The county of Kildare is famously linked with all things equine: it is home to the National Stud and three top racecourses: Punchestown, The Curragh and Naas. Punchestown hosts the National Hunt Festival and the Heineken International Three Day Event Championship. But this quiet county close to Dublin offers much much more. There are fantastic opportunities for angling and world-class golf. The landscape is predominantly rural with beautiful open fields, rich peatlands, forests and pretty waterways. A particularly popular activity in the county is canal bank walking, a fantastic way to explore the region.

The county’s main town is Naas which is great for shopping, dining and has some good pubs in which to soak up the local atmosphere.