Celts Overview- Edinburgh to Killarney
The Celts tour has been years in the making, inspired by childhood bike trips through the Scottish countryside — experiences that shaped the spirit of discovery and adventure at the heart of this journey and Ride and Seek itself. Conceptualised in-house and crafted with the insight of our trusted local contacts, this tour reflects our passion for immersive travel and cultural connection. It’s a route we’re incredibly proud of, blending stunning landscapes with rich Celtic heritage across Scotland and Ireland.
Join us on a cycling adventure through the heart of Celtic lands, as we journey from the medieval streets of Edinburgh to the vibrant town of Killarney. This unforgettable route is steeped in myth, history, and breathtaking scenery, taking you across Scotland’s rugged Highlands and along Ireland’s wild Atlantic coastline. Along the way, you’ll pedal past ancient battlegrounds, mysterious stone circles, and storied castles that echo with the voices of the past.
Divided into two stages, our epic tour combines some of the finest cycling routes in the British Isles with a rich cultural immersion. From the dramatic, windswept mountains of the Scottish Highlands to the rolling emerald hills of Ireland, every kilometre resonates with the spirit of the Celts — a proud, enduring people whose legacy has shaped the identity and soul of these lands long before recorded history.
Experience firsthand how Celtic traditions, legends, and resilience continue to influence life today. More than just a cycling tour, this is a journey through time and across two nations whose landscapes and cultures are forever intertwined. Whether you seek adventure, history, or a deeper connection to these ancient lands, this Ride and Seek tour promises an inspiring and unforgettable experience from start to finish.
Team Members on this Tour
Nathan Hunter - Trip Specialist
First cycling memory:
It was going on holiday to France with my parents from age 5 and riding my bike around the campsites. I would make up my own Tour De France races, pretending I was a pro and getting my Dad to time me.
Favourite bike:
It has to be my Cannondale Super Six Evo aka Rainbow Chan. Good for long rides, road races, climbs, it takes me everywhere.
Top climb:
Any climb with a switchback, the more the better. Right now it has to be Niseko Panorama Line.
One thing on your bucket list:
To ride the iconic stages/ Climbs of the Tour De France or Giro D'Italia.
A special skill you bring on tour:
My love of talking all things cycling. In Japanese, I'm a bit of a cycling otaku.
Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
A stop at a convenience store like 7/11 or Lawson to pick up a great Japanese cycling snack like Yokan!
Languages:
English (Scottish Accent Included) and Japanese.
Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Samurai Japan Tours
Eri Nozawa - Trip Specialist
First cycling memory:
Pedaling very wobbly without practicing wheels on my beautiful red Bridgestone bike
Favourite bike:
My current Bridgestone bike Anchor. She takes me to so many places and opens my world wider!
Top climb:
Niseko Panorama Line with the view
One thing on your bucket list:
Bike packing in Europe
A special skill you bring on tour:
Positive vibe with an extra watt and smile. Also I can introduce my daily breakfast at home if you are interested!
Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
EVERY meal after cycling, and first sip of beer after cycling.
Languages:
Japanese & English
Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Samurai tour, and hopefully many more
Rich Mortiboys - Trip Specialist
Rich has been leading cycle tours for six years, beginning in Europe before switching hemispheres and relocating to the South Island of New Zealand, which has some fantastic roads (not to mention off-roads!) to explore. Prior to guiding, he organised trail run and triathlon events in the UK and spent time as manager of a restaurant on an organic farm in deepest Devon. He views the bicycle primarily as a form of transport from café stop to café stop, but also loves the sense of a journey that only a bike ride can really give. Highlights of his time on the road so far have been working for World Tour bike racing teams at le Tour and il Giro and guiding clients on the coastal roads of Norway.
First cycling memory:
Digging and sculpting what seemed at the time like huge jumps to ride BMX in the woods in the school holidays. This led to MTB explorations on Dartmoor before I saw sense and traded it all in for a road bike.
Favourite bike:
My trusty, steel Surly Pacer. Not as nimble as some of the carbon bikes I’ve ridden over the years, granted, but it’s served me well - first as a London commuter and now in soaking up the bumps of some of New Zealand’s rural back roads. It even goes well on gravel!
Top climb:
Can I have two? It would have to be split between the perfect switchbacks that lead up to Lago di Cancano out of Bormio in the Italian Alps and the 21km/1450m of climb from the shore of Geirangerfjord all the way up to Dalsnibba in Møre og Romsdal, Norway, riding past a huge frozen lake on the way up!
One thing on your bucket list:
To ride the Tour Aotearoa - 3000km of self-supported bike-packing from Cape Reinga to Bluff - the entire length of New Zealand.
A special skill you bring on tour:
I think it’s always important to remind folks to look up from the computer screen and really take in the environment we’re lucky enough to be pedalling through. If I can find a really scenic picnic spot, then all the better.
Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
The food and hospitality of some of the hotels in Alto Adige, Dolomites. All that cheese and pasta is great, slow-burn, energy, not to mention the apfelstrudel.
