SAMPLE - 2024 - Multi-Country Adventure of Ireland & UK

Day 1 - Ireland Arrival

Arriving in Shannon Airport today you will be met by your Irish guide and together you will transfer southwards.  Our first port of call is the charming village of Adare where we will explore the ancient abbey and wander the cottage-lined streets.  Later in Killarney National Park we will join a local boatman for a tour of the famous Killarney lakes with a stunning backdrop, the mountains of the Magillycuddy Reeks, are home to no fewer than six of Ireland’s highest peaks.

Overnight: Kenmare | The Park Hotel
Meals Included: Lunch and Dinner

Day 2 - Ireland - Exploring Kerry

Today we venture away from Kerry’s mountainous interior to the wilder reaches of its Atlantic coastline.  In a hidden bay, sheltered from the ocean wave’s you will meet a local naturalist who is world-renowned for his knowledge of seaweed but is equally proficient in local history and geology.  You will join him for a lovingly prepared picnic on the shore.  This afternoon you could choose to kayak the tranquil waters of Kenmare Bay back to your hotel or hike a smugglers path along the coast.

Overnight: Kenmare | The Park Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3 - Ireland - Local Traditions of West Cork

Traditional techniques are alive and well in West Cork, a verdant green landscape which produces some of the world’s best cheese.  We will visit a ceramicist who fires their pottery using a traditional wood fuelled kiln and lunch on locally produced raw cow and sheep’s cheese.  Later a visit to a whiskey distillery in Midleton, established in the 17th century it still produces some of the finest Irish whiskeys today.

Overnight: Dysert, Ardmore | Cliff House Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 4 - Ireland - The Copper Coast

We will pick up bikes and follow the Deise Greenway, a 45km traffic free cycle route that follows the path of an abandoned railway between mountains and coast, over viaducts and through tunnels.  Taking this at our own pace we will explore as little or as much of the route as suits with the opportunity to stop at castles, beaches and ancient stone forts along the way.  An outdoor seaweed bath, a cleansing ritual celebrated in Ireland for hundreds of years is the perfect way to relax this evening.

Overnight: Dysert, Ardmore | Cliff House Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 5 - Ireland - Whale Watching

The water’s directly outside your hotel are home to some of the highest concentrations of marine mammals in Europe.  If conditions are right, join a local whale watcher for a cliff top hike keeping an eye out for the many species of whale, dolphins and basking sharks that are often seen from here.  Later check in at Ballyfin, an impeccably restored Palladian mansion where you’ll join a falconer for a hands-on demonstration before dressing in period costume to get into character for dinner.

Overnight: Ballyfin | Ballyfin Demesne
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 6 - Ireland - Ballyfin Demesne

Relax onsite at Ballyfin- enjoy a range of onsite activities (prior booking required for some) from shooting and archery to their fantastic spa. There are numerous onsite walks, and a picnic lunch can be arranged in their beautiful picnic house.

Overnight: Ballyfin | Ballyfin Demesne
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 7 - Wales Arrival

Clients can fly from Dublin to Liverpool.  At Liverpool Airport your UK guide meets you and you transfer 2 hours along the north coast of Wales to your country house accommodation near the Snowdonia National Park.

Alternative Options for getting from Ireland to Wales:

Clients can choose to take the ferry from Ireland to Wales on the Dublin to Holyhead route. Approx transfer time 5 hours

The clients can transfer by private jet from Birr Airfield in Balinree (30 miles from Ballyfin) and land at Caernarfon airport which is 14 miles away from Ty’n Rhos

The clients could also transfer by helicopter from Ballyfin to Ty’n Rhos direct.

Note: Wilderness Group are not able to arrange commercial flights but we can arrange helicopters and private charters.

Overnight: Llanddeiniolen | Tyn Rhos Country House
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 8 - Wales - Culinary Delights and Hiking in Snowdonia National Park

Today will be filled with culinary delights and local immersion! This morning, meet your knowledgeable driver guide who will lead you through the picturesque landscapes around Menai Bridge in North Wales. Immerse yourself in the essence of Welsh gastronomy with a day spent alongside talented local bakers, chefs, fishermen, and suppliers, all eager to share their passion and expertise. Enhance your experience with a private cooking demonstration, offering you a unique opportunity to fully engage in a farm-to-table culinary adventure.

