The 2025 Gordon Bennet Classic Itinerary

Friday 30th May 2025 | Registration

Registration and Launch Night at Laois County Council Civic Hall and Chambers from 6pm . Introductions and speeches and guest speakers. Followed by finger food and refreshments.

Registration can also be done on each of the event days if you cannot make the Friday night.

This is a private event for registered participants only.

Eircode location R32 EHP9

Saturday 31st May 2025 | Heritage Run

Departing our HQ at Treacys the Heath from 11am after our drivers briefing we wind our way down through Laois onto the Carlow/Wexford border and our first stop at Huntingdon Castle and Gardens Huntington Castle & Gardens. Here we will enjoy an open air Hog Roast Picnic lunch. Take time to explore the Gardens and Castle and House*. After lunch we head back to Laois to stop at the village of Timahoe to park up where we join the Timahoe Viking festival Home – Timahoe Heritage Festival 2024. Enjoy the quaint village, its round Tower, and the Viking village and re-enactments. Depart at your leisure for the evening.

*Entry fee to the Huntington gardens and Lunch is included, but optional guided house tours are extra, pre bookable from the website.

Treacys the Heath Eircode location R32 X803

Sunday 1st June 2025 | The Gordon Bennett Route

Get out the tweeds and or fancy dress on, we encourage either, fancy dress suitable to the period of your car is most welcome.

Again departing Treacys the Heath at 11am we retrace the 1903 Gordon Bennett Race with stops at Athy where a visit to the Heritage Museum is a must. Ernest Shackleton was born in Athy and the museum has many artifacts from the heroic age of exploration. Athy Heritage – Shackleton Museum Athy

From here we pick up the route again ending in Kildare Town for a street party hosted by the Cill Dar Car Club.

The evening is rounded off with our Gala Night at the Midlands Park Hotel, for food,music and spot prizes and craic, this is a relaxed evening and is not black tie so don’t be shy, again we encourage fancy dress or your tweeds in spirit of the event. Many of our repeat guests see this as the highlight of the weekend.

Monday 2nd June 2025 | Leisure Run and BBQ

Dust yourself off for our 11am departure from Treacys the Heath and we take a leisurely run though the Laois and Kildare countryside to our Monasterevin hosts where we park up for a wonderful street festival, and not forgetting the legendary tea party held in the town. We depart Monasterevin and head back to our HQ at Treacys the heath for our BBQ finale, music and send offs followed by the lowering of the Gordon Bennett Flag as we close the event.

Useful Links:

Discover Ireland | International Gordon Bennett | Irish Vintage Scene | Laois Tourism | NEC Classic

Supported By

Funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development