Giant Loop

Start/End in Dublin: Four Weeks

Start your loop just north of Dublin at the Casino at Marino, not a place to cash your chips but a 19th-century Italianate mansion. Continue north to the mind-blowing Neolithic necropolis at Brú Na Bóinne, built before the Great Pyramids were even a twinkle in Pharaohs eye. Continue north to Mellifont Abbey, Irelands first Cistercian abbey, and on to the pretty village of Carlingford on the lough, with its 16th-century buildings. Work your way through the Mourne Mountains hiking to the top of Slieve Donard to the Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough. Take a Black Taxi tour in Belfast before moving northwest to the World Heritage site of Giant's Causeway, best enjoyed at sunset. Continue around the stunning coastline of north Donegal, stopping at stunning Dunfanaghy and Killyhoey Beach, then on to beautiful Glenveagh. Head south through the monastic ruins of Glencolumbcille and into lovely Sligo, where you can climb the Stone Age passage grave, Carrowkeel, with panoramic views of Lough Arrow.

For the west coast as far as Cork, follow the Into the West route.

From Cork, head east to for a picnic and then on to Dungarvan Castle, with its unusual 12th-century shell. Drive around the picturesque Hook Peninsula, stopping for ice cream in the seaside town of Dunmore East. Spot the unusual varieties of geese in the famous Wexford Wildfowl Reserve before moving on to County Wicklow and Wicklow Mountains National Park. Now settle into a well-deserved pint of Guinness at the Long Hall, back in Dublin.