The green, green grass of home

It's late on a December evening. The sky is grey, and the dark clouds are full of rain. Suddenly, the sun appears in the west, and everything changes. An unusual pink light appears over Ballyhoura Country and the landscape is covered in shades of green one cannot find anywhere else in the world. That's Ireland.

How to get there: Both Shannon Airport and Cork Airport are less than an hour away from Ballyhoura Country.

When to go: The Ballyhoura International Walking Festival takes place from 30 April to 3 May next year. It offers more than 30 guided walks, led by people from the local communities. The weekend has walks for all levels of ability and all kinds of terrain, from rolling green fields to woodlands, from hills to the peaks of the Galtee Mountains.

Where to stay: If you don't mind spending a little bit extra, and if you enjoy the idea of having 55,000 bottles of wine in the cellar, Castle Oliver is an unforgettable experience.

Equally beautiful, but smaller in scale, is Ballinwillin House, near Mitchelstown. Pat and Miriam Mulcahy offer their guests fresh food straight from the farmyard; and because they also own a vineyard in Hungary, the cellar is filled with interesting wine.

An alternative to castles and country houses is a self-catering holiday home in Ballyhoura Forest.