As a keen cyclist, like many Irish people, and someone who enjoys photographing cycling races (from the Tour of Ireland to the Tour de France), the opportunity to partake in one of the world's most famous cycling events is tempting, tickets for L'Étape du Tour go on sale 6th of November 2024.

The Étape du Tour is held every year, on closed roads covering one of the Tour du France's most challenging stages, with 16,000 participants taking to the scenic French roads with all the support of the real thing which follows a few days later. This is professional level organisation.

This is a non-professional cyclist's opportunity to ride as if part of the Grande Boucle.

You don't need to be a competitive cyclist, anyone who is fit enough can take part and you don't need to be a KOM rider, this event is doable with a good level of fitness.

For 2025, the Étape du Tour starts in Albertville, home to the Winter Olympics in 1992 and finishes in La Plagne, famous for skiing and the world's most popular ski resort in 2014.

But, in the heat of the French summer in July, skiing will take second place as La Plagne sees the arrival of 16,000 cyclists from all over the world, followed a few days later by hundreds of the world's top professional cyclists.

It will be the last mountain stage for the 2025 TdF but and it will be challenging for the professionals but on the 21st of July there will be a lot of sore legs in La Plagne, as it marks its fifth time hosting the Tour de France.

Interestingly, La Plagne will also host a SUPER8 mountain biking race on the 11th to 13th July, making it a cycling hotspot for 2025. Mayor of La Plagne Tarentaise Jean-Luc Boch said "...we are going to see a real celebration of cycling."

Leaving Albertville (355m) the Étape du Tour will cross some of the most famous mountain passes in France, the Col des Saisies (1,650m) which sees a 13.7km long climb at average gradient of 6.4%; before the descent to Beaufort at 724m followed by the tough climb to the Col du Pré at 1,748m with 12.6km of roads at a whopping 7.7% average gradient, which reaches 11.3% maximum. The Cormet de Roselend takes riders to 1,968 metres above sea level, dropping again to 806m ahead of the long (19.1km) climb to La Plagne at 2,052m with an average gradient of 7.2%! All that over 131km of Savoie tarmac.

What is it: L'Étape du Tour de France - a closed road, full stage of the world's most famous cycling race, the Tour de France run a few days before the professionals take on the stage

When is it: Sunday 20th of July 2025, 131km and 4,500m of ascent to finish at La Plagne

How to find out more (and only place to buy tickets/register unless booking with a tour operator or riding for charity): https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en/the-race/how-to-register

Hurry though, tickets go on sale on Wednesday November 6th 2024 at 16:00 and will likely sell out quickly - within a few hours.

**UPDATE** Registration has now closed, but you can find tickets through official tour operators or ride for charity, more information here: https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en/village/tour-operators or https://www.letapedutourdefrance.com/en/event/charity

Morning sunlight somewhere behind the clouds in the west of Ireland. Before the heat of the day, low cloud and fog sit in the valley in front of the heather-clad mountains.

Photography in Ireland is always a mystery, the weather forecast may say good weather or bad weather but the day, and a journey through the countryside, often reveals a difference.

I'm rarely disappointed though. 

Here, on a photography workshop in the west, JK from Virginia in the USA wanted to spend time photographing typical (but not boring) Irish scenes so we headed for somewhere that I knew would have good visuals like this for the first location.

Thick cloud blanketed the rest of the landscape but here we had a view beyond, to the mountains and, in the foreground, sheep dotting the hillside.

A good start to the day despite a negative weather forecast.

From here we headed on to photograph coastal scenes as the low cloud lifted from the western countryside.

Join me, Panoramic Ireland, to photograph - improve your photography, in the west of Ireland, in Dublin or somewhere else in the Irish countryside throughout 2024 and 2025.

The Irish summer is a strange thing, one day can be hot and sunny and then the next day is cloudy, cold and raining.

And of course we can get all of that in one day too. 

Here, a lush scene of Irish farmland ringed by mountains, a river runs through it. All under a cloudy sky.

It's a patchwork of 1,000 fields, trees line the river and tree-filled hedges mark the boundary between fields all helped by the long daylight hours in summer, plenty of rain and gentle heat.

Bands of colour from the Irish coast in spring.

As the days get longer here in Ireland (well, a day is still 24 hours but the proportion of daylight is now getting longer and will soon be more than the length of night), the opportunity to photograph for longer during the day is to be welcomed.

