Ireland and Scotland : 2014 Trip Report
Jun 4th, 2014, 08:22 AM
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Ireland and Scotland : 2014 Trip Report
We returned last week from a 16-day trip of Ireland and Scotland. Both countries had beckoned us for quite a while. Having done most of the other Western European countries on previous vacations, we decided to plunge into Ireland and Scotland this time. It was our first visit to either place, having only been to London a few times earlier. We are a couple from India in our mid-50’s, avid travelers of the independent variety, and vegetarians – which does limit our fooding choices somewhat.
Our research began many months earlier. Most posts on this forum seemed to recommend May as the ideal month to travel to both these destinations, so we selected May. We went through the Lonely Planet guidebooks on both regions, read many posts on this forum, and asked various questions, which were duly answered. I love the planning part of any vacation ! It is as much fun as the vacation itself.
Our broad itinerary was as follows :
IRELAND :
Dublin : 1 night
Kilkenny : 1 night
Killarney : 3 nights
Galway : 2 nights
SCOTLAND :
Glencoe : 2 nights
Portree : 3 nights
Callander : 1 night
Edinburgh : 2 nights
Here goes the Trip Report, to be posted in several installments.
Day 1: May 10th : Saturday :
We had a 2 am flight from Mumbai to Brussels, with an onward connection to Dublin. We arrived at Mumbai airport by 11pm, only to be told that our Jet Airways flight to Brussels was delayed by an hour. However, by the time they completed boarding and took off, it was late by 2.5 hours. We eventually reached Brussels at 9:15am (instead of 7:50am), after a restful sleep on the flight. By the time we could de-plane it was 9:45am, and our onward Aer Lingus flight was to depart at 10:05 am. We literally ran from one gate to another, and were lucky to be the last people to board the aircraft before they shut the doors.
Reached Dublin at 10:35am local time, and not surprisingly, our luggage did not show up on the belt. With such a tight connection, we were afraid that this might happen. When we went to the Aer Lingus service desk, they confirmed that our luggage had been left behind at Brussels, and would show up on the same flight next day, i.e. 24 hours later. This has happened to us before on an earlier vacation in Spain, and since then we always carry one set of clothes in our hand-baggage. There was not much to do but complete the paperwork, purchase a 1-day family bus pass, and board the Bus # 16 to our B&B at Shantalla Road. We reached there in 15 minutes by around noon, and found our Shantalla Lodge B&B without difficulty.
There was no one there, so we called up our hostess. She was across the road, get her hair styled. She ran across, showed us to our room, and ran back to complete her hair-work ! Felt strange to be treated as such. The room was a bit tiny, but otherwise everything seemed fine with the place. We showered, changed into the only set of clothes that we had, and boarded the Bus # 16 again, going into Dublin city. We alighted near the Temple Bar area, and went straight for lunch at Govinda’s restaurant on Aungier Street. I had a mixed platter of veg food, while my wife went for roasted potatoes with cheese. Good juices to go with the food. Decent meal in all.
It was a cold, windy and wet day. Most of our rain protective gear and warm clothes were in the missing suitcases, so we were not in the most comfortable situation. We ducked for cover in the Stephen Green Shopping Centre, to bide our time away from the rain. It was a lovely antique building, and we window-shopped around. When the rain stopped, we strolled down Grafton Street, poking into shops here and there. Very soon we were at the gates of Trinity College. They offer walking tours of the Trinity College, for a nominal charge which includes the entry to the Book of Kells, and a tour was starting soon. So we opted for the tour, which turned out to be delightful. It was extremely well conducted by a current student of the college, with witty remarks and good humour, and we were comprehensively taken around the beautiful campus, including to their Long Room library which houses the Book of Kells.
After being done with Trinity College, we took a taxi to nearby Abbey Street, where my wife insisted on visiting a Hare Krishna temple located there. That accomplished, we walked back towards the Temple Bar area, crossing over the river vide the Ha’Penny Bridge. Had lovely juices on the way in a Juice Bar.
At the Temple Bar area, we headed for the famed Stag Head pub. It was a bit early, but the crowds had started piling in. It was a loud pub, with fun-loving folks crammed inside. Had a round of Guiness beer. Then strolled out and enjoyed the music being belted out in the streets. Next into another pub for another round of Guiness. Finally, the jet-lag began to show on us, and we took the Bus # 16 back to our B&B, returning by 7pm. We were still feeling full due to the late lunch, so we decided to skip dinner, and crashed into bed by 8 pm.
We were not too enthused with Dublin. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe the disappointment of the missing luggage. It was not the best start to the holiday !
Our research began many months earlier. Most posts on this forum seemed to recommend May as the ideal month to travel to both these destinations, so we selected May. We went through the Lonely Planet guidebooks on both regions, read many posts on this forum, and asked various questions, which were duly answered. I love the planning part of any vacation ! It is as much fun as the vacation itself.
Our broad itinerary was as follows :
IRELAND :
Dublin : 1 night
Kilkenny : 1 night
Killarney : 3 nights
Galway : 2 nights
SCOTLAND :
Glencoe : 2 nights
Portree : 3 nights
Callander : 1 night
Edinburgh : 2 nights
Here goes the Trip Report, to be posted in several installments.
