Luxury Motorcycle Tour of Ireland 9 - 17 July 2013
We understand that many people prefer riding in small, uncluttered groups and enjoy sharing the freedom of the open road with like minded people. The overnight accommodation is in hand picked 4 and 5 star hotels and spas.
Benefits of touring with us
Bring your own bike or use one of our fleet of BMW R1200 GS bikes.
Fully supported with backup vehicle;
Experienced tour guides;
Hand picked luxury hotels;
Your luggage carried in our backup vehicle;
Best biking roads in Ireland;
Small groups;
Personal service.
How it works
This is a fully supported tour which means there will be two tour guides riding the route with you each day. They know all the best roads and are there to give any help or advice you need. There will also be a backup truck to carry all the luggage, plus a spare motorcycle. The hotels have all been chosen for their quality and will be 4 or 5 star. We take care of all the details so you can get the most enjoyment from the experience.
Itinerary
Day One - 9 July - Arrival Day
An unhurried
day for you to arrive at our Dublin area hotel where you will meet the team and get settled into your room. During the day you will receive your motorcycle and have a chance to get familiar with it on a personal ride out with one of our guides. In the evening there will be a chance to get to know the rest of the riders during the group briefing.
Day Two - 10 July - Tour Start
Today the tour starts
proper and the wonders of Ireland begin. Nearly immediately we will enter County Wicklow, 'the Garden of Ireland'. As you travel through the Wicklow Mountains, there will be time for a couple of stops in places like Glendalough, a beautiful 6th Century monastic site; Avoca, the setting for the TV series 'Ballykissangel', where you can have a pint in Fitzpatrick's; and Powerscourt House, an old country estate with fabulous gardens. Then we will travel south through breathtaking scenery towards the historic city of Waterford.
Day Three - 11 July - County Cork
Today is a real gem, cruising through the Cork countryside we will visit many picturesque towns and villages. With lots of great views in open countryside and an outstanding lookout point, the roads are perfect for riding. There are no major landmarks on todays run, it is much more about immersing yourself in the landscape and pace of Ireland. Our stop for the night is in the Cork City area.
Day Four - 12 July - Kinsale to Killarney
In the first part of the day we will be exploring West Cork with its small fields, high hedgerows and colourful towns like Clonakilty and Skibbereen. The winding West Cork Coastal Route will lead us down to Ireland’s most south westerly point, Mizen Head, where there will be time to explore the historic lighthouse. Then we turn north past the famous Bantry Bay and enter the Kingdom of Kerry with its soaring mountains and windswept peninsulas. Our next stop will be the around the popular town of Killarney where we will be based for the next three nights.
Day Five - 13 July - Rest Day
Today you get a well earned rest. You may like to lounge around the hotel, explore Killarney town or, if you haven’t had enough riding, there is plenty more scenery in Kerry to be seen; the choice is yours!
Day Six - 14 July - Ring of Kerry
What can we say
about the Ring of Kerry! It’s probably the most famous road in Ireland and rightly so. It travels around the Iveagh Peninsula with its soaring mountains, golden beaches, alpine landscapes and sub tropical flora, not to mention McGillicuddy's Reeks, the mountain range which dominates the landscape. If time allows we will also venture onto the Beara Peninsula which again has stunning scenery but is quite distinct from the Ring of Kerry. Today’s scenery will blow you away! Tonight will be the last night in our Killarney hotel.
Day Seven - 15 July - Killarney to Galway
Today we are on the move northwards again. We will cross the Shannon Estuary by ferry boat and head to where the rugged Atlantic coast rises nearly 700 feet above the sea at the Cliffs of Moher. A couple of miles away, you'll find an amazing karst limestone region called the Burren which features caves, underground streams and rare alpine flora. The area also has plenty of fascinating archaeological sites, including the 5000-year-old Poulnabrone Dolmen. At the end of the day we will stop in the Galway City area which will be our base for the next two nights.
Day Eight - 16 July - Connemara
You'll know you're in
Connemara by the light that constantly changes the mood and tone of the landscape. Connemara has long been regarded as the 'real' emerald of Ireland. Highlights like 'The Famine Village’, a restored village deserted at the time of the Irish famine, the world famous Kylemore Abbey and Connemara National Park all add to the haunting landscape. We’ll do a circuit of Connemara and if time allows we will visit the village of Cong where the film ‘The Quiet Man’ was shot.
Day Nine - 17 July - Galway to Dublin
Our final day
of the tour sees us exploring some more of the breathtaking Connemara countryside before lunch. Then after lunch it’s a quick blast across the country to arrive back at our hotel in Dublin by late afternoon. That evening we will have a farewell dinner and relive all the high points of the tour before the fond farewells the following morning.
Prices -
using your own motorcycle
Rider in a single room £4875
Rider & Passenger in Double Room £5350
including hire of a BMW R1200 GS or BMW F650 GS
Rider in a single room £5995
Rider & Passenger in a Double Room £6470
Not included in prices is fuel, food (except breakfast), drinks, ferries, parking, entrance to tourist sites, fines, tickets or any other personal costs you may incur during your trip. Tours require a minimum number to run. If that quota is not reached, the tour will be cancelled and you will receive a full refund.
