‘We’re the very definition of slow tourism,” Emily Collom from Making Tracks says, throwing her head back laughing from the front of a traditional colourful horse-drawn wagon as we meander down a back road in Co Laois. “Bobby only has one speed – walking!”
If ever there was a sustainable holiday that is an antidote to our ‘always on, 24/7’ world, then this is it. It’s impossible not to be captivated by this picture-postcard scene, and the rhythm of Bobby’s clip clopping hooves has the mesmerising effect of slowing everything down, even, I suspect, my heartbeat. Life becomes very simple as Bobby, a “gentle giant”, leads the way through the lush green rural countryside in our very own ‘Wanderly Wagon’.
“You can feel the pace change. You’re just not going to be in a hurry, and Bobby is not going to get any faster. I think a lot of people could take a leaf out of his book,” reflects Making Tracks owner Ian Hyland, who runs the wagon holiday and glamping business with son Eoghan and Eoghan's partner Emily.
Just minutes earlier, we had departed from the Making Tracks glamping site to get a taster of the nomadic life on the road. The rural tourism venture is named as such, due to its close proximity to Ballybrophy railway station, where 80% of the wagon visitors arrive before a five-minute walk over the bridge which brings them right to the entrance.
There is a beautiful old two-storey home at the gate before the colourful horse-drawn wagons come into view at the rear, with the quirky glamping pods laid out on the adjoining site.
The house was a former pub, grocery and hardware shop with petrol pumps out the front, owner Ian tells Irish Country Living, and when he bought the site in 2020, it had been idle and abandoned for around 15 years.
The simple life in Co Laois. Ian Hyland and Emily Collom from Making Tracks glamping site and horse-drawn wagons on the back roads in Co Laois with Bobby, the horse. The business is thought to be the only one in Ireland offering this style of holiday to visitors.
/ Lorraine O’Sullivan
The home has been restored and serves as a communal space for anyone staying on-site to cook, eat and chat. Beside the dwelling was an overgrown acre of land which he described as “bog and briars” and “a mess”. Now cleared and drained, it is home to five rustic glamping cabins, two of which are currently let on Airbnb, with a further three due to open soon.
Much of the materials used on-site are reclaimed or salvaged from elsewhere, boosting its sustainability credentials. Ian points to a former Santa’s grotto, now roofed and insulated into a teepee-style glamping pod, and an old CIE carriage, formerly used as a calf shed, which is currently being converted into accommodation. A log fence uses off-cuts from a local saw mill to great effect, while a nearby barn has been revamped into a toilet/shower block.
Ian, who has an engineering works nearby, has always loved horses and carriage-driving and admits to a fondness for the old ways. Perhaps that explains how or why he was “talked into” buying the horse-drawn wagons from a business in Kilcavan who were retiring. He previously hosted an overnight stop as part of their offering.
That move set Making Tracks in motion, with the idea of adding cabins and facilities. Emily and Eoghan came on board to help make it a reality in 2023, and they did as much work as they could themselves.
Earlier this year, they got a grant of €250,000 from Fáilte Ireland’s Private and Community SME Scheme, which is part of the EU Just Transition Fund – allowing them to make accessibility and path improvements.
“It’s been a labour of love to get it to this stage,” Emily says over rhubarb tart, as Ian nods in agreement. They took their first guests for the horse-drawn caravan holidays two years ago and opened the revamped glamping site this May.
Off the beaten track
While the song Lovely Laois extols the virtues of the often-forgotten midlands county, it’s off the beaten track in terms of the usual tourism trail – a fact the trio are determined to harness positively, as a slow-paced travel spot where you can soak in nature and the many underrated attractions.
“There are no TVs and WiFi, and that’s intentional,” explains Emily, who says they find people are looking to escape the digital world for a while, whether in the wagons or cabins. The site has proven a popular halfway stop-off for domestic travellers heading west or south, for families looking for a break from the city or even business people and tradesmen looking for an alternative to a hotel.
“In modern life, I think people are craving interaction with others. The way the world is now, you can be very isolated, so we’re trying to create a place that gives you the space to talk and interact,” she says, before relaying a story about Swiss and English visitors they had the previous week who were the best of friends after bonding through the wagon holiday experience.
While compact, the traditional caravans sleep four and make great use of every nook and cranny, even boasting a kitchenette with a sink and cooker. After meeting the horse chosen for them, depending on the experience and a night on-site, each group heads off the following morning for training on the road until they feel comfortable enough to go solo [with the backup of check calls and phone assistance from the site].
