Ireland and Beyond

We were booked to catch the ferry from Stranraer to Belfast, early on the morning of 10 August, so left Edinburgh shortly after lunch on the 9th and drove across Scotland, then down the coast, admiring the lovely scenery on the way. The day was misty, but we could see the islands of Arran and Kintyre in the distance. We passed through some quaint little villages with tempting cafes and gift shops.
Our guest house was very comfortable and after settling in, we drove into the town to familiarise ourselves with the route to the ferry and to have a meal in a small pub.

Monday 10 Aug.
We boarded the ferry with no problems and then sat back to enjoy the 2hr voyage to Belfast. We didn't stop in Belfast, but drove straight through to the highway leading to Dublin. Our trusty Sat-Nav, Jane, was worth her weight in gold, guiding us through the maze of streets, both in Belfast and Dublin.
Our B&B was a little more basic than anticipated and we asked for a change of room, as the reading light wasn't working (among other things) and we ended up on the top floor, 66 steps above the street - good for fitness.
Dublin was a disappointment. It must have the highest number of smokers per head of population, of anywhere in the world and it seems every one of them throws their butts in the street, making Dublin look and smell like a giant, dirty ashtray. It was sad to think that all those butts would be washed down through the nearest grating, into the river and then into the sea, choking and poisoning all the fish and other wildlife. How can people do that?

Tues 11 Aug

We took a bus tour of Dublin, which covered all the main places of interest, getting off for a closer look at Trinity College, particularly its library which was absolutely awe inspiring with its vast shelves of books reaching right up to the vaulted ceiling. The Book of Kells is also housed there in a glass case in a dimly lit room. It was hard to get a really good look at it because of the crowds of people, also wanting a glimpse, but it was fascinating to contemplate the painstaking work which went into its creation

Statue of Molly Malone, Dublin.

Wed 12 Aug
Today, we drove down to Kilkenny, where we were to stay one night, to break the long journey down to Mallow. Kilkenny is built alongside the River Nore, with a ruined castle overlooking the town. We had lunch at cafe on the banks of the river, then went to some art exhibitions as there was an arts festival on at the time.

Thu 13 Aug
On the way to Mallow, we stopped at the Rock of Cashel in Tipperary which is a historic site in Ireland's province of Munster, located at Cashel, County Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel served as the traditional seat of the kings of Munster for several hundred years prior to the Norman invasion. Few remnants if any of the early structures survive; the majority of buildings on the current site date from the 12th and 13th centuries. Cashel is reputed to be the site of the conversion of the King of Munster by St Patrick in the 5th century AD. The views from there were quite speclacular.
After checking into the B&B, we drove to Blarney Castle. Neither of us would deign to kiss the blarney stone, but the castle was worth seeing as were the views from the top.

Rock of Cashel - Ruins of Cathedral

Fri 14 Aug
At the advice of our host at the B&B, we set off towards the Connor Pass near the Ring of Kerry, stopping on the way, to see a beautiful waterfall on the slopes of Mangerton Mountain and was just a short walk through the forest. Then, it was on to Killorglin for a coffee break, before continuing on to brave the pass.

Negotiating the pass, which links Dingle Town on the south to Kilcummin on the north coast at Brandon Bay , is a challenging experience. Leaving town from Spa Road , the paved way becomes increasingly narrow and (depending on your sense of adventure) thrilling/terrifying until it crests at 1,300 feet above sea level. There were plenty of dicey moments as vehicles passed each other on the slender, twisting track. The weather was rain and fog, which added to the sense of adventure, though meant we could see little of the scenery. As Judy was driving, she had the most frightening bit of the experience, while I only had to sit there, shrieking 'Oh my God' or 'Please don't let me die' and other such reassuring comments. Despite it all, it was well worth seeing and I even managed to leap out of the car at one point, to grab a small rock to take home for Frances, who's ancestors came from Ireland.

When we finally emerged, unscathed, onto flat ground, Judy decided to press on and drive around the Ring of Kerry. It was 4pm by this time and we were both tired, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, too good to miss. In some ways, the rain and mist made the views even more beautiful, as it intensified the colours of the braken and heather and the huge outcrops of granite rock.

It was almost 9pm when we arrived back at the B&B and we were very tired, especially Judy, who had done all the driving, but we were so glad to have done it.