After lunch we hike to Cwm Idwal – a fantastic glaciated hanging valley where Arctic flora grows among great slabs of rock.  The hike is straightforward yet we take in some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the UK.  After a day of savouring the tastes and sights of the region, return to your hotel for a cosy evening, reminiscing about the flavours and experiences that made your day truly unforgettable.

Overnight: Llanddeiniolen | Tyn Rhos Country House
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Walk Details: 5 km / 3 miles | 140 m / 459 ft elevation gain

Day 9 - Wales - The National Slate Museum and Coastal Adventures

This morning we make our way to the former mining town of Llanberis to visit the National Slate Museum where we have an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the museum getting a glimpse into the importance of slate mining and its link to the history and politics of Wales.  The museum is on the site of the vast Dinorwig quarry that closed in 1969 and the museum is designed as if the quarrymen have just downed tools for the day.  When the site reopened as a museum many of the former quarrymen were employed to recreate their time at the quarry.

A short 45-minute transfer takes you to the coast. Make the most of the outstanding coastal location of Nant Gwrtheryn with a hike down to the sandy beach or an easy ascent to nearby Tre’r Ceiri Hillfort which is thought to have been inhabited between 150 BC and 400 AD.

A short drive takes us to the beautiful coastal hamlet of Morfa Nefryn where we can take a coastal walk out to the village of Porthdinllaen which is only accessible by foot by non-residents.  Here we can have a refreshing drink at a traditional British pub before walking back along the golf course and taking in the views across the Irish Sea.  For the keen golfers in the party there is an option to play a round at the 27 hole Championship Neyfrn Golf Course which spreads down the Llyn Peninsula and offers incredible views.

Overnight: Llanddeiniolen | Tyn Rhos Country House
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Walk Details: 3 km / 2 miles | 263 m / 863 ft elevation gain | Approx: 3 hrs

Day 10 - England - Travel to the Lake District

Today we transfer to the lush scenery of the Lake District National Park in the north of England. We will make a stop at Tatton Park, a historical estate located in the heart of Cheshire, where we will spend time exploring the grand house and enchanting gardens, before continuing our journey on to the Lake District.

We will then make our way to your modern self-contained spa lodge with time to relax and make the most of the facilities in your private spa suite including a steam room and a private terrace with hot tub, enjoying the views out over the pretty village of Windermere. Before dinner you will be joined by the hotel’s sommelier who will do a wine tasting with you as well as notes on the pairings for your evening meal.

Your transfer today is 3.5 hours driving or this transfer could be made by helicopter as there is a landing pad at The Gilpin Hotel.

Overnight: Windermere | The Gilpin Hotel and Lakehouse
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 11 - England - Ullswater

We transfer to Glenridding today – a former mining village at the foot of Helvellyn, one of the largest peaks in the Lake District.  We board a historic steamship to take us to Howtown on the east side of Ullswater lake.  From here we go ashore and hike along the shores of the lake back to our starting point stopping at a charming tea room on route for tea and cake enjoying wonderful views across the lake.

Overnight: Windermere | The Gilpin Hotel and Lakehouse
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Walk Details: 10 km / 6 miles | 300 m / 984 ft elevation gain

Day 12 - England - Brantwood and Coniston Water

We transfer to Coniston Water, a pretty lakeside village where we board a classic steam yacht gondola, the oldest steam yacht in the north of England.  From the plush cabin or the outside deck enjoy the views from the steamer as we sail around the lake.

When disembarking we are met by a local expert to accompany you in your explorations of Brantwood – once home to John Ruskin, a poet, revolutionary and conservationist who was renowned in the Victorian era.  The house is now a museum for the arts; full of fine paintings, beautiful furniture and Ruskin’s personal belongings including the desk where he wrote some of his most famous work.

Overnight: Windermere | The Gilpin Hotel and Lakehouse
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 13 - Scotland - Foodie Workshop & Whisky Tasting

Today you are swept away by helicopter across the border to the southern Highlands of Scotland.  We arrive at our secluded and quirky country house hotel on the shores of Loch Voil in the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park.

