Ireland Road Trip (Week 2)

Hey,

We hope you enjoyed week 1. It is probably a little more detail than you are used to, we hope it's not too much information. Now we have the laptop we can take down notes during the day while it is still fresh, hopefully giving you some tips on the best parts of Ireland to visit. So onto week 2, The southern loop to Dublin.

Day 9
It was an early start to the day. The breakfast was pretty average (as we expected). Agg & Em told us about a 10 piece band that they had seen in a pub in town. Sounded very interesting! Agg reakons that this was probably his highlight for the whole trip. We were off to see the famous Cliffs of Moher. A stunning cliff face running along the coast not far out of Galway. As we drove out thought we may of seen Nat’s folks at the cliff. Turned out they were the car in front of us! Got there in good time, to be blown away by the views of these cliffs. Absolutely beautiful! This guy was standing at the edge of a 200ft cliff, although it makes the cliffs look like they are only 10 feet tall!

The cliff used to have a trail right along the edge of the cliff with no fences etc. This used to be the lure to this place, the fact that it was uninterrupted views with nothing to stop you falling off the edge. This was causing problems however as the thousands of tourists that visit this place caused a lot of degradation walking along unpaved paths. So they have now paved some of it with large sheets of rock as a fence. This has taken away some of the primal charm of the place but I guess it was necessary in these times of litigation and mass tourism. But still well worth the effort.

They have just finished the visitors centre which was built into the side of the mountain, thereby not distracting from the views (and probably a lot stronger). It has been set up really well with a couple of interactive displays and stuff. They have the obligatory souvenir shop which does actually stock some good souvenirs! Here is our troop for the northern leg of our tour at the Cliffs. You can see behind us the sheets of rock that they have put up as a barrier from the cliffs (and certain death if you went over!)


A heap of photos later, it was time to head off after a coffee. We all said final goodbyes to Mal, Deb & Brooke. Their Ireland adventure had come to an end. Nat was quite sad with her parents leaving but it was great to catch up with them again.

We had heard a lot about the Aran islands, so we had arranged a ferry trip for the afternoon. It is not a very action packed island, although we did go to the smallest one.(Innisheer) We had a great lunch at this small café. Cam even got to have a fresh crab sandwich on the famous Irish Soda bread.

There is one thing this island is not short of: ROCKS! We have never seen so many in our lives. The picture on the left illustrates how fertile the soil is in this country. This is only 10 metres from the beach. We had planned to hire a donkey and cart, but once we had finished lunch we could not find them. So we spent two hours trying to find a certain point where a seal colony lives. But we could not find it or them. So walked back over some very barren terrain through the middle of the island and meandered back to the port, via the pub for a Guinness.

We even got a bit sun burnt today! Agg & Em hired some bikes and headed off. They even went skinny dipping! Brass monkey water apparently. It looked so clear! It was a hot day and Cam had forgotten his swimmers, so it wasn't meant to be. The ferry ride back was very smooth and as an added bonus was seeing the Cliffs of Moher again, this time from the ocean side, very nice indeed.

We were now on a time schedule as we were heading for another car ferry to get us to the other side of River Shannon. We were aiming for somewhere near Dingle at the end of the day. There was about an hour driving and the next ferry left in an hour. Agg tried hard to get us there as quickly (and safely) as possible. But we missed the 19:00 ferry by about 10 minutes! Next ferry was in an hour so enough time to go and wet our whistles at the local again. There was even a wedding reception at the pub.

Arrived on the other side. Our original plan was to get to Dingle and find something near there. We were about 20 miles away , when we stopped off to take a photo of a silly town sign, and thought maybe we could stop somewhere here? We saw a sign where our car was parked. Em ran up checked it out and it was awesome! Only 1 year old, fresh new B&B ran by a very welcoming host, John. The views from here were amazing! Shower, bed, bathroom, and all other amenities were tip-top. We had originally booked for 1 night.

John our very helpful B&B host arranged for us to squeeze into a local restaurant (The Creamery) for a meal as it was getting on. The meal wasn’t too bad, but it was a little pricey. It was then off to a very comfortable bed via the great shower after a long day.

Day 10
It was an early start to the day. Our goal today was the Ring of Kerry. What a great breakfast, with the best views of the coast and the Dingle Peninsula. This place has the most awesome bay dining room. Check out the view from our room. Even the sun was shining for us. Once again our host John has impressed us. We even got the clothes washing done for us!