“After that, they have five overnight stops [in fields along the route with the cooperation of farmers with access to toilets and showers]. They go as far as Durrow. They will travel about 13km a day; some days it would be an hour, others three hours,” says Emily. The horses are trained for two years so they know the routes really well and love being spoiled by the visitors.
“Your life becomes quite simple because you are basically getting from one destination to the other, you’re having your dinner, and you’re looking after the horse,” adds Emily, who hails from Waterford and previously worked as an aerospace engineer in logistics.
When she met Eoghan, who is currently doing a thatching course in Kilkenny, the lure of a simpler life in Laois proved too much to resist. With no equine background, she started out helping and doing the logistics/planning and slowly has taken on more responsibility in terms of driving and teaching.
Emily Collom, Ian Hyland and Chief the dog enjoying the open road. / Lorraine O’Sullivan
Countryside breaks
“It’s really popular with German and Austrian tourists. That’s our biggest market. They are more adventurous in the style of holiday they like, and definitely, I do think they have a romanticised view of Ireland and this style [of break],” she says.
“Many are coming from big cities, Ian adds, “where they have no access to nature or the countryside, all things taken for granted here in Ireland.” He recalls one man in his 50s who had never had a pet except a turtle who was “ecstatic” after taking care of his horse for a week.
“When they first go out, they are often apprehensive or wound up, but when they come back, there is a marked difference in the people. You can actually see it in them; they are much happier and much more relaxed,” enthuses Ian.
One group were so happy with their holiday in Laois, that they even wrote a song in his honour. Many people get so attached to the horse they want to buy it at the end of their holiday.
Despite mixed forecasts in the tourism sector, Emily is content with “steady bookings from May right to the end of September” for the wagons and “some of the cabins booked out in July and August.”
Asked what support could help their business grow, she mentions simple infrastructure like footpaths from the railway station would benefit them and locals alike.
In the meantime, they are pressing ahead with plans for a multi-functional area, solar panels and a holiday rental in the house this winter. One thing is for sure: it’s full steam ahead for Making Tracks in their bid to become a must-visit rural tourism destination for years to come.
See makingtracks.ie.
‘We’re the very definition of slow tourism,” Emily Collom from Making Tracks says, throwing her head back laughing from the front of a traditional colourful horse-drawn wagon as we meander down a back road in Co Laois. “Bobby only has one speed – walking!”
If ever there was a sustainable holiday that is an antidote to our ‘always on, 24/7’ world, then this is it. It’s impossible not to be captivated by this picture-postcard scene, and the rhythm of Bobby’s clip clopping hooves has the mesmerising effect of slowing everything down, even, I suspect, my heartbeat. Life becomes very simple as Bobby, a “gentle giant”, leads the way through the lush green rural countryside in our very own ‘Wanderly Wagon’.
“You can feel the pace change. You’re just not going to be in a hurry, and Bobby is not going to get any faster. I think a lot of people could take a leaf out of his book,” reflects Making Tracks owner Ian Hyland, who runs the wagon holiday and glamping business with son Eoghan and Eoghan's partner Emily.
Just minutes earlier, we had departed from the Making Tracks glamping site to get a taster of the nomadic life on the road. The rural tourism venture is named as such, due to its close proximity to Ballybrophy railway station, where 80% of the wagon visitors arrive before a five-minute walk over the bridge which brings them right to the entrance.
There is a beautiful old two-storey home at the gate before the colourful horse-drawn wagons come into view at the rear, with the quirky glamping pods laid out on the adjoining site.
The house was a former pub, grocery and hardware shop with petrol pumps out the front, owner Ian tells Irish Country Living, and when he bought the site in 2020, it had been idle and abandoned for around 15 years.
The simple life in Co Laois. Ian Hyland and Emily Collom from Making Tracks glamping site and horse-drawn wagons on the back roads in Co Laois with Bobby, the horse. The business is thought to be the only one in Ireland offering this style of holiday to visitors.
/ Lorraine O’Sullivan
The home has been restored and serves as a communal space for anyone staying on-site to cook, eat and chat. Beside the dwelling was an overgrown acre of land which he described as “bog and briars” and “a mess”. Now cleared and drained, it is home to five rustic glamping cabins, two of which are currently let on Airbnb, with a further three due to open soon.
