Exploring Ireland's Food & Culture
May 15 to 22, 2027 – Ashbrooke House, Northern Ireland
Explore Ireland’s Food & Culture while you stay on an historic estate
June 2 to 9, 2026
Irish gardens have always drawn visitors from across the world, and what better place to start than staying on a grand Irish estate with its own walled garden and a thousand acres of manicured fields and forest?
This will be the second time we’ve stayed at Ashbrooke House in Northern Ireland so we can tell you that it is an experience you should not miss. The manor house is straight out of history, the recently renovated rooms are grand, and we have an amazing private chef to prepare all our meals. Plus, we have the run of the entire estate.
This is a five-star tour when you consider the quality of our lodging and the memorable meals. And our garden outings across Northern Ireland and parts of the Republic of Ireland won’t disappoint. Add to this traditional Irish music, an introduction to Equine Therapy, and a personal hawk, eagle, and falcon demonstration.
You’ll note that this tour is a bit more expensive than other Travel Fever tours. That’s because of the high quality of both our accommodation and meals. This is truly a five-star garden and estate tour.
Join us for this memorable trip to the Emerald Isle.
What we’ll do in Ireland
Here is our expected itinerary:
Day 1
Arrival at the estate and demonstration of hawks, eagles, and falcons
Day 2
Glenarm gardens and a tour of the northern Irish coastline
Day 3
Sliabh League cliffs and a trip to Salthill gardens (Elizabeth Temple) in Mount Charles, Donegal, with Donegal town shopping
Day 4
Close to Ashbrooke House we can visit Killyleagh garden (privately owned by Lord and Lady Hamilton) or Aughentaine garden (privately owned), or Castlecoole
Day 5
Colebrooke garden visit on the estate with a woodfired pizza lunch. Afternoon equine therapy and traditional Irish music in the evening
Day 6
Marble Arch caves, lunch at Florencecourt with visit to gardens and the estate house
Day 7
Glenveagh Castle gardens and national park
Day 8
Departure
Our exact garden outings are subject to change.
Dates: June 2 to 9, 2026
Location: Ashbrooke House, Northern Ireland
Cost: $4850 (see below for details)
Maximum group size: 14
Questions about payments, costs, our cancelation policy and more? Consult our Frequently Asked Questions.
Trip Details
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October 15-22, 2027 (7 nights - 8 days)
Total cost of the tour: $4650
Supplement for single occupancy: $475
Deposit required to reserve a place on the tour: $600
(Places in the tour are limited to 14 and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you reserve your place early!)Payment schedule
$600 deposit is due when you make your reservation.The remainder of the cost will be due in 5 installments on:
September 1, 2026
December 1, 2026
February 1, 2027
April 1, 2027
June 1, 2027
Each installment payment will be $810. The cost of a single room is additional and will be due December 1, 2026. You can pay in fewer installments if more convenient for you.
Cancelation Policy:
If you cancel up to 90 days prior to the trip’s start, any payments you’ve already made will be held for you so that it can be applied to a future trip. If you are within 90 days of the trip’s start, we’ll have already incurred substantial costs related to your reservation and so we won’t be able to offer you a credit. Instead, you will need to file a claim through your travel insurance. More information is found in our FAQ.If we need to cancel a trip for another reason, such as a natural disaster at the trip’s destination, the trip will be rescheduled. You will also have the option to apply the payments you’ve made to another trip.
** Receive a $350 credit on your next trip when you bring or refer a friend. Read More.
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Excursions and special activities throughout the week
Pick-up and drop-off at designated airport at designated times
7 nights lodging
7 dinners with appropriate amounts of alcohol and breakfasts
Local transportation by minibus and driver
What’s not included:
Airfare & Travel Insurance
Lunches
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For our time in the Alsace we’ll be staying in the Hôtel De La Couronne in the town of Riquewihr. This small, family-run hotel will make us comfortable in the oldest part of the town.
The hotel boasts its own bar and both a covered and uncovered outdoor terrace, not to mention an extensive breakfast buffet. Double rooms, double rooms with twin beds, and single rooms are available
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Dinners will be taken at local restaurants throughout the trip. Breakfasts are included and will be at our hotel. Appropriate amounts of beer or wine are included with dinners. On some days, we may have our main course of the day at lunch, rather than at dinner.
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To extend your trip, and take some time to catch up on your sleep before the tour begins, you may wish to arrive early in France or elsewhere in Europe..
You can also extend your trip with a longer visit to Europe.
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Yes, you may cancel your trip if you need. Up to 90 days prior to the trip’s start, any payments you’ve already made will be held for you so that it can be applied to a future trip. If you are within 90 days of the trip’s start, we’ll have already incurred substantial costs related to your reservation and so we won’t be able to offer you a credit. Instead, you can file a claim through your travel insurance.
Contact Us as soon as you know you must cancel and going forward, let us know what future trip you’d like to join and we’ll set it up for you.
You will not be responsible for any payments that have not yet been made.
Any credit you have with Travel Fever Tours may be applied to a different person’s account, if you like. Credits are valid for a period of three years.
You will be contacted once the trip reaches minimum enrollment so that you can proceed with purchase of your flights and make other travel arrangements.