Day 1: May 10th : Saturday :
We had a 2 am flight from Mumbai to Brussels, with an onward connection to Dublin. We arrived at Mumbai airport by 11pm, only to be told that our Jet Airways flight to Brussels was delayed by an hour. However, by the time they completed boarding and took off, it was late by 2.5 hours. We eventually reached Brussels at 9:15am (instead of 7:50am), after a restful sleep on the flight. By the time we could de-plane it was 9:45am, and our onward Aer Lingus flight was to depart at 10:05 am. We literally ran from one gate to another, and were lucky to be the last people to board the aircraft before they shut the doors.
Reached Dublin at 10:35am local time, and not surprisingly, our luggage did not show up on the belt. With such a tight connection, we were afraid that this might happen. When we went to the Aer Lingus service desk, they confirmed that our luggage had been left behind at Brussels, and would show up on the same flight next day, i.e. 24 hours later. This has happened to us before on an earlier vacation in Spain, and since then we always carry one set of clothes in our hand-baggage. There was not much to do but complete the paperwork, purchase a 1-day family bus pass, and board the Bus # 16 to our B&B at Shantalla Road. We reached there in 15 minutes by around noon, and found our Shantalla Lodge B&B without difficulty.
There was no one there, so we called up our hostess. She was across the road, get her hair styled. She ran across, showed us to our room, and ran back to complete her hair-work ! Felt strange to be treated as such. The room was a bit tiny, but otherwise everything seemed fine with the place. We showered, changed into the only set of clothes that we had, and boarded the Bus # 16 again, going into Dublin city. We alighted near the Temple Bar area, and went straight for lunch at Govinda’s restaurant on Aungier Street. I had a mixed platter of veg food, while my wife went for roasted potatoes with cheese. Good juices to go with the food. Decent meal in all.
It was a cold, windy and wet day. Most of our rain protective gear and warm clothes were in the missing suitcases, so we were not in the most comfortable situation. We ducked for cover in the Stephen Green Shopping Centre, to bide our time away from the rain. It was a lovely antique building, and we window-shopped around. When the rain stopped, we strolled down Grafton Street, poking into shops here and there. Very soon we were at the gates of Trinity College. They offer walking tours of the Trinity College, for a nominal charge which includes the entry to the Book of Kells, and a tour was starting soon. So we opted for the tour, which turned out to be delightful. It was extremely well conducted by a current student of the college, with witty remarks and good humour, and we were comprehensively taken around the beautiful campus, including to their Long Room library which houses the Book of Kells.
After being done with Trinity College, we took a taxi to nearby Abbey Street, where my wife insisted on visiting a Hare Krishna temple located there. That accomplished, we walked back towards the Temple Bar area, crossing over the river vide the Ha’Penny Bridge. Had lovely juices on the way in a Juice Bar.
At the Temple Bar area, we headed for the famed Stag Head pub. It was a bit early, but the crowds had started piling in. It was a loud pub, with fun-loving folks crammed inside. Had a round of Guiness beer. Then strolled out and enjoyed the music being belted out in the streets. Next into another pub for another round of Guiness. Finally, the jet-lag began to show on us, and we took the Bus # 16 back to our B&B, returning by 7pm. We were still feeling full due to the late lunch, so we decided to skip dinner, and crashed into bed by 8 pm.
We were not too enthused with Dublin. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe the disappointment of the missing luggage. It was not the best start to the holiday !
Jun 4th, 2014, 09:06 AM
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Day 2 : May 11th : Sunday :
We slept well through the night, and got up late. Had a leisurely breakfast at 9am, which was quite good. We settled our B&B bill, and left with our handbags on Bus # 16 to Dublin Airport. We had anyway planned on coming to the Dublin Airport today to collect our rental car. Now everything would be delayed by a few hours because of our missing luggage. When we reached the airport, we found that the Aer Lingus flight from Brussels had not landed as yet. So we went over to the Dan Dooley counter, and completed all the paperwork for the car that we had booked earlier. We had requested for the smallest automatic car that was possible, and we got a Nissan Micra, but one which had about 125000 km on it !
The Aer Lingus flight finally landed, and fortunately our bags arrived ! We thanked the staff at the Aer Lingus service desk, and took our rental car and drove off. It was already 12:30 pm, and we were atleast 2 hours behind our planned schedule. It was another day of cold dank and wet weather. We drove towards the Wicklow mountains, headed for Glendalough, reaching there by 1:45 pm.
We had put on some warm clothes after recovering our bags, so we were better prepared for the weather. We went into the Glendalough Visitor’s Centre, bought maps, and walked around the monastic settlement, which was beautiful, in pristine surroundings. We walked to the Lower Lake, and had barely commenced our walk to the Upper Lake, when the rain came down very heavily, forcing us to retreat to our car in a hurry.
