Friday To Pembrokeshire for our ferry crossing to Rosslare and on to Waterford. Our hotel is the superb 3 star Dooley’s for the next 3 nights and we are met with a welcome drink.
Saturday Free day to explore wonderful Waterford, with its exciting medieval flavour, and we have included a tour of the Waterford Crystal Factory (walking distance from the hotel). You could also catch one of the regular local buses to the nearby resort of Tramore.
Sunday We make a stop in Dungarvan, a beautiful coastal town with a pretty harbour and the majestic Comeragh Mountains in the background. Later we visit Mount Congreve Gardens which have 70 acres of intensively planted woodland gardens and a four acre walled garden. The entire collection consists of over 3000 different trees and shrubs, 2000 Rhododendrons, 600 Camelias, 300 Acers and much more!
Monday We cross to the West Coast of Ireland and visit the fantastic Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum, which recalls the nostalgic era when Foynes became the centre of the aviation world between 1937 and 1945. The museum also has its own restaurant (not included). Then on to our hotel for the next 3 nights, the 3 star Falls Hotel in Ennistymon where, on the first night, we have a free drink with dinner.
Tuesday We call at the Burren Visitor’s Centre for an introduction to the Burren, a large limestone cap with lunar landscapes, stretching for miles which is an anomaly in the Irish landscape and home to all manner of flora and fauna. We then embark on a tour of the Burren which includes a lunchtime stop at Burren Smokehouse where we are given a masterclass in how salmon is smoked and also how it tastes! We also have included a soup and sandwich lunch. Later we visit the renowned Cliffs of Moher and stand in awe at the sheer might of the Atlantic Ocean, which over hundreds of years has carved the 230 metre high cliffs which are some of the highest in Europe.
Wednesday To Galway City. It has a splendid mediaeval past and today is a thriving city with beautiful beaches, a long winding promenade and a cosmopolitan city centre.
Thursday A relaxing journey to Dublin for the PM ferry to Holyhead, we return to the Swindon area by midnight.