Ireland:

Dublin to Cork

7 nights - £3,050 includes all food, distillery tours and a support vehicle (bike hire’s an extra)

Thursday2nd July - thursday 9th July 2026

Fabulous scenery and great cycling. Ireland’s whisky scene has transformed in the last decade. Whilst triple distilled ‘pot still’ whiskey is still a speciality they aren’t limited by quite the same regulations as the Scottish. There is plenty of variety; there are even Irish peated malt whiskies being made that match the production techniques of Scottish malts. We can judge for ourselves how they’ve succeeded! As ever with Saddle Grape & Grain, it’s the journey and the shared experience that matters most.

We spend our first evening in Dublin with a walk around the Liberties - once home to the grandees of Irish whiskey (Jameson’s, Power’s, Roe & Co), before a tasting at Pearse Lyons Distillery based in a restored 18th century church. We head south in the morning on quiet roads and climb gently into the beautiful Wiklow mountains, staying at Glendalough in the National Park for the night. This is followed by a longer cycling day (about 55 miles) heading South West, conquering most of the steep hills in the morning before a more gentle afternoon ride to Graiguenamanagh where we stay two nights on the banks of the Barrow river. This allows recovery and a very relaxed short cycle to visit Royal Oak distillery nearby. (There might also be an option to row or kayak down the river.) Royal Oak is one of a number innovative small distilleries. It opened in 2016 and makes three styles of whiskey, pot still, malt and grain.

On day four we set off for Waterford, a shorter ride of 30 miles or so, leaving the afternoon to explore the town or relax. Our hotel is on the waterfront and we dine a few streets away at Momo a gem of a restaurant that we discovered on our recce in 2022. It is only a few streets back from our hotel. Sadly Waterford distillery closed last year but we’ll have a bottle to try back at the hotel.

On day five we take the traffic-free cycle path to Dungarvan for a picnic and then branch off to the tiny Blackwater distillery at Ballyduff. From there, we transfer by minivan/ taxi to the coast for a well-earned feast of local food and good wine at our wonderful hotel near Ardmore.

Our final ride of just over 60 miles takes us along the coast and then a quiet back route via a small ferry at Passage West and on to Cork. Here we spend our last night together before departure by train or plane the next day. If you fancy staying on in Ireland longer, we’ve got a great route suggestion from Cork to Dingle partly along the Wild Atlantic Way. We may even add this second week to our Ireland tour in the future. There’s even a ferry to Brittany if you fancy a 600km cycle on to Paris!

A chance to experience the warm and welcoming City of Dublin at the start of the trip (stay an extra few days beforehand if you want to explore the City)

The beautiful Wicklow mountains

Quiet back roads and cycle paths as far as possible

Scenic and quality hotels and delicious food

Two longer days 55/60 miles but otherwise moderate cycling distances.

All food, wine and the distillery tour fees are included.