We drove a short distance to Laragh, where we went into the Wicklow Heather restaurant for lunch. I am glad we came here, as the place was a gem. I had some Ravioli, while wife feasted on some Greek salad and hot chocolate. Satiated with a good meal, we drove off at 3:45 pm, and went non-stop to Kilkenny, making it there by about 6 pm. We were staying at the Butler Court B&B, which was extremely well located, very near the Kilkenny Castle. The room here was spacious and lovely, and the hostess was very friendly and helpful. We freshened up and left soon. The weather had eased up a lot. It was not raining anymore, and the wind had abated, so the chilly cold had also vanished.
We walked over to the Kilkenny Castle. We were too late to enter inside, as they had closed for the day, but we strolled around the castle grounds and clicked pictures of the castle from outside. We then walked all over High Street, Parliament Street and Kieran Street. All shops were closed, as it was late on a Sunday evening, but it was nice anyway. Kilkenny was a cute little town, and we liked it. Found a Dunnes store open, where we went in, and bought my wife a warm jacket which she had failed to pack in our bags.
We had dinner at Café Sol on William Street, which had been recommended by our hostess. It was an excellent restaurant with plentiful veg options. We shared a Tomato soup. I opted for the roasted root vegetables, whereas my wife went for the stir-fry veggies. Everything was extremely well cooked and delicious. We then walked across the Nore river to the large pub called Matt the Millers. I had a Smithwicks Red Ale, which I found delightful. There was excellent trad music going on in the pub, and we had a great time listening to our first “trad” music session in Ireland.
After a while we walked over to the Tynan Bridge Pub, where I tried the “Kilkenny” beer, which was equally good. Here too some trad music was going on, with a guy singing soft old ballads, with all the patrons singing along. He saw us foreigners sitting at the bar, asked where we were from, and invited my wife to play along the guitar with him. Another patron took my wife’s permission for a dance, and he guided her through some dance steps ! It was a very enjoyable evening, with lovely music and warm people, and we loved every minute of it.
We returned late to our B&B by around 10:30pm and went to bed. This had been a much better day, and we felt that our holiday had finally begun.
We slept well through the night, and got up late. Had a leisurely breakfast at 9am, which was quite good. We settled our B&B bill, and left with our handbags on Bus # 16 to Dublin Airport. We had anyway planned on coming to the Dublin Airport today to collect our rental car. Now everything would be delayed by a few hours because of our missing luggage. When we reached the airport, we found that the Aer Lingus flight from Brussels had not landed as yet. So we went over to the Dan Dooley counter, and completed all the paperwork for the car that we had booked earlier. We had requested for the smallest automatic car that was possible, and we got a Nissan Micra, but one which had about 125000 km on it !
The Aer Lingus flight finally landed, and fortunately our bags arrived ! We thanked the staff at the Aer Lingus service desk, and took our rental car and drove off. It was already 12:30 pm, and we were atleast 2 hours behind our planned schedule. It was another day of cold dank and wet weather. We drove towards the Wicklow mountains, headed for Glendalough, reaching there by 1:45 pm.
We had put on some warm clothes after recovering our bags, so we were better prepared for the weather. We went into the Glendalough Visitor’s Centre, bought maps, and walked around the monastic settlement, which was beautiful, in pristine surroundings. We walked to the Lower Lake, and had barely commenced our walk to the Upper Lake, when the rain came down very heavily, forcing us to retreat to our car in a hurry.
We drove a short distance to Laragh, where we went into the Wicklow Heather restaurant for lunch. I am glad we came here, as the place was a gem. I had some Ravioli, while wife feasted on some Greek salad and hot chocolate. Satiated with a good meal, we drove off at 3:45 pm, and went non-stop to Kilkenny, making it there by about 6 pm. We were staying at the Butler Court B&B, which was extremely well located, very near the Kilkenny Castle. The room here was spacious and lovely, and the hostess was very friendly and helpful. We freshened up and left soon. The weather had eased up a lot. It was not raining anymore, and the wind had abated, so the chilly cold had also vanished.
We walked over to the Kilkenny Castle. We were too late to enter inside, as they had closed for the day, but we strolled around the castle grounds and clicked pictures of the castle from outside. We then walked all over High Street, Parliament Street and Kieran Street. All shops were closed, as it was late on a Sunday evening, but it was nice anyway. Kilkenny was a cute little town, and we liked it. Found a Dunnes store open, where we went in, and bought my wife a warm jacket which she had failed to pack in our bags.
We had dinner at Café Sol on William Street, which had been recommended by our hostess. It was an excellent restaurant with plentiful veg options. We shared a Tomato soup. I opted for the roasted root vegetables, whereas my wife went for the stir-fry veggies. Everything was extremely well cooked and delicious. We then walked across the Nore river to the large pub called Matt the Millers. I had a Smithwicks Red Ale, which I found delightful. There was excellent trad music going on in the pub, and we had a great time listening to our first “trad” music session in Ireland.
After a while we walked over to the Tynan Bridge Pub, where I tried the “Kilkenny” beer, which was equally good. Here too some trad music was going on, with a guy singing soft old ballads, with all the patrons singing along. He saw us foreigners sitting at the bar, asked where we were from, and invited my wife to play along the guitar with him. Another patron took my wife’s permission for a dance, and he guided her through some dance steps ! It was a very enjoyable evening, with lovely music and warm people, and we loved every minute of it.