Sat 15 Aug
Once again, we took our host's advice and set off for the tiny village of Dunwaldy which is set in a beautiful cove. There were no real roads to follow, but we finally found a beautiful cove where the deep blue sea was crashing against the high, rocky cliffs. Apart from a few houses, there was nobody around and it was very peaceful. However, we decided to try to find Dunwaldy in the hope of being able to take a long walk along the cliffs. Sadly, we became lost and found ourselves far inland, in completely the wrong direction. We were too tired to turn back, so reluctantly continued on to Clonakilty where we ate lunch at a picnic table by the sea. Next stop was Kinsale and from there we made another attempt to find a quiet cove. Once again, we got a bit lost on the country lanes, but eventually found quite a nice beach where a few families were swimming or playing in the sand.
We took a small car ferry across to Cobh (pronounced Cove), a very pretty town where we had cherry scones for afternoon tea.
One of the things which most struck me in Ireland, was the number of new houses being built. There must be thoudands, and they were all substantial, high quality homes, most on large plots of land. We read so much about Ireland's prosperity and seeing all that construction really emphasises that.

Sun 16 Aug
We spent the day making our way slowly towards Rosslare where the ferry leaves for Wales, stopping on the way, at Waterford and then New Ross, where there is a replica of the sailing ship, Dunbrody, which took people across to America, to escape the potato famine.
As we had visited the former immigration centre at Ellis Island, while in New York, it was especially interesting to see the place where the immigrants had left their home country. We took a guided tour of the ship and saw something of the atrocious conditions which the unfortunate passengers had had to endure.
While driving along the coast, we stopped to admire the rugged cliffs and got talking to a local man who is a keen birdwatcher. He pointed out some fairly large, black birds, wheeling overhead, and told us they are choughs. They are quite rare in this part of the world, so we were very fortunate to see them.


Our Rosslare B&B was in a gorgeous position right at the edge of the clifftop overlooking the sea. We were able to watch our ferry come in from Fishguard, ready for the morning sailing. I was especially impressed to see that the garden of the B&B was landscaped using mostly New Zealand native plants, including cabbage trees, hebes, flaxes and pittisporums.

The beach below, was a very long stretch of pale golden sand and looked quite remote and unspoilt until rounding a corner to discover the large, bustling ferry terminal. I could happily have spent a week here. Judy was very excited to see a naked man on the beach and I had great difficulty stopping her from rushing off for the binoculars.


Mon 17 Aug
We drove straight off the ferry at Fishguard, Wales and didn't stop until Haverfordwest where we had lunch and explored the shops, then continued on to Cheltenham, crossing the Severn via the new(ish) bridge.
Judy's cousin, Eric and his wife Liz, were our hosts in Cheltenham and cooked us a wonderful meal on our arrival.

Tue 18 Aug
Eric took us to see the village of Newent where Judy lived as a child. She had the good fortune to live above a toyshop which her parents owned. We walked around the village while Judy identified places which had particular memories. The toyshop is now an estate agents and the staff were very interested to hear some of its history.

Newent Market Hall

We then took a walk to the cemetary where Judy's father is buried. We had to enquire whereabouts of the grave and were eventually given the plot number from the Register of Deaths. As her father died in 1948, when Judy was very small, the grave was in rather a poor condition but Judy was nonetheless pleased to have found it.
In the afternoon, we explored the Cotswolds and some of the pretty little villages with their creamy coloured stone cottages. I managed to find the holiday cottage in Winchcombe, where I stayed in 1986.

Wed 19 Aug
It was back to Woking today to do some much needed laundry, etc.

Thurs 20 Aug
I borrowed Judy's car for the afternoon and visited Tessie at the Grange Centre in Bookham where I worked in 1997/98. Tessie has lived at The Grange since 1946 and has seen many changes over the years. She showed me around the whole complex, looking at the extensive up-grading that has taken place since my last visit in 2001. I also met many of the residents and staff who I had worked with, so it was a great time of catching up with each others' news. Tessie had shared my many letters with them, so they had a fair idea of what I have been doing over the past 11 years.

Fri 21 Aug
There was no escaping it any longer; Judy made me sit down and write the blog. I did manage to negotiate some time off when Desmond came to lunch. Then we walked around to his house in the afternoon, for Judy to sort out a problem with his DVD recorder.