Note: This trip will involve a reasonable amount of walking. Within the towns and elsewhere, there may be cobblestones and other uneven surfaces. You should be able to walk distances, as city dwellers do, over uncertain surfaces to participate in this trip. Our hotel does not have an elevator.
The draw of Irish gardens
The estate gardens of Northern Ireland are horticultural masterpieces woven into the fabric of the country's rich and often turbulent history. Benefiting from the mild, damp climate of the Gulf Stream, these gardens are remarkably lush, showcasing a vibrant tapestry of both native and exotic flora.
Many of these grand estates, once the private domains of Anglo-Irish aristocracy, are now preserved by organizations like the National Trust, allowing the public to step into a bygone era. They represent more than just collections of plants; they are living documents of landscape design, personal ambition, and the enduring power of nature, with styles ranging from the formal geometric parterres of the 18th century to the more naturalistic, romantic designs of the Victorian era.
Northern Ireland boasts a diverse portfolio of significant estate gardens. In County Fermanagh, the grounds of Florence Court frame a magnificent Palladian mansion, with a restored walled garden that was once the productive heart of the estate. It is also famously home to the original Irish Yew tree, Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata', from which all other Irish Yews in the world are reputedly descended.
Today, these gardens serve as vital links to the past while playing a crucial role in the present. They are not static relics, but are constantly evolving through dedicated conservation and restoration efforts, particularly in the revival of historic walled kitchen gardens that now often supply estate cafés with fresh produce.
As cherished public spaces, these gardens offer tranquil retreats for locals and are major attractions for tourists, drawing visitors with their beauty, history, and botanical significance. These verdant sanctuaries stand as a peaceful and enduring legacy, preserving biodiversity and showcasing the horticultural heritage of Ireland for future generations to explore and enjoy.
Meet Simon Renault, your tour leader
Group Leader Simon Renault
Simon’s knowledge of Ireland comes from the three years he spent living on the Aron Islands in the north Atlantic. He grew up in Brittany and comes from generations of small Breton farmers. He has worked as a heritage tour guide in France and Ireland before meeting his wife in the United States and moving to Vermont. He started his own small organic farm in 2008.
Simon is now general manager at Scott Farm, a Vermont orchard that grows more than 130 varieties of heirloom apples. At Scott Farm, Simon loves hiking, gardening, cooking, and eating well. For Simon, there is no better way to share good conversation and joie de vivre than around a table.
The history of Irish walled gardens
Walled gardens are one of the most charming and historically significant features of Ireland's great estates. Built to serve as the productive heart of the household, these enclosed spaces were feats of horticultural engineering. The high walls, typically made of local stone or brick, provided crucial protection from the wind and created a unique microclimate, trapping the sun's warmth to raise the temperature by several degrees.
This sheltered environment allowed for the cultivation of tender fruits like peaches and figs, exotic flowers, and a year-round supply of vegetables that would otherwise struggle in the cooler Irish climate. More than just a kitchen garden, they were meticulously planned, often with geometric layouts, espaliered fruit trees trained against the warm walls, and magnificent glasshouses for raising delicate seedlings and prized ornamental plants.
In recent decades, many of these once-neglected walled gardens have been the focus of ambitious restoration projects, transforming them from derelict spaces into vibrant showcases of horticultural heritage. Organizations like the National Trust have lovingly brought gardens back to their former glory, replanting them with heritage varieties of fruits and vegetables, and reinstating the elaborate flower borders that would have supplied the great house with cut flowers.
Today, these gardens serve a new purpose, acting as living museums where visitors can see historic gardening techniques in practice. They have become peaceful sanctuaries, popular visitor attractions, and educational resources.
Other activities in Ireland
Beyond visits to public and private estates and their gardens, we will also:
Visit the striking Sliabh League cliffs along the northwestern coast in the Republic of Ireland
Visit the town of Donegal for shopping, a visit to its castle, and perhaps a memorable ice cream cone
Take part in a falconry demonstration with an eagle, hawk, and falcon
Participate in an equine therapy workshop with horses from the estate where we’re staying
Enjoy an evening of traditional Irish music in a private concert held on the estate
“The trip was wonderful. Fabulous food, lovely accommodations, and especially interesting and fun hosts and travel mates. Really enjoyed the adventure! Thank you so much.”
“We had a wonderful time; great company, amazing accommodation and food, and interesting outings.”
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Where we will stay
We are pleased to offer you a unique stay in a manor house on a 1,000-acre estate in Northern Ireland. It is a special location and the surroundings are unlike anything most of us experience in a lifetime.
The manor house has five rooms with ensuite bathrooms. There are three other rooms that share two bathrooms among them. There is a small additional charge for the rooms with ensuite bathrooms.
All the bedrooms are large and comfortable. The bathrooms are as grand as the bedrooms.
Our meals will be served to us in the dining room, with the dishes and ingredients introduced to us by the chef.
We will also have access to all parts of the manor, including the parlor, dining room and kitchen.
Just adjacent to the manor house are riding stables and horses. We’ll get to know the horses during our introduction to Equine Therapy.
This all is what makes this a five-star tour.
The estate
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Our Meals
The Ashbrooke House will host a private chef to prepare our meals each day. The fare will be Irish with a modern slant. This means we will eat quite well without the need to travel to restaurants each day. The quality of the cuisine will match the grandeur of our surroundings.
Vegetarians and vegans can be easily accommodated.
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