Languages:
Always trying to improve my French and Italian, even if it’s proving tricky to get much practice here in NZ. Te Reo Māori is the indigenous language spoken here, so that’s the current challenge - Kia ora koutou katoa!
Ride and Seek tours you lead:
The Māori New Zealand Epic and Three Islands Epic
Ben Kane - Guide & Tour Historian
Ben is a bestselling historical fiction author (six novels on the Sunday Times bestseller list) who also happens to love cycling. A veterinarian by trade and a traveller at heart he was late to cycling as a means of travel. That all changed when he participated in the 2015 Hannibal tour though. With the amazing Hannibal book trilogy in his canon of work he brought the history to life on that tour. Since then he has guided on the 3 Islands tour and is joining us on Napoleon as well where we once again look forward to his great presentations.
First cycling memory:
Cycling along the road at the back of our house in Ireland on my new bike (a 7th birthday present). I had stabilisers, embarrassingly!
Favourite bike:
My Lynskey Sportive - my first road bike.
Top climb:
Col d'Izoard, because it was the third climb on a day with over 3,300 metres of ascent. Once I'd done it, I knew I was fit enough to do the rest of Hannibal.
One thing on your bucket list:
Sail the Northwest passage and visit the remote islands of northeastern Canada - before all the ice is gone.
A special skill you bring on tour:
An ability to bring the history of the tours alive particularly when talking about the gory parts!
Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Villa Sparina, in Gavi Italy on Hannibal. A meal served in their cellar, surrounded by hundreds of bottles of brilliant wine from the surrounding hills.
Languages:
English, some Spanish, a little French.
Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Hannibal, 3 Islands, Napoleon
Celts Highlights – Edinburgh to Killarney
SCOTLAND (STAGE 1)
- Edinburgh to Stirling – Castles, canals and the Wallace Monument.
- Into the Highlands – Lochs, standing stones and hidden villages.
- Cairngorms Ride – Wild landscapes and Highland trails.
- Culloden to Inverness – Battlefields and ancient cairns.
- Loch Ness and Glencoe – Iconic lochs and soaring mountains.
- Whisky and Coastlines – Scenic roads and Celtic spirit.
IRELAND (STAGE 2)
- Belfast to Ballymena – Castles, coastline and Celtic charm.
- Ballymena to Portstewart – Giants Causeway and rugged cliffs.
- Portstewart to Letterkenny – Crossing into Ireland and ancient forts.
- Donegal to Sligo – Wild landscapes and poetic coastlines.
- Castlebar to Galway – Connemara beauty and vibrant streets.
Celts Dates & Prices 2027
| Stage | Start Date | End Date | Days/Nights | Cost (Euros) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celts Epic – Edinburgh to Killarney | TBA | TBA | 32 (31 nights) | €17,420 |
| Stage 1 – Edinburgh to Stranraer | TBA | TBA | 16 (15 nights) | €8,720 |
| Stage 2 – Belfast to Killarney | TBA | TBA | 17 (16 nights) | €9,380 |
What’s included
Accommodation is provided in our carefully selected hotels, chosen for their character, comfort and location. Meals are included throughout the tour, starting with daily hotel breakfasts, snacks en route and pre- and post-ride nutrition. Lunches are a highlight, featuring our signature Ride and Seek picnics, alongside multi-course group dinners that showcase the best of the local cuisine. To keep the week varied and flexible, we also include occasional independent lunches and dinners.
Your Ride and Seek kit includes a premium jersey and bibs or shorts, a Garmin 1030 with all routes preloaded, and a Ride and Seek water bottle (s). A weekly kit laundry service is also provided to keep everything fresh. Throughout the tour, our passionate, experienced and knowledgeable guides are always on hand to support you on and off the bike.
What’s not included
Alcoholic beverages, bike hire, and pre- and post-tour accommodation are not included.
Supplements
Our prices are based on twin or double occupancy. If you would prefer your own room, a single supplement will apply.
Deposit
To reserve your place on a stage of this tour, a deposit of €1000 (or your local currency equivalent) is required. We accept payments in euros, US dollars, British pounds and Australian dollars. Your final invoice will include any applicable single supplements and bike hire costs.
Celts Food & Wine – Edinburgh to Killarney
Scottish and Irish cuisine offers a rich tapestry of flavours and traditions that perfectly reflect the Celtic heritage at the heart of our tour. Rooted deeply in the rugged landscapes and bountiful seas of both countries, the food and drink of Scotland and Ireland tell stories of resilience, community, and a profound connection to the land.
Throughout our Celts cycling journey, you’ll have the chance to experience iconic traditional dishes that have been enjoyed for centuries. In Scotland, this includes hearty fare like haggis — a savoury pudding made from sheep’s offal mixed with oats and spices — as well as Cullen skink, a creamy smoked haddock soup that perfectly showcases Scotland’s coastal bounty. In Ireland, dishes such as boxty (a type of potato pancake) and Irish stew offer comforting, flavour-packed meals that have sustained generations.
