With spring in the air, thoughts will be turning to weekends away with the family to get a break from it all — and few places are better than Ireland’s inland waterways.

Waterways Ireland and Fáilte Ireland have enlisted travel writer Thomas Breathnach to compile a series of special 48-hour, family-friendly itineraries to ensure that “everyone has a blast” in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands.

The guides take in the waterways hubs of Athlone, Carrick-on-Shannon, Cavan and Lough Derg and feature plenty of things to see and do, and places to eat and stay, whether on or near the water.