Day 1 – Dangerous Curves Ahead

We left Lucy’s Loft about mid morning. We’re on our way to Killarney today and then Galway tomorrow.

We were staying outside Cork and quite close to Cohb (pronounced Cove). I’d seen this town many times in social media and it looked a very pretty seaside village. It is also known for the last place The Titanic visited on it’s ill-fated maiden journey across the Atlantic. In those days it was called Queenstown. We found a parking place and walked along the sea front in the drizzling rain. It was very pretty indeed.

We drove on to one of the most famous places in Ireland, the Blarney Castle. Of course, there you have the opportunity to kiss the Blarney Stone and receive the “Gift of the Gab”. I joked to Jane that she already has that gift and she might want to skip the kissing part. She agreed – not to mention all the germs that would be involved. Nevertheless we entered the castle and climbed the narrow ancient stone staircase with all the other nutters. We both said we’re just going for a look. The climb was long, steep – and slow because we were in a queue. When it came to our turn – we did it! After all that effort, it seemed a waste not to indulge. Also everyone else did it! Ridiculous really.

The castle and the surrounding gardens were stunning. An Irish piper was playing at the foot of the castle. He even played Waltzing Matilda!

Next stop was another castle: Macroom Castle in the town of Macroom. This wasn’t a castle as such. Just the gatehouse remains. We stopped and stretched our legs and bought some snacks for the road.

St Finbarr’s Oratory in was the next stop. What a beautiful place this is. A small chapel sits in a little island in Gougane Barra Lake. It was so serene and magical. We spent a while walking around taking pictures. We stopped into Cronin’s Bar and Cafe for a toasted sandwich and a pint.

Next stop was Ladies View on the famous Ring of Kerry trail. It was only 16km – but what a drive that was! Steep widing road with barely enough width for one car. We drove slow and carefully – it seemed to take hours. Thankfully we never met any cars coming the other way. The views were stunning, but it was hard to enjoy it with so much concentration on the road. We made it! Great work from Jane driving the whole way.

Finally the road widened and we could breathe again. We arrived at the Ladies View. There were multiple places to stop and get great photos of the lakes and mountains. Truly a beautiful area. And, no, there were no ladies to view.

We arrived late at our accommodation in Killorglin, just outside Kilarney. The host of Mountain Widok met us and showed us to our room. A great improvement on the last accommodation drama. The room and bathroom were clean and decorated beautifully.

We ventured into town and had a very nice pizza at Kingstone Boutique Pub for dinner. We returned to the room and crashed, exhausted from our most full-on day so far.

Day 2 – The Cliffs

We slept in and left later than we planned. Our first stop was the town of Adare, but heavy road works leading into the town put us off and we decide to push on to Newcastle West. We stopped there for lunch at the Sultana Cafe.

Next stop was Bunratty Castle. This castle is one of the most complete castles in Ireland and is situated in a “Folk Park”. It includes farmhouses, mills, a chapel, gardens and a manor house. I entered the castle and explored the various rooms. Jane still had PTSD from the stairs in Blarney Castle and stayed outside. The grounds were nice to wander around.

The next stop is also a very famous attraction in Ireland: The Cliffs of Moher. These 120m cliffs offer stunning views over the Atlantic Ocean. There is a massive carpark and a walk up to the cliffs. It was a nice day and very busy with tourists. There were trails along the cliffs that gave different perspectives. The views were indeed gorgeous.

We got lucky with the weather and has clear views early on. Later the rain came which signaled time to move on.

We arrived at our accommodation in Kinvara, just outside Galway. Our accommodation was Kinvara Guest Suite, a room and ensuite attached to the host’s house. The place was very nice – neat and clean. We arrived early enough to do some laundry at a road-side laundromat. After the chores were done, we had dinner at Pier Head. We chatted to the Filipino manager who had lived in Kinvara for over 26 years. Kinvara seems like a million miles from the Philippines.

Tomorrow we leave the Republic of Ireland and into Northern Ireland.