No exploration of Celtic food culture would be complete without mentioning the pubs — often the social heart of towns and villages. Here, over pints of Guinness or drams of single malt whisky, locals gather to share stories, music, and laughter. Whisky, in particular, holds a special place, with Scotland’s famous single malts and Ireland’s smooth pot still whiskies each offering distinct tastes shaped by centuries of craftsmanship.
For the more adventurous, local specialties such as black pudding (a type of blood sausage), sheep’s head broth, or drisheen — a spiced blood sausage from Cork — offer a unique glimpse into regional culinary traditions that have been preserved over time.
Throughout the tour, you’ll discover how food and drink are more than just sustenance here — they are a vital expression of Celtic identity, history, and hospitality. From rustic farmhouse kitchens to lively village pubs, every meal is a chance to connect with the land and the stories that have shaped these remarkable cultures.
Celts Ride Data – Edinburgh to Killarney
Celts Reading – Edinburgh to Killarney
Creating a reading list for our Celts tour is no easy task, so we turned to our trip specialists for help. We asked them to share their favourite books that capture the spirit of Ireland and Scotland — from ancient myths and oral traditions to modern reflections — offering a deeper sense of place for those joining us on this unforgettable journey through Celtic lands.
Travel in Scotland invites quiet discovery — where nature, history, and everyday life intertwine. Inspired by Kathleen Jamie’s Findings, this journey reveals the richness in small moments: a bird’s cry in the hills, shifting light on the sea, or ancient echoes on wind-swept shores. Here, wonder lies in the details.
Arthur Herman’s How the Scots Invented the Modern World explores how a small nation sparked a revolution in thought, politics, education, and economics. Through the Scottish Enlightenment, thinkers like Adam Smith and David Hume helped shape modern democracy, science, and individual liberty, leaving an outsized legacy across Europe and beyond.
In The Sea Kingdoms, Alistair Moffat traces the shared Celtic heritage across Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Ireland, and the English coast. Blending myth, oral history, and dramatic storytelling, he reveals a deep, interconnected past that transcends borders — a vivid tapestry of ancient battles, legends, and enduring cultural identity.
In McCarthy’s Bar, Pete McCarthy journeys from Cork to Donegal, blending hilarious travelogue with heartfelt reflection on his Irish heritage. Guided by the rule “never pass a bar with your name on it,” he offers a witty, affectionate portrait of Ireland — its landscapes, its people, and its ever-evolving identity.
Frank Delaney’s Ireland tells the tale of a young boy, Ronan O’Mara, whose life is transformed by a wandering Seanchai — a master of Ireland’s ancient oral tradition. Set in 1950s rural Ireland, this lyrical novel celebrates storytelling, memory, and the enduring spirit of a land shaped by legend and history.
Celts History – Edinburgh to Killarney
They Wrote in Legends, Not in Stone: The Story of the Celts
The Celts were among the most influential and far-reaching cultures of the ancient world, leaving a legacy that still resonates across Western Europe today. Emerging around 1200 BC in Central Europe, Celtic tribes gradually spread across vast territories—from the rugged landscapes of Britain and Ireland to the rolling hills of France and even into the Iberian Peninsula. Though they never united into a single empire, they shared a distinctive language, intricate artistic styles, and a fierce spirit of independence that helped shape the cultural identity of the region.
Unlike many ancient civilisations, the Celts did not leave behind extensive written records. Instead, their rich history was preserved through oral tradition—songs, stories, and legends passed down through generations. Modern historians and archaeologists rely on these tales, along with Roman accounts and archaeological discoveries, to reconstruct the lives of a people who deeply revered nature, lived by codes of honour, and embraced the mysteries of the spiritual world.
Despite frequent clashes with expanding empires like Rome, the Celts were never fully conquered in Ireland and Scotland. Their customs and traditions adapted, enduring through the centuries and becoming woven into the fabric of the medieval kingdoms that followed. Today, the Celtic spirit lives on vibrantly in language, music, folklore, and cultural practices throughout these lands.
As we cycle through the territories they once called home, we are not just travelling across stunning landscapes—we are tracing the footsteps of a proud and resilient people. Each stone circle, misty glen, and ancient hill fort we encounter along the route echoes with the enduring spirit of the Celts, inviting us to connect with their extraordinary heritage and timeless influence.
Next:
Overview
The Trip
Follow in the footsteps of the Celts on a captivating cycling tour from Edinburgh to Killarney. Ride through Scotland and Ireland’s dramatic landscapes, rich with history, legend, and natural beauty.
Email me the Tour Overview Book Now Schedule a CallTour at a Glance
The Epic – Edinburgh to Killarney Dates: TBC Stage 1 – Scotland Dates: TBC Stage 2 – Ireland Dates: TBC
Countries: Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland
Number of days: 32 days
Number of stages: 2
Price: €17,420
Grading:
Countries: Scotland
Number of days: 16 days
Price: €8,720
Grading:
Countries: Scotland
Number of days: 17 days
Price: €9,380
Grading:
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