9 Day Tour

Transfer to Celtic Rider, attend and enjoy safety orientation course.

Head North west along the N3, I recommend stopping at Lakeside Manor Hotel in Virginia for lunch, a nice hotel beside beautiful Lough Ramor, 50 miles from Celtic Rider, plenty of parking space at this quaint hotel.

This ride briefly takes you through northern Ireland, along upper and lower Lough Erne.

There are no customs checks in Ireland anymore, the only difference you will notice are the speed signs are in miles per hour, not km.

Entering Donegal town, check out Donegal Castle and Magee’s tweed shop, conveniently located 100 yards from each other in the town centre.

Check into Donegal accommodation for 2 nights.

Good restaurants are ‘The Harbour’ and ‘The Olde Castle’

Call into Reels Pub, traditional music every evening, real turf fire

Follow the Garmin route up through Barnesmore gap, a smugglers haven in time gone by.

Continue the ride to the stunning Glenveagh National Park and Castle in North West Donegal, with the majestic Derryveagh mountains all around you.
The Castle is set in a beautiful garden, nice to relax in for a while, have some refreshments and enjoy the short guided tour of the Castle itself.

Departing Glenveagh note Mount Errigal, Ireland’s most iconic mountain, with its quartzite top.

Continue riding along the route through wild and remote Donegal to Ardara, than ride the Glengash Mountain Pass.

Onwards to Carrick, than Teelin village, follow the route to ‘The Rusty’ a small old pub and just 100 metres after the pub you turn right to the start of the ascent to the highest sea cliffs in Europe, Slieve League Cliffs, at 2000 ft high.

The ride up is as memorable as the amazing view from the upper parking area, accessed by opening a farm gate on the way up.

Often there are trawlers fishing, they look like tiny dots on the Atlantic Ocean from the summit of the cliffs.

Return to Donegal accommodation via Killybegs, Ireland’s deep sea fishing port, very photographic coastal town.

Departing Donegal head south , Drumcliff is where Ireland’s beloved poet W.B.Yeats is laid to rest. Benbulbin table top mountain dominates the skyline

Must visit is the ‘Ceide Fields’ visitor centre, the oldest and largest stone walled village in the world, 5200BC.

Ride south through Ireland’s most remote area, from Bangor ride Ballycroy National Park, please stop at the Ballycroy visitor centre, Europe’s largest expanse of blanket bog, local people working there will happily tell you the history of this region.

View the Nephin Beg Mountains and look out for local people cutting turf.

The ride to Mallarany is spectacular as it winds along the sea.

There is a nice Abbey, Burrishoole Abbey, between Mallaranny and Newport, optional, and saved in your Garmin in favourites, worth visiting.

Check into Westport accommodation for 2 nights.

Leaving Westport for Maam Cross we are now heading for the spiritually haunting experience of Connemara National Park, a magical ride.

From Maam cross ride to Roundstone coastal village than continue to Clifden.

From Clifden town take the aptly named ‘Sky Road’ with outstanding sea views are you ride higher and higher to the viewing area.

Continue to Kylemore abbey for hot scones and freshly brewed tea This is a magnificent Benedictine Abbey in a stunningly beautiful wooded valley.

Ride to Leenane village look at Irelands deepest Fjord, than ride the incredible and narrow Doo Lough mountain pass, the Gem of Mayo, with towering mountains on either side of you

Doo Lough Pass is steeped in history, some quite sad as many Irish people died of starvation along this pass during the great hunger, the famine years of the late 1840s.

There is a stone cross commemorating those who perished and a famine walk every year along this stunningly beautiful area. The words on the cross are very poignant and it is worthwhile to stop here for a short while.

Ride back now via Louisburgh and admire Irelands holy mountain ‘Croagh Patrick’ en route back to Westport.

Departing Westport ride to Leenane than skirt around Galway city.

Take the N67 coast road to Kinvara village, optional visit to Dunquire Castle, you can walk up a very narrow stone stairwell to the top of the castle

Optional visit to Aillwee caves, a subterranean cave deep under the Burren, a great tourist attraction. Park bikes in the upper car park with fantastic views across Galway Bay.

The Burren National Park is unique in the world; it is a vast limestone plateau covering 400 sq kms (250 sq miles).

Next stop is Poulnabrone megalithic portal Tomb, many thousands of years old. You are now in the heart of the Burren National Park.

Skirt around Ennis and continue to Bunratty village.

Enjoy a four course medieval meal in Bunratty castle, or a traditional night of Irish food and dance in the Corn Barn, alternatively Durty Neely’s is a great old pub in the village.

Ride to Ennistymon and continue to the Cliffs of Moher, magnificent vertical cliffs towering over the Atlantic Ocean, shortlisted to be one of the great natural wonders of the World.

Travel onwards to Doolin, optional and exciting ferry ride to see the cliffs from the ocean, spectacular on a sunny day.

Follow the route north along the coast road to Blackhead, stopping at Murrooughtoohy car park. Take a walk on this bizarre limestone beach with millions of boulders deposited from the last Ice age, and beautiful wild orchids living in cracks in the limestone rock. A short walk brings you to the ocean.

Continue along the route to Ballyvaughan than ride to Lisdoonvarna (famous the world over for its matchmaking festival in September) via Corkscrew Hill, very tight hairpins.

Follow the route to Kilfenora, interesting visitor centre there, optional, continue back to Bunratty accommodation via Carrofin.

Leaving Bunratty take the road to Killimer and board the ferry for the short crossing to Tarbert in Kerry.

Listowel, famous for horse racing, than Tralee and ride to Camp village on the Dingle Peninsula, described by the National Geographic magazine as one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

From Camp ride to Stradbally and take the road signed Conor Pass, a mountain ride with everything you could wish for as a motorcyclist, mountain, sky and ocean views, awesome ride.

From Dingle ride along the coast taking in Inch beach and on Killorglin, famous for its puck fair, to your destination, Killarney.

Killarney, affectionately known as the ‘Jewel of the South West’ is a great town, buzzing with great restaurants and pubs.

Check into Killarney accommodation.

Either take a rest day and cruise the Killarney lakes taking in the majestic mountain views and a pony and trap ride over the Gap of Dunloe, plus a bit of shopping, relax if you wish.

Alternatively, ride the world famous ‘Ring of Kerry’, and the incredible ‘Gap of Dunloe’, the most beautiful glaciated valley in Europe, a challenging ride but very much worth the effort.

Continue around the route and deviate to ride the Skellig Ring, another awesome off shoot off the main Ring of Kerry.

Departing Killarney, the ride today brings you through the agricultural midlands of Ireland.

From Killarney ride to Mitchelstown and on to Cashel and visit The Rock of Cashel, this is where Queen Elizabeth came on her historic visit to Ireland in May 2011.

The Castle was the seat of the high Kings of Ireland for over 1000 years, well worth visiting and good place to stop for refreshments before riding back to Celtic Rider.

Continue to Celtic Rider rental station.

We will assist with unpacking the bike, check over of motorcycle and paperwork before arranging drop off to your Dublin hotel or Dublin Airport.