We returned late to our B&B by around 10:30pm and went to bed. This had been a much better day, and we felt that our holiday had finally begun.
Jun 4th, 2014, 07:25 PM
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Glad to see so many readers offering a word of encouragement. Will spur me along to complete the TR soon. Will post more installments later in the day. Many thanks, and keep the encouragement going !
Jun 5th, 2014, 08:43 AM
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Day 3 : May 12th : MONDAY
We were up and ready by 8 am. There was a cold breakfast kept in the room, which was the only jarring point about this otherwise excellent B&B. Cereals, bread and juices. All other B&Bs where we stayed throughout this trip gave us a hot breakfast. Anyway, no quibbling about these minor issues. Our hostess gave us good directions about which roads to take. We settled our bill and departed by 9 am, headed for Rock of Cashel.
It was a cloudy and windy day, but thankfully there was no rain. We reached ROC at 10am. We did not opt for their conducted tours, but paid and went in on our own. We were less interested in the history of the place, and more interested in the sights and views. It was a lovely sight, superb to roam around in, and extremely photogenic. Made for great photographs. We had our fill in less than an hour, and hit the road again, towards Killarney.
As suggested by our Kilkenny hostess, we avoided taking the small regional roads, and took the longer motorways, which were easier to drive on. We took the M8 to just outside Cork, and then the N22 to Killarney. The motorways were excellent, and we had no difficulty at all. By 1:30pm, we were at our Killarney B&B, the Friars Glen. Our first reaction on reaching the place was – WOW ! Never stayed in such a beautiful B&B before. Wonderfully landscaped exteriors, set on 20 acres of land, and superbly designed interiors, with excellent décor and maintenance. And the hostess Mary was extremely warm, friendly and helpful. The weather had improved considerably since the morning, with occasional spells of sunlight.
We quickly left our luggage in our room, took maps of the area from our hostess, and were off soon for the Ring of Kerry drive. First stop was at the nearby Molly Darcy pub where we had lunch. It was a wonderful pub, quirkily decorated, with good food. Had our fill, and started the ROK drive at 3:30pm, doing it counter-clockwise as recommended by everyone. We first drove to Killorglin town, which looked like a cute bustling town with very colourful buildings. We did not stop here, but drove on to Glenbeigh, where we ventured to the Rossbeigh Strand beach. This beach had apparently been severely damaged in a storm earlier this year, and construction and repair work was on. However the vistas of the water were rugged and lovely.
We drove on to Caherciveen, where we detoured for the Ballycarbery Castle. This was too beautiful for words, and we kept staring at the moss covered castle ruin, set in picturesque environs. Also saw the ring fort of Cahergall.
Our next stop was Waterville. We stopped at a lovely craft shop just outside the town, and bought an Irish hat for myself, and a scarf for my wife. We stopped for photo ops at the Charlie Chaplin statue, and admired the views of Ballinskelligs Bay, which were truly worth admiring.
The next part of the Ring of Kerry drive was the most breathtaking – the drive from Waterville to Caherdaniel. Outstanding scenery, and I must have stopped atleast 10 times to click photographs. Enroute was the Scariff Inn, which is reputed to have the best views. We wanted to go in for a coffee and enjoy the views, but for some reason the place was closed. This part of the drive reminded me of similar scenes on a lovely drive in New Zealand, from Queenstown to Glenorchy – which I rate as one of the best drives I have ever done. This part of ROK came pretty close in this stretch.
We stopped at Sneem village and strolled about. It was again a very cute and colourful little place, which seemed to be the general rule for most Irish towns. We sat inside the Blue Bull pub, where I tried Murphy’s beer (only a half-pint, as I had to drive !). Then moved on.
We reached Kenmare by about 8 pm. We parked our car and sauntered through the town. Walked all over High Street. Sat in Horseshoe pub, and had a Smithwicks beer. Then went for dinner at a restaurant called No. 35, which had been recommended by our B&B hostess. I opted for the Tiger prawns on honey noodles, and wife went for a pasta. Once again, an excellent choice of restaurant, where the cooking was perfect.
The drive from Kenmare to Killarney was pretty, but it was getting dark, so we resisted stopping anywhere, promising to return to some places the next day. In particular, we wanted to see the views at Molls Gap and at Ladies View, but it was too dark by the time we crossed them. So we just drove on to Killarney, reaching at 10:30 pm, and went straight to bed.
The weather had been the best in the trip so far. It had been a long day, into which we had crammed a lot, but we had enjoyed the day thoroughly.
We were up and ready by 8 am. There was a cold breakfast kept in the room, which was the only jarring point about this otherwise excellent B&B. Cereals, bread and juices. All other B&Bs where we stayed throughout this trip gave us a hot breakfast. Anyway, no quibbling about these minor issues. Our hostess gave us good directions about which roads to take. We settled our bill and departed by 9 am, headed for Rock of Cashel.
