Be a Vagabond: Holiday in Ireland

The award-winning Vagabond tour company in Ireland has won several awards for its off-the-beaten-track and off-road Land Rover 4x4 tours of Ireland and Northern Ireland

My first visit to Northern Ireland was with a tour company with a difference. Celtic Journeys took me and a few other people on a special small-group tour of the north, looking in on the Antrim Coast, the Giant's Causeway, Rathlin Island, the Bushmills Distillery, the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and a few other sights along the way. We saw some of the obvious tourist places, but also went off-the-beaten-track. My most vivid memory was going out with one of the tour leaders one evening and watching young badgers coming out to play as the sun was setting. I loved it so much I went back to travel with the same guys again.

Celtic Journeys is, alas, no longer going, but I feel a sense of their spirit of fun, and a desire to show visitors something of 'the real Ireland', in a small tour company called Vagabond. A Vagabond adventure is a fully-guided and flexible, small-group adventure tour of Ireland. The mix of fresh air and outdoor activity combined with cultural information and Irish history sounds to me like an unforgettable Irish experience.

Some of the activity options include:

• Horse-riding
• Hiking ancient trails
• Exploring hidden tombs, castles and stone circles
• Sea-Kayaking
• Surf lessons
• Optional boat trips to Atlantic islands (Skelligs/Blaskets/Clare Island)

Vagabond runs tours year-round and in 2007 their 5-day and 7-day adventures are scheduled weekly from March to October. Trips include

• The Dingle Peninsula – take timeout to stroll the deserted beaches.
• The Beara Peninsula – undiscovered and awesome scenery.
• The Ring of Kerry – explore the hidden corners away from the coaches.
• The Cliffs of Moher – The world’s most inspiring cliffs.
• The Skellig Islands – Optional day trip to Ireland’s Macchu Picchu.
• Connemara – Breathtaking wilderness of the west.

A typical Vagabond Adventure includes:

• Wonderful Overnights – B+B’s and small hotels. Irish welcomes guaranteed.
• Outdoor Activity – optional walks, strolls or hikes, surfing, sea kayaking, horse-riding.
• Ancient Culture – ruined castles, churches, stone circles, empty famine villages.
• Traditional Music – local musicians in hidden Irish pubs.

For further information on these and other Vagabond adventures or tailor-made tours of Ireland click here