For this two-day itinerary, we’re taking you around Cavan, with plenty of opportunities to eat, explore and discover some of the people and businesses that make up the Created in Cavan network.
You can follow the itinerary as it is or pick and choose the stops that suit your family best.
Day One: Cavan Town, Virginia and Bailieborough
Start with Breakfast in Cavan Town
Start your first morning in Cavan Town with breakfast at Latte Da.
Known for breakfast, brunch, aromatic coffee and organic loose-leaf teas, it is a relaxed way to get everyone fed and ready for the day ahead.
Once breakfast is finished, take some time to explore Cavan Town before continuing your food adventure.
Pick Up Something Sweet
Before leaving town, make a stop at Datsé’s Café and Cakes.
With coffee, pastries, buns, cakes and lunch options, it is a good place to pick up something for later in the day. Their celebration cakes are also made to order, showcasing the work that goes into their baking beyond the café counter.
Discover Local Food at Chapter
Next, head to Chapter in Cavan Retail Park.
Chapter One combines a café with a lifestyle shop, making it a good family stop where you can browse as well as eat. The café serves food, homemade cakes and treats alongside coffee, while the shop gives you a chance to discover something new before continuing your journey.
Head for Lough Ramor
From Cavan Town, make your way towards Virginia and Lough Ramor.
This is where Adventure 21 Café fits perfectly into the itinerary. The mobile speciality coffee business is based around outdoor and active lifestyles, making it a natural stop when you are spending time exploring the area.
Grab a coffee and something to eat before getting outside and making the most of Lough Ramor and the surrounding area.
Discover a Cavan Farm
Continue towards Bailieborough and make time to discover where some of Cavan’s food begins.
Forest Hill Farm is a regenerative family farm producing pasture-raised eggs, grass-fed lamb, forest-raised pork and homemade jams using fruit from the farm.
The farm uses chemical-free practices and sells through farm gate honesty boxes, pop-up events and farmers markets, giving visitors an insight into the connection between local food and the land it comes from.
Finish the Day in Bailieborough
After exploring the area, head into Bailieborough for an evening meal at The Bailie Hotel.
The hotel’s Tailor Lounge menu includes breakfast, carvery lunch, evening specials and bar food, with ingredients sourced from local Irish suppliers.
It is a relaxed way to finish the first day before settling in for the evening.
Day Two: Belturbet, Killeshandra and West Cavan
Begin with a Proper Cavan Breakfast
Start your second day in Belturbet at Bedrock Café.
The long-established daytime restaurant serves breakfasts, lunches, light bites and homemade specials, with local suppliers playing an important role in its food offering.
It is a good place to fuel up before spending the morning exploring Belturbet and the surrounding area.
Meet a Local Artisan Butcher
Next, call into McGurren’s Artisan Butchers in Belturbet.
This award-winning traditional butcher produces its range in store, using local beef from Belturbet farmers alongside other quality products.
It is also a great example of how local businesses support one another, with products from other Created in Cavan members available in store, including Corleggy Cheese and Moran’s Mega Jam.
Discover Cavan’s Famous Cheese
Continue your journey to Corleggy Cheeses.
Corleggy has been producing traditional Irish farmhouse cheese since 1985. Its cheeses are handmade using raw milk from neighbouring farms, with cow, goat and sheep milk all used across the range.
If your visit coincides with a Cheese School course, you can take the experience even further and learn how to make your own cheese.
Stop for Something Sweet
After exploring the cheese dairy, head towards Killeshandra and stop at Fika 33.
Inspired by the Swedish tradition of fika, this café is all about slowing down over coffee, food and something sweet.
It gives the family a chance to take a proper break before continuing the afternoon, rather than trying to fit in another activity straight away.
Visit a Regenerative Family Farm
For families interested in where their food comes from, SeanNua Farm offers another perspective on local food production.
Based in East Cavan at the foot of Loughanleagh Mountain, the regenerative family farm combines traditional farming values with sustainable practices.
The farm produces pasture-raised eggs and poultry, seasonal vegetables, microgreens and more, with beef and pork also part of its developing range.
A Taste of Cavan to Take Home
Before heading home, make a final stop for something you can enjoy later.
Moran’s Mega Jam produces homemade jams, chutneys and relishes using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Their products are available through local artisan shops, craft butchers and other outlets.
It is an easy way to finish the trip: take a little taste of Cavan home with you rather than leaving everything behind when the weekend ends.
This itinerary is just one way to explore Cavan through its food.
Over two days, you can experience everything from speciality coffee and homemade baking to regenerative farming, artisan cheese, traditional butchery and locally produced preserves, while travelling through some of the county’s towns and countryside.
And there is plenty more to discover.
The important thing is to leave plenty of time to explore along the way. In Cavan, the food is part of the adventure.
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