By popular demand, here is a circuit of Eire beginning and ending in Dublin. The best time of year to go to Ireland is in June or September as it is less crowded than the peak months of July and August. The best way to get around is by car as this allows you to stop in places that are off the beaten track, plus many places are not connected by public transport.

This itinerary includes towns, castles, bogs, coastal scenery, mountains, valleys, streams, megaliths and remains of monasteries. To do this trip justice, you would at least 10 days, but you could cut it down to say one week. Each destination is not exhaustive ~ en route, you will see many signposts identifying interesting places that are definitely worth a look.

Dublin is a good starting point and you should spend at least two days here. It is a very walkable city and there is a great deal to see and do: museums, art galleries, shopping, a Guinness brewery, the castle etc. For those interested in tracing their ancestry, the Heraldic Museum is a must.

Drive west on the N4 and N6 from Dublin to Athlone, visit the castle there and make this your base for a couple of nights, to explore the Irish Midlands around the River Shannon and Lough Ree. You must visit the remains of Clonmacnoise, Ireland’s most important monastic site. From Athlone continue west on the N6 to Galway City on the west coast, and base yourself here for a couple of nights. Galway is a pretty city with narrow streets and a good nightlife. From here, you should make a day trip north west on the N59 to Connemara, a beautiful area of valleys, mountains, bogs, lakes and streams ~ chill out, relax and savour that fresh country air!

Another day trip or longer visit can be made from Galway City by ferry across to one (or all!) of the Aran Islands – Inishmor, Inishmaan and Inisheer. From Galway, drive south to Burren via Dunguaire Castle and prepare to do some walking. The Buren is an area, 25 miles wide and 15 miles long situated between Kilfenora and Kinvarra. Here you will find an amazing array of ancient walls, megalithic tombs, stone forts and beautiful glacial landscape. To make the most of this, by all means drive around in this area, but you must also get out of your car and have a good wander! You should also make a trip south to the Cliffs of Moher before heading south on the N85 and N18 to Limerick, a historic city (featured in Angela’s Ashes), on the River Shannon.

From Limerick, take the N21 southwest towards Tralee (don’t stay here), and to the Dingle Peninsula, Ireland’s western most point. Choose somewhere to stay so that you can spend time exploring mountains, valleys, streams, windy little roads, deserted beaches etc. This area is one of the Beetle’s favourite parts of Ireland. A trip to the Blasketts is also a pleasant way to spend a day. From the Dingle peninsula, make your way south on the N70 to Killorglin, the start of the Ring of Kerry which is 180 km and takes about 3-4 hours to drive without stopping, and ends at Kenmare. It’s all about the Mountains of Kerry, valleys, dramatic coastal scenery, castles and monasteries and is an absolute must! From Kenmare, continue up the N70, north to Killarney where on a good day you can see Macgillicuddy’s Reeks, Ireland’s highest mountains and stay the night. From Killarney, head east on the N22 to Cork, making a quick stop to kiss the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle.

From Cork, head north on the N8 to Cashel to see the Rock of Cashel ~ a magnificent stone fort with 200ft high walls. From here, head east on the N24 to Waterford, home of the famous Waterford crystal. From Waterford, take the N11 back north to Dublin via Glendalough, set in the wooded valley of the Two Lakes. If you are a fan of the TV series, Ballykissangel, then you should also stop at Avoca before going to Glendalough.

Please contact Beetle@globetrotters.co.ukfor your suggested country itinerary although the Beetle regrets that she cannot draw up itineraries for individuals.

For all those cyclists out there, the founder of the Globetrotters Club, Norman Ford is an avid cyclist and has a web site: www.ktc.com/~blodwen which urges readers to tour the world by bicycle on their own. To give some ideas, he lists reports on about a dozen bike tours or bike vacations he’s taken in the past 5 years.

But the real heart of the site is the menu link to “Helpful Websites for Bicycle Touring” which links to just about every website for self-reliant bike tourists he could find and covers the world.

Moreover, if you are interested in knowing a little more about the history of the Globetrotters Club, when you go to Norm’s web site, have a look at the link at the bottom called www.globetrotters.co.uk which gives you an idea of what he’s been up to since 1945! It’s great reading!

Norm is happy to answer e-mail queries except during the fourth quarter of the year when he is away travelling the world by bicycle ~ now there’s an offer! Norm’ can be contacted via his web site.

Arizona: Grand Canyon Nat Park, California: Redwood Nat Park, Yosemite

Colorado: Anasazi Indian dwellings at Mesa Verde

Florida: The Everglades Nat Park

Kentucky: Mammoth Nat Park

Missouri: Cahokia Mounds ~ pre Colombian civilisation ruins

North Carolina and Tennessee: Great Smoky Mountains Nat Park

New Mexico: remains of the Chaco culture (1020 to 1110), Carlsbad Caverns Nat Park now some 81 recognised caves!

New York: the Statue of Liberty

Pennsylvania: Independence Hall in Philadelphia

Virginia: Monticelleo and the University of Virginia – architecture of Thomas Jefferson

Washington State: Olympic Nat Park

Wyoming: Yellowstone Nat Park