Much of the materials used on-site are reclaimed or salvaged from elsewhere, boosting its sustainability credentials. Ian points to a former Santa’s grotto, now roofed and insulated into a teepee-style glamping pod, and an old CIE carriage, formerly used as a calf shed, which is currently being converted into accommodation. A log fence uses off-cuts from a local saw mill to great effect, while a nearby barn has been revamped into a toilet/shower block.
Ian, who has an engineering works nearby, has always loved horses and carriage-driving and admits to a fondness for the old ways. Perhaps that explains how or why he was “talked into” buying the horse-drawn wagons from a business in Kilcavan who were retiring. He previously hosted an overnight stop as part of their offering.
That move set Making Tracks in motion, with the idea of adding cabins and facilities. Emily and Eoghan came on board to help make it a reality in 2023, and they did as much work as they could themselves.
Earlier this year, they got a grant of €250,000 from Fáilte Ireland’s Private and Community SME Scheme, which is part of the EU Just Transition Fund – allowing them to make accessibility and path improvements.
“It’s been a labour of love to get it to this stage,” Emily says over rhubarb tart, as Ian nods in agreement. They took their first guests for the horse-drawn caravan holidays two years ago and opened the revamped glamping site this May.
Off the beaten track
While the song Lovely Laois extols the virtues of the often-forgotten midlands county, it’s off the beaten track in terms of the usual tourism trail – a fact the trio are determined to harness positively, as a slow-paced travel spot where you can soak in nature and the many underrated attractions.
“There are no TVs and WiFi, and that’s intentional,” explains Emily, who says they find people are looking to escape the digital world for a while, whether in the wagons or cabins. The site has proven a popular halfway stop-off for domestic travellers heading west or south, for families looking for a break from the city or even business people and tradesmen looking for an alternative to a hotel.
“In modern life, I think people are craving interaction with others. The way the world is now, you can be very isolated, so we’re trying to create a place that gives you the space to talk and interact,” she says, before relaying a story about Swiss and English visitors they had the previous week who were the best of friends after bonding through the wagon holiday experience.
While compact, the traditional caravans sleep four and make great use of every nook and cranny, even boasting a kitchenette with a sink and cooker. After meeting the horse chosen for them, depending on the experience and a night on-site, each group heads off the following morning for training on the road until they feel comfortable enough to go solo [with the backup of check calls and phone assistance from the site].
“After that, they have five overnight stops [in fields along the route with the cooperation of farmers with access to toilets and showers]. They go as far as Durrow. They will travel about 13km a day; some days it would be an hour, others three hours,” says Emily. The horses are trained for two years so they know the routes really well and love being spoiled by the visitors.
“Your life becomes quite simple because you are basically getting from one destination to the other, you’re having your dinner, and you’re looking after the horse,” adds Emily, who hails from Waterford and previously worked as an aerospace engineer in logistics.
When she met Eoghan, who is currently doing a thatching course in Kilkenny, the lure of a simpler life in Laois proved too much to resist. With no equine background, she started out helping and doing the logistics/planning and slowly has taken on more responsibility in terms of driving and teaching.
Emily Collom, Ian Hyland and Chief the dog enjoying the open road. / Lorraine O’Sullivan
Countryside breaks
“It’s really popular with German and Austrian tourists. That’s our biggest market. They are more adventurous in the style of holiday they like, and definitely, I do think they have a romanticised view of Ireland and this style [of break],” she says.
“Many are coming from big cities, Ian adds, “where they have no access to nature or the countryside, all things taken for granted here in Ireland.” He recalls one man in his 50s who had never had a pet except a turtle who was “ecstatic” after taking care of his horse for a week.
“When they first go out, they are often apprehensive or wound up, but when they come back, there is a marked difference in the people. You can actually see it in them; they are much happier and much more relaxed,” enthuses Ian.
One group were so happy with their holiday in Laois, that they even wrote a song in his honour. Many people get so attached to the horse they want to buy it at the end of their holiday.
Despite mixed forecasts in the tourism sector, Emily is content with “steady bookings from May right to the end of September” for the wagons and “some of the cabins booked out in July and August.”
Asked what support could help their business grow, she mentions simple infrastructure like footpaths from the railway station would benefit them and locals alike.
In the meantime, they are pressing ahead with plans for a multi-functional area, solar panels and a holiday rental in the house this winter. One thing is for sure: it’s full steam ahead for Making Tracks in their bid to become a must-visit rural tourism destination for years to come.
See makingtracks.ie.
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