Current kayak(I currently have a Pakboat Puffin Sport) and staying at B&B’s along the route, or
Something larger, that can accomodate a week’s worth of camping gear. The rivers tend to be pretty rocky and are often fast flowing, I would not classify them as whitewater . Some of the trip will involve lakes. I think an inflatable might be a good choice. I’m considering the Aire Sawtooth. I need a kayak that can handle the rivers, but has some decent tracking on flat water. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Sounds like a great trip I am curious about the Sawtooth myself (haven’t seen one yet). If I understand the info correctly, you would have to completely deflate the Sawtooth to remove the skeg, making river-lake transitions a bit of work. You should look at the Innova Safari, or Sunny for lots more cargo space. The Innova skeg design is a little clunky, but you can remove the fin without deflating the boat - the mounting plates will remain, but they do not present much surface area.
I have done a fair bit of touring in an IK, and have seen the wind-blown lakes in Ireland - you definitely want a skeg.