It was a cloudy and windy day, but thankfully there was no rain. We reached ROC at 10am. We did not opt for their conducted tours, but paid and went in on our own. We were less interested in the history of the place, and more interested in the sights and views. It was a lovely sight, superb to roam around in, and extremely photogenic. Made for great photographs. We had our fill in less than an hour, and hit the road again, towards Killarney.
As suggested by our Kilkenny hostess, we avoided taking the small regional roads, and took the longer motorways, which were easier to drive on. We took the M8 to just outside Cork, and then the N22 to Killarney. The motorways were excellent, and we had no difficulty at all. By 1:30pm, we were at our Killarney B&B, the Friars Glen. Our first reaction on reaching the place was – WOW ! Never stayed in such a beautiful B&B before. Wonderfully landscaped exteriors, set on 20 acres of land, and superbly designed interiors, with excellent décor and maintenance. And the hostess Mary was extremely warm, friendly and helpful. The weather had improved considerably since the morning, with occasional spells of sunlight.
We quickly left our luggage in our room, took maps of the area from our hostess, and were off soon for the Ring of Kerry drive. First stop was at the nearby Molly Darcy pub where we had lunch. It was a wonderful pub, quirkily decorated, with good food. Had our fill, and started the ROK drive at 3:30pm, doing it counter-clockwise as recommended by everyone. We first drove to Killorglin town, which looked like a cute bustling town with very colourful buildings. We did not stop here, but drove on to Glenbeigh, where we ventured to the Rossbeigh Strand beach. This beach had apparently been severely damaged in a storm earlier this year, and construction and repair work was on. However the vistas of the water were rugged and lovely.
We drove on to Caherciveen, where we detoured for the Ballycarbery Castle. This was too beautiful for words, and we kept staring at the moss covered castle ruin, set in picturesque environs. Also saw the ring fort of Cahergall.
Our next stop was Waterville. We stopped at a lovely craft shop just outside the town, and bought an Irish hat for myself, and a scarf for my wife. We stopped for photo ops at the Charlie Chaplin statue, and admired the views of Ballinskelligs Bay, which were truly worth admiring.
The next part of the Ring of Kerry drive was the most breathtaking – the drive from Waterville to Caherdaniel. Outstanding scenery, and I must have stopped atleast 10 times to click photographs. Enroute was the Scariff Inn, which is reputed to have the best views. We wanted to go in for a coffee and enjoy the views, but for some reason the place was closed. This part of the drive reminded me of similar scenes on a lovely drive in New Zealand, from Queenstown to Glenorchy – which I rate as one of the best drives I have ever done. This part of ROK came pretty close in this stretch.
We stopped at Sneem village and strolled about. It was again a very cute and colourful little place, which seemed to be the general rule for most Irish towns. We sat inside the Blue Bull pub, where I tried Murphy’s beer (only a half-pint, as I had to drive !). Then moved on.
We reached Kenmare by about 8 pm. We parked our car and sauntered through the town. Walked all over High Street. Sat in Horseshoe pub, and had a Smithwicks beer. Then went for dinner at a restaurant called No. 35, which had been recommended by our B&B hostess. I opted for the Tiger prawns on honey noodles, and wife went for a pasta. Once again, an excellent choice of restaurant, where the cooking was perfect.
The drive from Kenmare to Killarney was pretty, but it was getting dark, so we resisted stopping anywhere, promising to return to some places the next day. In particular, we wanted to see the views at Molls Gap and at Ladies View, but it was too dark by the time we crossed them. So we just drove on to Killarney, reaching at 10:30 pm, and went straight to bed.
The weather had been the best in the trip so far. It had been a long day, into which we had crammed a lot, but we had enjoyed the day thoroughly.
Jun 5th, 2014, 09:28 AM
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Day 4 : May 13th : TUESDAY :
We settled into a routine of getting up before 7 am, and being both ready by about 8 am. When we went down for breakfast, Mary greeted us with the news that the weather outlook for the next few days was excellent – clear, warm and sunny. She warned however, that this could change very quickly in Ireland. We decided to take advantage of the weather and do the Gap of Dunloe tour today. Mary called up Dero’s Tours, and booked us on their Dunloe Tour for the day.
We had an excellent hot breakfast which was the best so far in Ireland. At about 8:45 am, we drove to the Muckross Abbey, which was a two minute drive from our B&B. It was nice, and OK to visit if you have 30 minutes to kill, otherwise nothing to go out of your way for. We returned to our B&B, and enjoyed strolling on its expansive gardens and estate, and clicking many pictures.
Dero’s Tours sent a taxi to pick us up from our B&B at 10 am sharp, and we were driven to their office in city centre. We departed in their van by 10:30 am, and were taken straight to Kate Kearney cottage. Here we had to negotiate our onward journey on a trap with pony, and there were many carriages around. We were told that the fixed rate was Euro 20 per person, provided 4 people were sharing the trap. We joined up with a Russian couple who were on the same tour, and soon we were off on the trap and pony ride.
This is the most scenic part of the trip to Gap of Dunloe, and took about 90 minutes. The weather was excellent, and the vistas were extremely pretty. During some uphill sections, the driver requested us to disembark and walk, which we did not mind at all. In fact it was fun. The view of the Gap itself was super as we neared it, and finally we went over the Gap. At the end, we posed for lots of photographs, and decided that this had been one of the high points of this vacation so far. We had reached Brandon’s Cottage, and it was only 12:15 pm. The boats that would take us onwards would be reporting there by 2 pm, so we had plenty of time to relax and have lunch.
There was only a fast food café here, so we had to make do with soup and sandwiches. Very average quality. Finally, the boats showed up at 2 pm, and we boarded it. The boats took us through three lakes. The views were interesting initially, but I thought the overall boat ride was a bit too long at about 80 minutes. Got a bit monotonous after a while. And it was a bit cold out on the water. We finally reached Ross Castle, clicked a few pictures (the spot was quite lovely), and then the coach brought us back.
We were dropped back at our B&B by 4 pm. Mary served us some wonderful tea and we rested for a while in the comfortable living areas. We wanted to do a Muckross House Tour, which was nearby. She found that the last tour of the day was at 4:40 pm, so we left to catch that tour. The place was only 1 km away, and we were there in no time. We were taken on a complete tour of the house. It was nice, but after seeing so many palaces and similar nobility houses on earlier vacations, it was so-so. We enjoyed the gardens of Muckross House much more. The views of the lake from their rear garden was stupendous, and the flowers and landscaping were exquisite.
We finally left at about 6 pm, and went driving on the ROK road towards Kenmare. We stopped at Torc’s waterfall, Ladies View and at Molls Gap, all of which we had missed the previous day due to fading light. At Molls Gap, we turned around and returned to Killarney. We had not gone into the city centre the previous day, so went there today. We parked in a parking lot, and had dinner at an Indian restaurant called “Bombay”. We had Chana Masala, Dal, Naan and Roti. The portions were huge, and the food was delicious and authentic.
We walked all over High Street, and poked into many many stores. A very lively town compared to either Kilkenny or Kenmare, and much larger than both. Quite a vibrant place, and for once we found shops open till 9 pm. Lots of people were visible on the streets everywhere, another oddity for Ireland, as we could scarcely see people around in Kilkenny, Sneem or Kenmare. We sat at Coutney’s Pub on Plunkett Street and enjoyed some Murphy’s beer. Then retrieved our car from the parking lot, and drove home, reaching our B&B by 10pm. It had been the best day so far from every point of view.
We settled into a routine of getting up before 7 am, and being both ready by about 8 am. When we went down for breakfast, Mary greeted us with the news that the weather outlook for the next few days was excellent – clear, warm and sunny. She warned however, that this could change very quickly in Ireland. We decided to take advantage of the weather and do the Gap of Dunloe tour today. Mary called up Dero’s Tours, and booked us on their Dunloe Tour for the day.
We had an excellent hot breakfast which was the best so far in Ireland. At about 8:45 am, we drove to the Muckross Abbey, which was a two minute drive from our B&B. It was nice, and OK to visit if you have 30 minutes to kill, otherwise nothing to go out of your way for. We returned to our B&B, and enjoyed strolling on its expansive gardens and estate, and clicking many pictures.
Dero’s Tours sent a taxi to pick us up from our B&B at 10 am sharp, and we were driven to their office in city centre. We departed in their van by 10:30 am, and were taken straight to Kate Kearney cottage. Here we had to negotiate our onward journey on a trap with pony, and there were many carriages around. We were told that the fixed rate was Euro 20 per person, provided 4 people were sharing the trap. We joined up with a Russian couple who were on the same tour, and soon we were off on the trap and pony ride.
This is the most scenic part of the trip to Gap of Dunloe, and took about 90 minutes. The weather was excellent, and the vistas were extremely pretty. During some uphill sections, the driver requested us to disembark and walk, which we did not mind at all. In fact it was fun. The view of the Gap itself was super as we neared it, and finally we went over the Gap. At the end, we posed for lots of photographs, and decided that this had been one of the high points of this vacation so far. We had reached Brandon’s Cottage, and it was only 12:15 pm. The boats that would take us onwards would be reporting there by 2 pm, so we had plenty of time to relax and have lunch.
There was only a fast food café here, so we had to make do with soup and sandwiches. Very average quality. Finally, the boats showed up at 2 pm, and we boarded it. The boats took us through three lakes. The views were interesting initially, but I thought the overall boat ride was a bit too long at about 80 minutes. Got a bit monotonous after a while. And it was a bit cold out on the water. We finally reached Ross Castle, clicked a few pictures (the spot was quite lovely), and then the coach brought us back.
We were dropped back at our B&B by 4 pm. Mary served us some wonderful tea and we rested for a while in the comfortable living areas. We wanted to do a Muckross House Tour, which was nearby. She found that the last tour of the day was at 4:40 pm, so we left to catch that tour. The place was only 1 km away, and we were there in no time. We were taken on a complete tour of the house. It was nice, but after seeing so many palaces and similar nobility houses on earlier vacations, it was so-so. We enjoyed the gardens of Muckross House much more. The views of the lake from their rear garden was stupendous, and the flowers and landscaping were exquisite.
