

• Level 2  1 Route Option Available
• Hiking 6.9 miles
• 500 - 1500 feet elevation gain

Day 6

• Level 1 1 Route Option Available
• Walking 3 miles
• 0 - 500 feet elevation gain

Level 4 and 5 options available upon request; please ask your Trip Leaders for details.

On this Family trip, our family options are chosen with minimal to moderate elevation gain/loss. Adult-only routes are available and include longer mileage and more significant elevation gain/loss. Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary to facilitate our activities and mileage is kept moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.

We bike on narrow roads that can be bumpy at times and may include loose gravel. We hike on paved roads, dirt tracks and foot paths that can be wet and boggy at times.

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
Level 1	2-3 hours	10-20 mile	2-5 miles
Level 2	2-4 hours	21-30 miles	5-7 miles
Level 3	3-5 hours	31-40 miles	7-9 miles
Level 4	4-6 hours	41-55 miles	9-11 miles
Level 5	5-7+ hours	56-75+ miles	11-13+ miles

2009 DATES

FAMILY TRIPS

• 7/5-10Price: $3398 pp dbl. occ., (+ $410 for sgl. occ.)
  
  The trip you have selected is different from the one displayed. Here's how:
  On Days 2 and 3 we stay at the charming Lansdowne Arms Hotel in Kenmare instead of at the Brook Lane Hotel.
• 8/16-21Price: $3398 pp dbl. occ., (+ $410 for sgl. occ.)
  
  The trip you have selected is different from the one displayed. Here's how:
  On Days 2 and 3 we stay at the Brook Lane Hotel in Kenmare.

Reserve early for the best available price. Prices may change during the course of the year--if they do change, the best prices are available earlier. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.

Recommended Kids Ages

Minimum Ages:

Recommended minimum age for the trip: 6 years

Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 9 years

No burleys available on this trip.

Minimum age restrictions:

• Ride own bike: 9 years

General Info on Minimum Ages:

We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:

• 12+ cultural appreciation, difficulty of activities and route
• 9+ difficulty of activities and route
• 6+ several long adult dinners; parent may not be able to pull a Burley and/or there may be multiple activity restrictions
• 3+ riding is on bike paths, making it great for young kids; Burley and Piccolos are available; there are few or no activity restrictions; and no long dinners (or we offer alternatives)

Please note that a trip may feature an activity with an older age requirement than the minimum age recommendation for the trip. Younger kids are still welcome on the trip and while they will not be able to participate in the activity, the leaders will suggest an alternate activity. For safety reasons, children under 7 may not ride their own bikes and are required to ride on a Piccolo or in a Burley. For certain destinations, children must be 9 or older to ride their own bikes.

Guest Trip Reviews

We had another wonderful Backroads holiday. Backroads has indeed found the recipe for successful holidays for our family, which we know from our own experience can be a difficult thing. You succeeded famously once more! We particularly enjoyed the unexpected activities - the local hiking guide, the trip to the little island from the first hotel, Ross Castle tour. We also liked the way the first and last day had lots of activity (particularly the first day which got a good early start.)

Elizabeth Koester - Toronto, ON

Thank you for giving us a love for Ireland! Although we stayed for several days afterward, we would return anytime. The greatest contribution Backroads makes to the travel experience is the leaders and local guides, who are able to inform, answer questions and introduce you to local people and places. The bonus is that you're active and engaged, and the people you travel with often inspire you to do more (or something different) than you might do alone. Traveling Backroads-style helped introduce our children to Europe and taught them how much richer travel is when you talk to the people, eat their food and give yourself over to their way of life. The kid-only activities (scavenger hunt, pottery and fish & chips dinner) were amazingly well thought out—they were learning without feeling taught!

Karen Traina - Wrightsville Beach, NC