West Cork Coastline

Introduction
West Cork Ireland

Quiet roads lined with wild, deeply scented flowers, this tour covers all types of landscape, from rolling green fields to spectacular coastal rides. West Cork is also best known for its colourful villages, all of which are brightly painted in a wonderful array of vibrant colours, with wonderful hanging baskets brimming with flowers out the front of every pub and shop. This is the more cosmopolitan part of rural Ireland with many choosing to settle in this idyllic setting. The tour finishes in the colourful town of Kinsale, easily accessible to Cork Airport and city. Our starting point is Cork City on the banks for the river Lee. It is the river that provides our inspiration as we begin our journey following backroads along its course to the wonderful glacial lake and hermitage retreat of Gougane Barra. The fresh salty air of the Atlantic Ocean is our next inspiration as we sweep down towards Bantry Bay and take in the wonderfully remote and unspoilt charms of the Sheep’s Head Peninsula. We hug the coastline for the rest of the week taking in the charming villages of Baltimore, Union Hall and Glandore, with the nearby Neolithic stone circle of Drombeg. The towns of Clonakilty and Kinsale await where the brightly coloured villages compete with each other for your attention, all this connected by sweet scented fushia-lined backroads. The group tour finishes up in Kinsale, whereas the self gided tour heads back to Cork city for the last night. Self Guided Option is available

Accomodation

Tour Accommodation:    

Is on a twin sharing basis in a mixture of family run hotels and guest houses with breakfasts  included.  Upon booking we need to know whether sharing will be on a twin (two beds) or double (one big bed) basis.  Due to the isolated nature of several of the places we stay in, we cannot guarantee the availability of single room accommodation. For people coming on their own we will twin share them with another single person on the tour.  In exceptional cases we may be able to provide a single room at a supplement for the week.  
 

Extra Accommodation: 

We can arrange additional accommodation either before or after the tour for you -prices are on request.

Meals:  The guide will recommend a lunch stop each day where a snack lunch will cost between €8 and €12. A group evening meal is organised by the guide each night which costs between €20 and €30. One evening meal during the tour is included in the tour price

Riding

Itinerary

Day 1  As with each of our tours, the week starts with a meeting of the group at 6:30pm, in a hotel close to the centre of Cork City.
Day 2  We head out the banks of the Lee and travel along quiet backroads to a lunch stop in the market town of Macroom. In the afternoon we continue up the Lee Valley through rolling countryside to the wonderfully peaceful Lakeside retreat of Gougane Barram the source of the River Lee and Ireland's first National Park.
Day 3  We cycle down to the coast past fields of grazing cattle and sheep to the coastal town of Bantry for lunch. In the afternoon we head out to the beautiful Sheep's Head Peninsula and cycle along quiet coastal roads with stunning views of the surrounding landscape. That night you have a home-cooked dinner in your guesthome.
Day 4  We cycle onto the Mizen Peninsula in the morning and the village of Schull. After lunch you can either cycle the coast road or else take a ferry across Roaring Water Bay (it is usually quite calm!) to visit Sherkin Island and then take a later ferry into the village of Baltimore.
Day 5  Baltimore is a lovely village to potter around for the day or else you can take off to explore the nearby islands and countryside.
Day 6  In the morning we cycle along quiet backroads to the peaceful Lough Ine and then follow the West Cork coast to the village of Glandore where we have lunch overlooking the beautiful Glandore Harbour and its two islands, Adam and Eve. In the afternoon we visit a 3,000-year-old stone circle, one of the best examples of its kind in the country, before following another scenic coastal cycle to the bustling town of Clonakilty.
Day 7  In the morning we follow the coast road before heading inland to the village Timoleague, where you can visit a 15th-century Franciscan Friary. After lunch we continue to hug the coastline all the way to the historic town of Kinsale, sit of the 1601 Battle of Kinsale. Kinsale is a colourful cosmopolitan town with a wide range of excellent craft shops. Later than evening we have a final farewell night on the town together.
Dya 8  In the morning you are free to make your own way back to Cork City which is 18 miles away.

Distances: The average cycling distance is an easy 30m (45km ) with longer routes being available each day.

The Group, Guide and Back-Up Support
The group size varies from 12 to 20 people . Each group is lead by a local guide driving a support van. She/He will  sweep during the day to check on cyclists. In the afternoon they will be gone for about two hours to leave the  luggage off at your accommodation therefore may not be on hand to give you a lift, but there is no rush; you have all day to complete the ride. As soon as the guide has delivered the luggage to your accommodation they will  sweep back to do a final check on cyclists.
Our aim is to allow you feel like an independent traveller, free to cycle each day at your own pace while at the same time having the security of knowing that a support van is nearby just in case you might need it.  Most importantly,  our guide is there to  help in whatever way possible so that  all you have to do is leave your worries behind and enjoy  the many wonderful experiences that this cycling holiday  has to offer.

Rates and Dates for West Cork Coastline

Dates Note:

Other Info
Meeting: Cork City - ends in Kinsale
Airport: Cork, Shannon
Transfer: Cork City

Climate: