Packages and Options

Rates Note:

Best to rent a car from Belfast (1 hr 20 minutes or from Belfast - 2 hrs.) There is a shuttle service available on request.

Dates Note:

Sample DAILY TIMETABLE

Arrive on Sunday in time for Dinner at 7.30p.m. (rooms are generally available from 6.00 p.m., although we will accommodate people arriving earlier if possible).

Day 1 - Guests will chat over breakfast with their instructor about riding ability, aims etc.
Daily riding commences at 10.30 a.m. with initial assessment of riders in the indoor or outdoor school followed by a lesson or hack.
Lunch is served at 1.00 p.m.
Afternoon lessons or ride is from 2.30 p.m. - 4.30. p.m.
Dinner is served at 7.30 p.m.

The riding program can be customized to suit all levels of riders. 

Last day- departure after breakfast

The Equestrian Centre is located around five new courtyards tucked behind the Hunting Lodge. It offers all these amenities:

• 1,000 acres of private estate
• 300 new cross-country jumps from knee high to knee tremblers built by Willis Bros. of Badminton Horse Trials fame
• 21 miles of bridleways for meandering along
• Mile-long all-weather gallop
• 56 stables
• Virtual horse for beginners
• 50 x 30 metre indoor arena with indoor cross-country fences
• Tiered seating for 200 plus private dining/viewing room
• Catering for all levels from 7 yrs upwards

The center provides a wide variety of programs to non-riders who can enjoy excellent fishing, golf, walking or cycling in the surrounding countryside. There are numerous places of interest to visit within easy driving distance. 

The dominant influence on Ireland's climate is the Atlantic Ocean. Consequently, Ireland does not suffer from the extremes of temperature experienced by many other countries at similar latitude.
Average annual temperature is about 9 °C. In the middle and east of the country temperatures tend to be somewhat more extreme than in other parts of the country. For example, summer mean daily maximum is about 19 °C and winter mean daily minimum is about 2.5 °C in these areas.
Mean annual windspeed varies between about 4 m/sec in the east midlands and 7 m/sec in the northwest. Strong winds tend to be more frequent in winter than in summer. Sunshine duration is highest in the southeast of the country. Average rainfall varies between about 800 and 2,800mm.
With southwesterly winds from the Atlantic dominating, rainfall figures are highest in the northwest, west and southwest of the country, especially over the higher ground. Rainfall accumulation tends to be highest in winter and lowest in early summer.
The annual number of days with more than 1 mm of rain varies between about 150 in the drier parts and over 200 in the wetter parts of the country. Met Éireann has station data going back to the 19th century for some dozens of stations.
The diagram below shows the mean annual temperature for one of them (Malin Head) expressed as the departure from the 1961 to 1990 normal in degrees Celsius. The black line is the average of the 15 year period centred on the year in question.

  Full service laundry is available at the Hunting Lodge for cost.

Hunting Lodge: 
The Hunting Lodge at Castle Leslie is now one of the most luxurious 4-star hotels in Ireland. The Hunting Lodge and the cut-stone stable courtyard have been lovingly restored, retaining all their natural beauty and original character. It remains a family-friendly venue full of local character, but now offers guests many more facilities for complete comfort and relaxation. It can also cater for private parties, functions and other events.
There are 35 bedrooms, each imaginatively decorated and furnished in keeping with the building's period features.
The Hunting Lodge is right next to the Equestrian Centre, making it even easier to explore the surrounding rolling acres of countryside and parkland. When it's time to relax, drop by the Organic Victoria Spa and let our therapists massage your aching muscles after an exhilarating day's riding or just because you deserve There's something for every taste in bedrooms. If you like bedrooms decorated with a sumptuous traditional style, try the bedrooms in the original building and stables. If you appreciate privacy, you'll find the five-bed gate lodge suits you perfectly. But if you're a riding enthusiast, choose the more contemporary styled bedrooms in the newer wings. With views over the Equestrian Centre's five courtyards, you're never far from your equine friends.

Conor's Bar
Unwind over a drink in this snug cellar bar with its roaring fire, cosy corners, great music and lots of craic. It's the perfect place to relax with a pint, or enjoy our traditional country home cooking in a more casual setting.

Snaffels Brasserie
Enjoy delicious meals with a wonderful view of ancient woodland. Set on a mezzanine floor, the open-plan brasserie is light and spacious with its dramatic hand-carved ceiling and robust oak beams blending effortlessly with a striking wall of contemporary glass.
The delicious menu uses the highest quality local ingredients without compromising on taste and choice. Offering a fresh approach to Mediterranean cuisine, food is cooked in the state-of-the-art wood-burning stone oven. This healthy style of cuisine complements the wellness concepts of our Organic Victorian spa.

Organic Victorian Spa   (extra charge)
Welcome to Ireland's first truly organic Victorian Spa. Located on the Castle Leslie Estate in County Monaghan, it's destined to become one of the most popular luxury spa hotels in Ireland.
It's the ultimate spa destination where you can spend the whole day indulging in our comprehensive range of treatments and therapies.
Based in The Hunting Lodge, the Victorian Spa boasts seven treatment rooms, two Victorian steam boxes, a hydrotherapy bath, relaxation area and hot tubs overlooking the stables. You'll leave feeling refreshed and revilatilised after pampering by our highly-trained therapists who'll use your choice of treatments from the exceptional Eminence Organic range.
Eminence 100% Organic Skin Care reflects the uniqueness of Castle Leslie with its unspoilt natural surroundings, rich in wild plants and mineral springs deep within its lakes.
Treatments
We aim to make your visit to the Victorian Spa an unforgettable experience for all the right reasons.
After consultation with our highly-trained therapists, they will tailor each treatment exclusively to your needs. This encompasses treating mind, body and spirit to leave you relieved, indulged, relaxed and at peace with yourself.
Using different combinations of our hand-picked organic products, body and face treatments can be relaxing and soothing, revitalising and energising, detoxifying and cleansing, or stimulating deep tissue massages.
Treatment list:
Stimulating Deep Tissue Massages
Relaxation and Soothing Treatments
Revitalising, Energising, Detoxifying and Cleansing Treatments
Facials
Men-only Treatments
Massage Treatments
Finishing Touches
Alternative Treatments
Various Treatments Available on Request
Day Experiences
Hot Tub & Steam Boxes

This trip includes and can accommodate special dietary requests.

Horses:
The horses range from the 'Baby-sitters' & 'Flying armchairs' for the more novice or nervous rider, to typical Irish hunters who provide more of a challenge for the experienced rider.

Qualified instructors up to B.H.S.I.I. lead the cross-country rides and also teach all levels and will make sure that everyone can make the most of their holiday with sympathetic instruction or just the right amount of encouragement for the rider who does not want 'formal tuition'. There are extensive trails on the Castle Leslie Estate with natural and man-made obstacles spread over a wide area, also riding on adjacent farmland and a competition course is available with a large number of fences to suit all levels. We will organize a range of demos and clinics with Equestrian luminaries such as Anne-Marie Taylor, Ian Stark, Pippa Funnell, Lucinda Green and many more! We continue to have Jeremy Spring BHSI here for clinics on a monthly basis. 

Facilities include

• 1000 acres of private estate land to explore
• 21 miles of bridleways to trek and absorb the beautiful scenery
• Mile long all-weather gallop to thunder along
• 300 new cross country jumps from the knee-high to the knee-tremblers!!!!(Built by Willis Bros. of Badminton Horse Trials fame)
• The Virtual Horse - Ireland's first fully sized simulated horse
• Side-saddle lessons
• Carriage driving on the Estate
• 50 x 30 meter indoor arena with tiered seating for 200 people
• 20 x 40 meter outdoor arena

Tack:		English
Horses:		Connemara and Irish Hunters
Pace:		4 hours riding per day To suit riders with jumping | Walk | Trot | Canter | Gallop |
Level:		(3 out of 5)    Intermediate
Age:		Min 7
Weight:		Max 210 lbs
Riders:		Min 1	Max 24

Horses:
The horses range from the 'Baby-sitters' & 'Flying armchairs' for the more novice or nervous rider, to typical Irish hunters who provide more of a challenge for the experienced rider.