Off to check out the Ring of Kerry, a very famous coastal drive in Ireland. Cam’s turn behind the wheel today. John showed us a great shortcut which not only saved time but the views were amazing. Usually packed with tourist buses, the Ring of Kerry is a real tourist trap. As we are on our trip a bit before peak season, we dodged a lot of these buses. (Planned of course) The roads are very narrow along the Ring itself so being stuck behind bussed along hilly, twisty roads is never fun...

We could all see why so many people come here. It is absolutely beautiful scenery. Some scenes that we will never forget… Take a look at this scene!We had heard from Laura (thanks!) to go to Valencia Island. All aboard the car ferry from Cahersiveen (the tip of the ring) out to Valencia Island. A cute island about 7 km long. Not very populated and very quiet! We had a great drive around with so many great views.

We stopped off for coffee and cake and this small café. It was awesome! Great cake and the views were stunning. Overlooking the ocean, mountains and the Skellig Islands in the distance

These have a great history, check out the link (Skellig Islands). Unfortunately we were a bit short of time to get over there, but apparently well worth the visit! We drove up to near the peak of the Island. It costs to get to the peak, but the absolutely amazing views are worth it. Got the edge of the cliff (they have rails on this one!) Heaps of wind in your face was nice.

It was then onto the tallest point on the island. Again great views this time of the Ring of Kerry and stuff. Even got some cute sheep photos.

It was then time to head back to the mainland. Back on the Ring of Kerry.

A bit more driving we then stopped off for lunch at this great town called Waterville. The town over looking the bay and some great local Scampi and chips (with a Guinness) to go with it! There was even a percussion band playing on the foreshore. Definitely a town we would stop off at again.

Although not quite as impressive as the other side, still lovely views of the coast and mountains, just a little different. Went through Killarney National Park on the way home. So lush and green! And then we got to town and discovered where all the tourist buses live, here. There were hundreds of them. Quick let’s get out of this town.

We finally got back to base, Aaron & Cam deciding to go to the local pubs for a pint or two (there’s two nearby). The railway hotel is over 160 years old and has been in continuous service since I believe. It turned into a big night, after meeting some Londoners’ staying at the same place as us, and getting a few drinks chatting all night. We didn’t get out of the pub until after 01:00! Back at the B&B we played some cards and had a couple more. Silly mistake, really didn’t need those drinks! John advised us it was time to go to bed. It was after 02:30 after all!

Day 11
A sad and sorry Cam drags himself out of bed, feeling a little worse for wear. Another great breakfast to recharge us for the day ahead. Sadly it was time to check out of our B&B. I really loved this place and John added the element needed. See ya Camp Junction B&B!

We promised each other that we would get a horse ride whilst we were in Ireland. We got onto a company doing beach rides right near our accommodation. Thanks again John. About an hour of riding our phillies along some of the most beautiful beach/coastal areas in Ireland. Apparently this stretch is the longest beach in Ireland (about 13 miles). They have even held the world Kitesurfing championships here twice. Check out the view! As Nat has ridden horses several times in the past, she does not really get on with horses. So Nat hang back and relaxed. We were all pretty sore afterwards! These were old work horses but still capable. The trot took some work to get the rhythm, Aaron and Cam ending up with punished family jewels!

It was then back into the Pug around the Dingle peninsula on our way to Kinsale via Cork. A beautiful ride through some of the most stunning scenery we have seen yet. John advised of this waterfall on the way. It wasn't that big but there is a lake on the hill that is worth the effort to go and have a look. Check this out! It is so crystal clear and peaceful. The sun & clouds were having an argument, so getting decent photos was very difficult.

We stopped off at Dingle for lunch. Lovely coastal town that needs some time to explore also. After some walking around we decided to get some lunch. We managed to jag a spot at one of the best seafood restaurants in the area. “Out of the Blue” has won several awards and great reviews. Only freshest seafood used, no chips, no frying of fish. Nat had a starter Seafood Chowder, and Seared Scallops, both dishes being beautifully presented and tasted divine. Can’t believe we got a seat as they were booked out but we talked the waitress into giving us the booked table as the booking was running late. Cam got a whole small Mackeral done in light mustard dressing with a few sneaky herbs on the inside. Also some very tasty morsels on the side, again beautifully presented (hard to make a whole fish look good!) Leaving very satisfied it was on the road again our goal being Kinsale. An interesting town with lots of history.