The chef patron Tom is full of character, and you get a sense of this big personality in every aspect of this hotel. Tom’s parents bought the farmland that the hotel sits on back in 1983 when Tom’s dad Rob bought the farm by signing the back of a cigarette package to clinch the deal.  Tom and his wife Lisa May live on the estate, along with his brother Dick who runs the farm and can often be found walking their dogs, Betty and Tinker.

Tom classes himself as a farmer who has diversified and thinks that sourcing local seasonal food is just how everyone should eat! Experience this for yourself in an afternoon foodie experience and cooking class with Tom or his sought after head chef. Choose your focus; maybe you want to focus on local foraging ingredients (maybe collecting some yourselves), handling fresh-caught fish to maximise flavour or maybe the secrets to the perfectly baked loaf of bread. Finish your class by sitting down to enjoy a delicious feast including the fruits of your labours. Nothing can taste better.

At the end of your meal settle in comfortably in one of the charming and quirky on-site glamping options to toast your adventures with a tutored whisky tasting, discovering just what all the fuss is about and why the Scots call this ‘uisge beatha’ or ‘water of life’.

Note: With a group of 4 or more clients; during helicopter transfers the client’s main luggage will be transferred separately by van and will therefore arrive at the next destination a few hours later than the clients (small day packs can be taken on the helicopter). 

Helicopter flights are weather dependent, in case of inclement weather the transfer today would be by van (4.5 hours).

Overnight: Lochearnhead | Monachyle Mhor Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 14 - Scotland - Innerpeffray Library & Local Legends

We start the day visiting the oldest free public lending library in Scotland, in this beautiful old building we are hosted by the Keeper of the Books and enjoy a private talk themed around Scottish history.

This afternoon take to the gentle waters of Loch Earn to enjoy a fresh perspective on the scenic views in open canoes. Adventure along the loch, taking your time exploring as you paddle your way to a magical lochside outdoor dining experience. There is nothing quite like a delicious al fresco meal before gathering round the firepit, perhaps with a wee dram. A local storyteller will regale you with the fabulous tales of local legend Rob Roy and the history of the area before you are transferred back to the hotel.

Alternative Option: Enjoy a full day hiking in the beautiful surrounding landscape with your guide. Maybe conquer a summit, or discover tranquility in the quiet glens.

Overnight: Lochearnhead | Monachyle Mhor Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 15 - Scotland - Sail The Forth

Today you transfer to Edinburgh, stopping at South Queensferry to board a private catamaran. Sail along the Firth of Forth estuary with an expert captain, where several Scottish rivers meet the North Sea. Get up close to some of the fascinating islands and sail under the iconic Forth Road and Rail Bridges.

Once back on shore you will be picked up by a Mini Cooper for a memorable transfer to your hotel, taking the fun route! Your Edinburgh born-and-bred guide will share the history and culture of Scotland’s capital. Admire the skyline of Edinburgh Castle overlooking the sea and the spires of St. Giles’ Cathedral. Revel in the ancient exploits of Sir William Wallace (known as Braveheart) and the hometown of actor Sean Connery before arriving at your elegant hotel.

August Option: Royal Box Seat for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Performance & Pre-Performance Hospitality Package (which can include meeting some of the cast)

The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a world-renowned outdoor performance that started in 1950. It is different every year and is staged on the castle esplanade with incredible views over the city. Settle into your premier seats and enjoy the performance. The show ends with a spectacular fireworks display and is sure to blow you away.

Overnight: Edinburgh | The Balmoral Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 16 - Scotland - Edinburgh, The Historic Capital or Glasgow, The Post-Industrial Creative Hub

Today you discover the unique capital city of Edinburgh with an expert private city guide on a private walking tour. A charming mix of Georgian elegance, ancient cobbled closes (alleyways) and distinct village areas, each with their own feel. Walk the ‘Royal Mile’, which stretches from the Palace of Holyroodhouse all the way up to the mighty Edinburgh Castle on its volcanic rock viewpoint, and the hidden corners nearby.

Discover the stories of the streets which twist around and over one another and have inspired writers throughout the ages. Then step back in time with a private tour of underground streets which were walled up and forgotten about until very recently!

Overnight: Edinburgh | The Balmoral Hotel
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

Day 17 - Depart

You transfer to either Edinburgh or Glasgow airport this morning to make your onward connections.

Meals Included: Breakfast