The coast of Ireland is varied and in places is sandy, rocky, cliffy or often a combination.

Here, a stormy afternoon brings fresh winds and plenty of waves to the golden sands of the shore.

Below, a blue hour image from the coast.

Join me to photograph in Ireland, on the coast or in the mountains.

It was a warm evening in the west of Ireland last summer when we stopped to photograph at the famous Pine Island in Connemara, the western part of Galway.

There wasn't much sunlight left as clouds rolled in for a wet and windy finish to the day but the calm conditions we encountered here made the day's photography more than worthwhile.

An almost perfect reflection, low cloud wisping across the mountains and colourful sunset skies created an image that many say remind them of other places, not so much Ireland.

Even from those who have been here, the scenery is more reminiscent of tropical locales such as the Serengeti in Tanzania.

Pine Island is a place I visit often, join me to improve your photography in Ireland this year - places available throughout 2024.

Peace descended over the west of Ireland at the end of yet another fine January day.

There was no direct sunset, instead a bank of cloud moved in and the sun slipped in and out of the grey band stretched across the sky, crepuscular rays emanating in many directions for 30 seconds or so at a time.

Ducks quacked, geese honked as the countryside began to darken before the long night, the time after sunset that we call the blue hour.

After many storms Ireland is experiencing an extended calm with respite from the incessant rain and wind of the last week of December which saw several storms including Gerrit, Pia, Geraldine and Henk.

I have been out photographing in the countryside and in Dublin this week and Panoramic Ireland's photography workshops and tours are open to book every day of the week throughout Ireland, subject to availability.

Join me to photograph in Ireland.

It's no secret that the West of Ireland is one of Panoramic Ireland's favourite places.

Join me in 2024 to photograph in the beautiful scenic surroundings of Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.

Here, the first sunset of 2024 in the west as the sun heads for the horizon. 

We've had the solstice on December 22nd, 2023 and around now, early January we see the mornings getting brighter earlier here in Ireland.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year and from then on the sunset gets a little later until the start of January when sunrises also become a little earlier. 

So, lots to look forward to even though January and February are the coldest months on average in Ireland.

The days continue to get longer.

Panoramic Ireland's photography workshops and tours are running right through the coldest months, the spring and the warmest months of the year in Ireland - all year round - Join me when you visit Ireland.

Storm Gerrit has raged across Ireland bringing stormy winds and rain in December 2023.

Here, a flooded landscape with water levels rising rapidly, covering ground passable just the day before as sunset approaches along with crepuscular rays in the colourful but ominous sky.

Storm Gerrit has brought severe winds, flooding and downed trees across Ireland as well as snow across parts of Scotland.

Storm Henk it seems will also be an incredibly windy event happening from Saturday December 30th bringing up to 100mph or 160km/h gusts of wind across the west of Ireland.

This will mark the third named storm, includig Pia, Gerrit and Henk to hit Ireland over Christmas and the New Year.

And expect more flooding.

From a photographic point of view, storms can provide opportunities to photograph amazing and incredible scenes but always with caution, particularly near the coast and watercourses.

Panoramic Ireland photographs in all weather, from the west of Ireland to inner city Dublin. Join me to learn more about landscape, street and architectural photography.

Storm Gerrit rolled in after Christmas this year, but in the calm between the storms with Pia denying Ireland a white Christmas, a break in the weather to give a beautiful Christmas Day sunset here in the west of Ireland.

Colour and cloud combined in the sky over Ireland's wild west as seen here.

2023 saw me photographing sunsets, sunrises and scenery from January to December.

Above, the latest gorgeous sunset and here another two.

One from the start of the year when there was little snow but enough here to be obvious in the landscape even if only at altitude.

And in the middle of the year, a late evening sunset of mountains, lakes and wooded islands.

Panoramic Ireland will of course be photographing throughout 2024 and you can join us on a photography workshop or tour in the Irish countryside.

Lots of colour in places as we head towards the end of October, the recent good spell of warm weather is over and colder, more usual, temperatures have followed.

A proliferation of non-green colours, but actually there is still plenty of green after a summer without extreme heat or an overabundance of sunshine.

It's an incredibly scenic time of year here in Ireland and perfect for photography even if we can't guarantee the weather it's always possible to photograph interesting scenes in the right lighting.

Join Panoramic Ireland to photograph in Ireland, in autumn, winter, spring and summer.