Yoga Bicycle Tour Ireland Itinerary
Day 1: Killarney National Park
You start your DuVine Adventure in County Kerry’s busy town of Killarney, colorful with craft shops, galleries, museums, cafes and restaurants. Your guides will meet you in town and whisk you off to your first hotel, Muckross Park Hotel, to get ready for a relaxing first day spin. Once acquainted with your bikes for the week enjoy a scenic ride around Muckross Lake and finish up with a visit of the Muckross House, a magnificent Victorian mansion and one of Ireland's leading stately homes. Upon you return at the hotel you will have a brief meeting with your yoga teacher for an introduction and relaxation session. Your fine dining experience tonight will be in the Blue Pool Restaurant where the chef’s philosophy is to create exciting, innovative cuisine based on classical European techniques and utilizing the finest locally sourced Irish ingredients.
Meals: Dinner
Destinations visited: Killarney, Muckross Lake and House
Distance cycled: 12km / 7.5 miles
Day 2: Gap of Dunloe
The day starts with a full yoga session to prepare you for one of the most memorable bike rides through the Gap of Dunloe. After a full Irish breakfast you will cycle over to the Ross Castle boathouse to board a traditional style Kerry wooden boat for a tour of the three Killarney Park Lakes. Heading towards Lord Brandon’s Cottage you will retrieve your bikes at the pier and enjoy a lovely picnic lunch before starting your cycle through the Gap of Dunloe. Along this route you will be delighted to know that the only traffic allowed is on foot, bikes and jaunting cars, the traditional Irish horse-drawn, two-wheeled open vehicle. As you follow this twisting, single lane road you will be amazed by its stunning beauty and rugged mountains all around you. Watch out for sheep that roam free all along this area. Stop for a snack or Irish coffee at Kate Kearney’s Cottage before continuing down to Killarney. You may stop to explore some of the small town shops or continue back to the hotel to enjoy the SPA. Tonight we have a real Irish cultural experience while listening to Irish country music in Molly Darcy’s Traditional Pub & Restaurant.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Destinations cycled: Ross Castle, Lord Brandon’s Cottage, Gap of Dunloe, Killarney
Distance cycled: 29 km / 18 miles
Day 3: Moll’s Gap
After another re-energizing yoga session enjoy your breakfast before leaving the Killarney area and heading south towards Kenmare. You will pass by the Torc waterfall as you start a gradual climb to Moll’s Gap where the views are unforgettable. The Gap itself is named after a woman, Moll Kissane, who reputedly ran a shebeen (a hostelry of dubious reputation) in this area in the 1800s. Set high on a rocky ridge, the gap overlooks mountains, rivers, lush countryside and the famous Lakes of Killarney, with truly breathtaking views - Carrauntoohill, Ireland highest mountain to one side, the Gap of Dunloe to the other. Take your time to breath in the air (and beware the sheep in the middle of the road!) and take photos of the nearby Macgillycuddy's Reeks, the highest peaks in Ireland. Once at the Gap we will stop for a fully organic experience at AVOCA, Ireland’s leading natural and organic food and clothing store. Continue on downhill all the way to the grand Park Kenmare Hotel. Here you have access to Ireland’s best SPA and also voted top 100 SPA in the world by Condé Nast Traveller in 2008. Don’t hesitate to see what the SAMAS Destination SPA has to offer. Dinner is on your own tonight in the lovely town of Kenmare.
Meals: Breakfast/Lunch
Destinations cycled: Moll’s Gap and Kenmare
Distance cycled: 28 km / 17.5 miles
Day 4: Down to Bantry Bay
Some morning yoga will put you in the mood for views of Bantry Bay after a lovely ride southwards towards Glengarriff and Bantry. Picturesque Glengarriff is famed for its natural beauty. Situated on world-renowned Bantry Bay where the mountains meet the sea, Glengarriff is the gateway to the Beara Peninsula. Select a pub or restaurant to try some of the freshest seafood around. Continuing on we arrive in Bantry, which claims an ancient connection to the sixth century saint, Breandán (Naomh Bréanainn) the Navigator. In Irish lore, Saint Breandán was the first person to discover America. Here you can wander the streets of this lovely market town and important fishing port before taking the van back to the hotel. Tonight you dine with the group in town at one of the best restaurants in town. Afterwards you can take the option of listening to some traditional Irish music at one of the many Pubs.
Meals: Breakfast/Dinner
Destinations cycled: Kenmare, Glencarriff, Bantry
Distance cycled: 46km / 28.5 miles
Day 5: The Beara Penisula
Today’s ride will be one to remember with coastal roads and endless beautiful views of the Atlantic and Kenmare Bay. The Beara Peninsula is steeped in myths and legends. The mountains and valleys are rich in archaeological sites such as stone circles, wedge graves and other relics from the past. It has scenic lakes cradled by gorgeous mountains and a rugged coastline. Your guides will drive you to the start of your ride to Tuosist to fully take advantage of the quiet country roads lined with rhododendrons that make up this peninsula. From here you will pass by fishing villages, stone circles and other archeological sites. Stop in Castletownbere for lunch and continue riding to the Atlantic coast. Your guides will return you to the hotel by van. Tonight we will meet for a whiskey tasting before lunch presented by John Moriarty, the local whiskey connoisseur. Enjoy your last meal with your guides and go to sleep with a new appreciation for Kerry Ireland.
Meals: Breakfast/ Dinner
Cycling through: Beara Peninsula, Tuosist, Castletownbere
Accomplished: 48 km / 30 Miles
Day 6: ‘Slán agat’‘
After your last reviving yoga session of the week you’ll have the time to say ‘Slán agat’ to the gentle region of Kerry, Ireland however you see fit. Your guides will then accompany you to Cork for your flight to your next destination.
TRIP TOTAL: 163 km / 102 MILES averaging 20 miles per day. Optional longer rides available each day.
A few words and phrases you’ll definitely use in Kerry:
cha: slang term for tea, as in ‘cup of cha’
craic: conversation, gossip, fun, good times
dolmen: tomb chamber made of vertical stones topped by a hugh capstone; from around 2000BC
draoicht: enchantment
Gaeltacht: Irish speaking
hurling: Irish sport similar to hockey
knackered: slang for tired or worn out