We finally left at about 6 pm, and went driving on the ROK road towards Kenmare. We stopped at Torc’s waterfall, Ladies View and at Molls Gap, all of which we had missed the previous day due to fading light. At Molls Gap, we turned around and returned to Killarney. We had not gone into the city centre the previous day, so went there today. We parked in a parking lot, and had dinner at an Indian restaurant called “Bombay”. We had Chana Masala, Dal, Naan and Roti. The portions were huge, and the food was delicious and authentic.
We walked all over High Street, and poked into many many stores. A very lively town compared to either Kilkenny or Kenmare, and much larger than both. Quite a vibrant place, and for once we found shops open till 9 pm. Lots of people were visible on the streets everywhere, another oddity for Ireland, as we could scarcely see people around in Kilkenny, Sneem or Kenmare. We sat at Coutney’s Pub on Plunkett Street and enjoyed some Murphy’s beer. Then retrieved our car from the parking lot, and drove home, reaching our B&B by 10pm. It had been the best day so far from every point of view.
Jun 5th, 2014, 05:01 PM
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Thanks - we are staying at Friar's Glen early in October, and hope to do the Gap of Dunloe tour while there. We'd prefer to walk, rather than take the horse and cart, if possible. Does it look doable? We are pretty good walkers, but I don't know about 6+ miles, especially if some of it is steep.
Jun 5th, 2014, 05:34 PM
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Hi azzure. I know that some people do walk the Gap of Dunloe, and I am sure it is quite doable. In any case we had to walk the steep portions (which were not very steep really). It will surely take some time to do it on foot, but we saw lots of people walking it. You will have to check with the Tour operator about the timing of the boat that will bring you back. I am sure they have some arrangement, for many people do take the walking option. You will love Friars Glen. One of the best B&B on Planet Earth !
Jun 5th, 2014, 06:26 PM
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Day 5 : May 14th : Wednesday :
Killarney (Continued) :
We got up as usual, and had another wonderful breakfast at 8:30 am. The weather had changed somewhat. There was no rain, but the sunshine had evaporated, and it was very cloudy and overcast. We had planned on doing the Dingle peninsula today. The GPS that we had rented from Dan Dooley had been giving some problems – it seemed to have a loose connection for charging its battery. We called up the Dan Dooley desk at Kerry airport, and told them of the problem. The lady was extremely helpful. She offered to change the GPS immediately. We were due to go past Kerry airport in the afternoon, while returning from the Dingle peninsula, so we promised to stop by and replace the GPS then.
We were off by 9:15 am, and drove to Castlemaine and then on to Inch. At Inch beach we stopped at Sammy’s for coffee. Very nice views from there. However, there seemed to be an overhang of mist and clouds everywhere, which spoilt the views somewhat. We drove on to Dingle town, stopping for pictures every now and then. However, at most places, the views were obscured by the mist.
From Dingle, we embarked on the famed Slea Head drive. It was not the best day to do so, because of the clouds, but we had no other day available. We drove past Ventry, and stopped at the Dunbeg Fort Visitors Centre. Saw their interesting Audio-Visual show, and went down to the Fort ruins. You can only see them from some distance, as complete access is presently cut off due to some restoration work. Drove further, and stopped at the Beehive huts for some pictures.
We stopped at the Blasket Island Centre at Dunquin. It has an overpriced entry fee for a museum, which we did not venture into. Instead, we walked all around the building exteriors, which offered fabulous views and photo-ops. From there on to Ballyferriter, where we drove down to the beach for the views. We could see that the Slea Head drive had probably more beauty packed into it than the Ring Of Kerry; it is just that we were here on the wrong day, and the mist and clouds took away much of the views.
We returned to Dingle by about 2:45 pm, parked our car and went to John Benny pub for lunch. I had a Risotto, while wife had some pasta, downed with Murphy’s beer. Food was good. Then we roamed all over Dingle town, which was a delightful enchanting little town, full of life and colour. Nice shops where we bought some scarves. Feasted on Murphy’s icecream. Dingle is one of the nicer towns in Ireland.
We were warned that this was not the best day to drive over the Connors Pass, as it would be shrouded in clouds. However, we decided to try it anyway. It was a nice drive, but when we reached the summit car park, the clouds were so dense that we could barely see beyond a few feet ! As we descended on the other side of Connors Pass, the weather suddenly cleared up, and we got bright sunshine for the first time today. By the time we reached Brandon’s Point, it was completely clear, and we enjoyed the first great views of the day of Dingle peninsula. Awesome.
We called up the Dan Dooley desk at Kerry airport, to inform her that we might be a bit late in reaching there to replace the GPS. She was a real sweet soul. She disclosed that she lived in Killarney, and offered to drop off the GPS at our B&B, without even picking up the defective GPS. She said we could return both GPS when we returned the car. This was very nice and helpful on her part, and we thanked her profusely. Now there was no hurry to rush back.