Pushing on through the Cork traffic chaos, next stop the coast! We arrived in Kinsale about 18:00. This town has heaps of maritime history, very interesting place. It has a very beautiful natural harbour off the Atlantic ocean. It used to be the first point/last point from crossing the Atlantic (America), so it played a very pivotal part in the growth and wealth of Ireland. It also has some very crazy streets. Head up to the medieval village for some very odd roads! It was built right on the water, after reclaiming the land. Because of this there is only 1 part of straight road in the whole village.

We found an OK B&B near the water overlooking the river mouth into the harbour. The views pretty good, but the place is a little below our now high standard, set by John in Camp. But the host was very friendly, helping us out with room prices etc. It was an early night after collecting some supplies from the supermarket for a Mediterranean feast complete with wine and reminisce over the photos taken during the holiday. Whilst in town Cam couldn't resist taking some dusk photos of the marina in town, (even got to see a sea otter!)

Tommorow was going to be a good day, it was Aaron's birthday! Emma had some special surprises organised.

Day 12
It was a big day today, it was Agg’s Birthday! We had to try and make this special for him, with the limited resources that we had whilst on the road. Emma got a cake and that organized in the morning, whilst Aaron, Nat & Cam were on a walking tour around the town. A great tour other than the bus load of Americans that turned up, unknown to us. Still was a very informative tour, highly recommended! This is where we learnt about the towns very important past and it's famous barrel making (this was essential to keep the beer/wine and food fresh). The shipbuilding and barrel making industry pretty much wiped out the Oak forests down here. If only they had known what we know now.

After keeping Aaron distracted Emma had arranged the cake and we snuck it into the boot of the car. The next stop Blarney Castle. It was time to kiss the Blarney stone! We had managed to keep it a surprise, Em set up Agg's birthday picnic whilst we had distracted Agg, a party picnic blanket, cake with candles and plates and stuff. Happy Birthday Agg, 34 and getting on you old bugger!

The next stop we headed up the top of the Blarney castle for the Blarney stone, a pretty cool experience. We were actually very impressed with the castle itself and the fact that they have managed to keep it fairly original, and not taken away all the elements that make this slightly dangerous. Thing I have noticed in Ireland, is that you have to be a smart tourist, expecially if you are near the coast. There are no big barriers or warning signs, Armco, fencing, rails or whatever. I think Darwins’ rule applies. If you are silly enough to stand that close to the edge, then you shouldn’t have been there. (Survival of the fittest).

The three of us (Nat chickened out again!) kissed the stone, but are still waiting for "The Gift of Eloquence". We even have the photos to prove it! It was a quite scary experience as you have to hang upside down and it is a long way down over and open hole. You are at the top of the castle looking upside down at the ground! If you get here you must have a look at the gardens around the castle. There is some really cool bits, even some Druid ruins for exploring including a sacrificial altar! After spending some time exploring these beautiful gardens it was time to head off back to Cork to do some exploring for the afternoon.

After discovering how big Cork is, we decided to do a bus tour. There is some interesting history, but there isn’t really that much too visually excite the casual tourist other than a few really nice churches. Also a former mental institution on the way into town, that is beautiful! It is the longest building in Ireland (apparently). There are over 30 bridges in town and the place used to made up of many islands. You can read more about the history here. But Nat & I thought that the Belfast tour was far better. Maybe because of the bus, maybe the city?
Agg & Em found the English Market, which we found out about on the bus tour also. We revisited this place and checked out the food there. There is even a peace of Pork named after cam’s grandfather, Golonka (Pork Hock!) Sorry vegetarians! Apparantly they have a large polish population here hence the Polish supplies everywhere.

It was now time to head to the Pub for a celebration drink, Agg's sister Kylies' special Guinness. Half Guinness, coke and Tia Maria (they didn’t have any Kalhua) It was OK, but not really my thing. May the Tia Maria just didn’t cut it.

It was then time to head home. We decided (making sure that Agg had priority, he is the birthday boy after all!) to find somewhere in Kinsale for dinner. Our B&B host had insisted if there was one place that you went for dinner, it was Jim Edwards restaurant/bar in town.

