Ireland - September 2016
Ireland - the scenic beauty of the Emerald Isle makes it a perfect destination for a self drive adventure. I love the freedom a car gives you, allowing you to pick and choose which route you take and where you stop. Quaint villages, rolling verdant hillsides dotted with whitewashed cottages, charming beach coves and glorious seascapes - a traveller's dream. Mixed in with the Leprechauns- they apparently inhabit nearly every Irish garden and the Guinness - oh yes, a pint of the good stuff! Plus Music, folklore and good Craic! I loved every moment we spent on our brief drive of southern Ireland. From Adare to Ballybunion, the Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry, we mingled with the locals in every spot and laughed ourselves silly for days.
We landed at Shannon airport, close to the wild and rugged Atlantic coast and drove across to the Burren, where the landscape is dotted with centuries old castle ruins, lakes and the intriguing Karst terrain. Austere but beautiful in its own right. Then we arrived at the majestic Cliffs of Moher and for an hour or so the sun peaked out from behind the clouds creating moody atmospheric views of one of Ireland's most visited landscape attractions. Rugged cliffs, salty air and seabirds ducking and diving amongst the rocky outcrops complemented by an informative interactive display (and great little canteen!) inside. It should be on everyone's Ireland itinerary.
From Adare the next morning we travelled through Foynes and the beautifully named Ballybunion seaside village where the wild and windy weather literally had our hair standing on end. Never before have I walked to a beach lookout to be greeted by a haunting castle ruin dating back to the early 1500's. The stories it could tell! A short drive from here through the beginning of the Dingle Peninsula brought us to the pretty main centre of Tralee before we headed to our guesthouse on the outskirts of Killarney. Our hostess with the "mostess" here, the charismatic Geraldine, offered Guinness pint pulling lessons behind the bar. Of course at 10am, once we had perfected a few attempts, it needed to be consumed. Not a bad start to the day if you are not driving.
My highlights of this area were centred around Killarney National Park. I highly recommend putting the GPS in the boot and taking this beautiful scenic route, incorporating the historical Muckross House and Gardens, on the border of the park itself. Visits are conducted by guided tour only, which gives you a wonderful historical insight into Queen Victoria's England. A few minute's walk away from the property is the 15th century Franciscan Friary known as Muckross Abbey. The internal walls of the Cloisters are still in good repair, with a giant fig tree growing out of the windows and largely absent roof. The day was damp and drizzly, but certainly added to the bleak feeling created whilst wandering through the cold corridors and graveyard ruins of the Abbey. Our onward drive through the park itself was in the late afternoon, with the hillsides, woods and lakes suddenly bathed in gentle afternoon light and dotted with wandering sheep and red deer. Photographic heaven.
The Ring of Kerry, one of the most famous scenic routes on the Wild Atlantic Way is an exquisite full day drive if you are on a bit of a schedule, but I would highly recommend you take your time here and stay in some of the smaller villages along the way - full of charm, character and wonderful bakeries (trust me, this is important). There is so much to discover on this relatively small peninsula from beaches to castles, stone forts and abbey ruins. Wonderful waterways and the wild and rugged impressive coastline. Make sure you take the walk along to both viewpoints at the Kerry Cliffs for spectacular views across to the Skellig Islands - Skellig Michael being the old monastery setting for scenes in Star Wars - The Force Awakens, as well as the drive over to Valiente island.
After another breakfast of kings the next morning, we arrived early at Blarney Castle. The magnificent ruins are surrounded by over 60 acres of parkland, woodlands, streams and manicured gardens. I loved walking through the Fairy Dell and the Bog Garden, where the oldest trees at Blarney Castle are found. You can also ascend the wishing stairs and see the Seven Sisters - a ring of 7 stones with mythical links to the King of Munster, as well as climb up the inside staircase of the Castle itself to receive the gift of the gab by kissing the famous Blarney stone. Well worth it - including the views from the top. The Stableyard cafe offers everything to keep rumbling tummies at bay with freshly baked scones, fresh Bewley coffee and a setting inside an old stable bay. Rather different!
We bypassed Cork to spend our last night in the gorgeous Wicklow mountains at the Brooklodge Hotel and Spa. This property is an oasis of calm and tranquility, with an in house spa, organic garden and restaurant nestled amongst the woodland of the surrounding area, which was perfect for our last night of down time. I was rather sad it would be only a brief stay. Beautifully appointed rooms with a bench window seat overlooking the gardens, the vineyards and the tiny chapel and stream.
Then all of a sudden it was time to fly home, my 2nd foray into Ireland a slightly different tone to the first mad whirlwind visit to Dublin several years before. But if you are looking for peacefulness, friendliness, amazing scenery and history, great pub food and nightly Irish music sing-a-longs, take the time to see Ireland. In all its revelry. You will not be disappointed