We had to wait an hour for the table, in the pub section because it’s cheaper. After this wait we were able to sit in the restaurant part with the pub food all worked out well! This is a very glitzy restaurant. We were dining with some very well to do people. We were feeling a little underdressed! The meal was really good. Desert was choice! It was a really good day, lots seen but not too overwhelming. A good night's sleep!

Day 13
Today was our day to leave the coast, heading inland for our second last stop, the Wicklow mountains. Kinsale has treated us well. The breakfast was great. This is a really nice town, highly recommended!

We departed about 10:00. Went up the Georgefort hill for some panoramic views of the city. It is definitely worth the effort. One of the best marina/harbour views that we have even seen! The Pug still going strong.

We arrived in Waterford about 12:30. Stopped off at the Waterford crystal factory for the tour. It was very informative and quite interesting. You can even handle some copies of the famous trophies supplied to the big championships (tennis, golf, cricket etc.) Although Cam was too chicken to handle at least I got my hands on it. It is the Ashes trophy! Of course we got ushered into the shop after the tour. There was some nice crystal. It was very hard to keep Nat away from it! Agg bought a surprise for someone close (we can’t say much more). There was an interesting display on the Ryder Cup (Golf championship), with a lot of memorabilia from over the years. We left Waterford about 14:30, next stop Kilkenny.

We arrived into Kilkenny to heaps of traffic. It took about half an hour to cover a mile! We had almost forgot about traffic jams after the last week of cruising through the county. We didn't have much time here but we were really only stopping off for a break and to have a Kilkenny in Kilkenny. We found a spot to park up and have a pint of Kilkenny. Found a pub called "Matt the Millers" Great pub! We were even asked by the barmaid when we entered the pub what we would like to drink. Now that's what I call service! Nat had her first Irish coffee. Quite tasty I hear. Here is the boys tucking into their Kilkenny and Nat into her Irish coffee.

We were then off to the Wicklow mountains, just out of Dublin. After being turned away at a couple of places we were driving around getting concerned that we might be sleeping in the car tonight, when we saw some signs for a lakeside resort, so we thought we may as well check it out. It looked really flash and is almost brand new (only been open 4 months), we thought no way can we afford this! But Em the legend got it from 250 euro to 160 per night for a 3 bedroom apartment. It was so nice! And the views of the lake are beautiful. Can’t wait to explore some more. Off to our very comfortable new bed for a good nights' sleep.

Day 14
What a great nights sleep on the very nice bed! Cam went into town to pick up some supplies (Blessington). It sure was a busy place! Looks like an up and coming place only about 30km from the city. We had decided to do a driving tour around the mountains. Agg & Em spent the day enjoying the resorts' facilities. It sure is a beautiful location right on the lake. They do corporate team building activities, with all water sports and other activities too numerous to mention. Check out the views!

After a non-fried breakfast (they do wear thin after a while) to the Braveheart route around the Wicklow mountains. We had a lot of trouble finding the tourism office to get an area map. It is hidden away amongst all these new units being constructed. But a very informative lady behind the desk!
It is a lot different terrain than we are used to. Most of the flat ground was covered in bog and alpine plants. Roads were rather narrow, windy and bumpy! Not so car friendly, but well worth the effort. Even found a waterfall that is 75m high! It is not like a usual waterfall, being at about 45 degrees but still stunning.

We stopped off for lunch in a quaint town, Laragh near Glendalough. (meaning “valley between two lakes”) Picked up some souvineers and back on the road to Glendalough. Nat had been insisting that we go to St Kevins’ monastery. It was built around the 11th century. It has the tallest intact 16th century tower in Ireland. The used to use this tower to stash there stuff when mauraders came to raid there stuff. The bottom door is 10m up and they would use a ladder to get in there. It is such a nice place but way too many tourists! There was even some German girls jumping on graves for a good photo? Very disresspective... We would recommend getting there early to beat the rush and enjoy the history. There was some tombstones dating to the early 18th century. Also there are some lovely walking treks in the area but we were a bit short on time.

It was time to rejoin the Braveheart route, named as this area is where the movie was filmed. (As well as several other films in this area) A very picturesque drive along the lake (A very scenic, very large lake) towards home. Stopped off at shops for supplies for home cooked dinner. We were all hanging for some roast vegetables.

Cam went down for a swim, spa and sauna on the complex. Very nice, with great views. Agg & Em had spent a fair bit of time down here during the day. Cam on chef duties cooked up some chicken and roast veggies, definately hit the spot! Off to bed after a great days' sightseeing.

Day 15
Another great nights’ sleep on the very nice bed yet again! A fairly early start although Agg has been very sick and we were all a bit worn out from the last couple of weeks so it was a bit delayed.

Headed off to Dublin (30km away), although you wouldn’t know it! We really felt like we were miles away. The first stop, Kilmainham Gaol. Using our Route planner on the laptop we found a great back way through the industrial area. Cam off to jail!

It was a great tour of the gaol, with a very informative guide, explaining the history of Ireland through the Catholic emancipation, and the several revolutions that occurred over the years. This gaol was featured in a couple of films, including “In the name of the Father”, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Also a scene from the original “The Italian Job” was filmed here.

After an hour or so of history and checking out the complex, we were off to check into our hotel in the city. It was in a great location. But it did take an hour to get in to the city! Bloody traffic.

After a dodgy lunch at the pub downstairs, into our room. Not too bad for the money. We split up and decided to explore the city, with only a few hours left in the day. First stop the Jamieson distillery. We had already done a tour in Bushmills so we just stopped off for a drink. It was a really nice bar area with a mixture of old and new parts. The stools don’t slide! Found out the hard way after nearly knocking our drinks off the table. Nat had an Irish coffee from here and was raving about it! Must be the secret ingredient, Jameseon whiskey.

Next stop, the famous Guinness storehouse! This was a fair walk but well worth the effort. It has been done up really nicely with about 5 floors of displays and stuff. There were the ingredients, making of, the tasting, marketing and the transport of this famous Irish drop. Met up with Agg & Em on the way through at the Coopering (barrel making) display. It was very interesting, discovering how barrels were made and the fact that no adhesives or fixings are used to make the wooden part of the barrels.

The last stop of the tour, The Gravity bar. This is on the 7th floor, overlooking all of Dublin with 360 degree views. A pint of the black stuff is included in the tour price, apparently with the best Guinness in the world! It didn’t taste that much better to us? Even Nat had another Guinness, and actually started to enjoy it…

After checking out a bit of shopping in the massive merchandise shop, off to the Temple bar area. This is the pub/entertainment area of Dublin, and it has a massive range to choose from. We stopped off for dinner at an Italian restaurant, leaving Agg & Em as Agg was still feeling pretty crook. Great dinner! Walked through the pub area. It has a great feel to it. We had arrived home, feeling very stuffed. We had fallen asleep about 21:30!

Day 16 (Final day in the Emerald Isle)
Our bed was OK, but didn’t stop us from a decent sleep. (Apart from other patrons trying to get into our room at 02:00!)

Rise and shine! We were up about 07:30. Our last day of our Ireland adventure. They had breakfast supplied, which we got stuck into although avoided the Full Irish as were all a bit sick of the hot breakfast. We checked out about 09:00 and off to do the tour of the city, on our last morning. Found the sightseeing bus departure point on the main street, O’Connell street. Great coffee whilst we were waiting.

It was a great tour. We were on the City Sightseeing tour, much better than other ones that we have been on. They had a live commentary on-board. The commentator was really good. Went the whole route seeing the best sights of the city with some history of the buildings which was very interesting. This pointy thing is the Millennium spire, built for Y2K and is the tallest spire in the world.

The whole loop (about 1 1/2 hours) and a bit more we were hopping off at another shopping street. Had a bit of a look around. Went for a walk through St. Stevens square. A beautiful small park in the middle of the city.

It was time to bid farewell to this fine city and head back to the car to get on the ferry back to England.

Some delays on the ferry departure. So we had about an hour to kill. It was a smooth sail home, hoping to drive straight through to London tonight. This depends on the weather and stuff as there has been a fair bit of rain in the English Midlands with flooding and stuff.

We had a pretty good run home through the UK, although Agg was feeling crook, battled through. Stopped off for dodgy KFC, took 15 minutes to serve us! We swapped drivers about an hour out of London. Took a slightly longer way home, everybody very tired, finally home about 23:30. Off to our own bed finally, reflecting on a magic holiday. So many happy snaps I have captured and so many fond memories.

Ireland is such a magical place, especially when you get off the beaten track. Speak to the locals they know all the best places to go! We have learnt that it may look close on the map, but the roads are very windy an narrow and can take a lot longer than expected

We hope you have enjoyed our travel diary, and any comments good or bad put them on!

THE END