We drove on to Tralee, and then slowly made our way back to Killarney. We reached Killarney town at about 7pm, parked, and went into Courtney’s pub. I tried a new beer today, called “Beamish”, which turned out to be the best stout beer I had tasted in Ireland so far. We again walked up and down High Street, and did a lot of souvenir shopping at Bricin store.
We had wanted to dine at the upstairs restaurant of Bricin, but they were totally booked with a large tour group. So we went to nearby restaurant called “Med”. Wife had a pizza, while I had some excellent calamaris with Potata bravas. Then to O’Connors pub for another round of Beamish beer. A trad music session was to start, and we waited for quite a while. But they seemed to be in no hurry to commence. We finally left at 9:45pm, returned to our B&B and crashed into bed.
Killarney (Continued) :
We got up as usual, and had another wonderful breakfast at 8:30 am. The weather had changed somewhat. There was no rain, but the sunshine had evaporated, and it was very cloudy and overcast. We had planned on doing the Dingle peninsula today. The GPS that we had rented from Dan Dooley had been giving some problems – it seemed to have a loose connection for charging its battery. We called up the Dan Dooley desk at Kerry airport, and told them of the problem. The lady was extremely helpful. She offered to change the GPS immediately. We were due to go past Kerry airport in the afternoon, while returning from the Dingle peninsula, so we promised to stop by and replace the GPS then.
We were off by 9:15 am, and drove to Castlemaine and then on to Inch. At Inch beach we stopped at Sammy’s for coffee. Very nice views from there. However, there seemed to be an overhang of mist and clouds everywhere, which spoilt the views somewhat. We drove on to Dingle town, stopping for pictures every now and then. However, at most places, the views were obscured by the mist.
From Dingle, we embarked on the famed Slea Head drive. It was not the best day to do so, because of the clouds, but we had no other day available. We drove past Ventry, and stopped at the Dunbeg Fort Visitors Centre. Saw their interesting Audio-Visual show, and went down to the Fort ruins. You can only see them from some distance, as complete access is presently cut off due to some restoration work. Drove further, and stopped at the Beehive huts for some pictures.
We stopped at the Blasket Island Centre at Dunquin. It has an overpriced entry fee for a museum, which we did not venture into. Instead, we walked all around the building exteriors, which offered fabulous views and photo-ops. From there on to Ballyferriter, where we drove down to the beach for the views. We could see that the Slea Head drive had probably more beauty packed into it than the Ring Of Kerry; it is just that we were here on the wrong day, and the mist and clouds took away much of the views.
We returned to Dingle by about 2:45 pm, parked our car and went to John Benny pub for lunch. I had a Risotto, while wife had some pasta, downed with Murphy’s beer. Food was good. Then we roamed all over Dingle town, which was a delightful enchanting little town, full of life and colour. Nice shops where we bought some scarves. Feasted on Murphy’s icecream. Dingle is one of the nicer towns in Ireland.
We were warned that this was not the best day to drive over the Connors Pass, as it would be shrouded in clouds. However, we decided to try it anyway. It was a nice drive, but when we reached the summit car park, the clouds were so dense that we could barely see beyond a few feet ! As we descended on the other side of Connors Pass, the weather suddenly cleared up, and we got bright sunshine for the first time today. By the time we reached Brandon’s Point, it was completely clear, and we enjoyed the first great views of the day of Dingle peninsula. Awesome.
We called up the Dan Dooley desk at Kerry airport, to inform her that we might be a bit late in reaching there to replace the GPS. She was a real sweet soul. She disclosed that she lived in Killarney, and offered to drop off the GPS at our B&B, without even picking up the defective GPS. She said we could return both GPS when we returned the car. This was very nice and helpful on her part, and we thanked her profusely. Now there was no hurry to rush back.
We drove on to Tralee, and then slowly made our way back to Killarney. We reached Killarney town at about 7pm, parked, and went into Courtney’s pub. I tried a new beer today, called “Beamish”, which turned out to be the best stout beer I had tasted in Ireland so far. We again walked up and down High Street, and did a lot of souvenir shopping at Bricin store.
We had wanted to dine at the upstairs restaurant of Bricin, but they were totally booked with a large tour group. So we went to nearby restaurant called “Med”. Wife had a pizza, while I had some excellent calamaris with Potata bravas. Then to O’Connors pub for another round of Beamish beer. A trad music session was to start, and we waited for quite a while. But they seemed to be in no hurry to commence. We finally left at 9:45pm, returned to our B&B and crashed into bed.
Jun 7th, 2014, 09:51 AM
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Day 6 : May 15th : Thursday:
GALWAY :
Woke up to a clear, warm and sunny day. We packed up, loaded our luggage in the car, had breakfast, and said goodbye to our hostess Mary. It felt bad to be leaving Friars Glen – it was certainly one of the best B&B we had ever stayed in around the world, and we have stayed in quite a few.
We set off from Killarney at 9:15am. The Dan Dooley lady from Kerry airport had been true to her words, and had dropped off a new GPS at our B&B. Thankfully, this one worked like a charm. We had no difficulty navigating now, and we were at Adare by 10:45 am. We parked near the Visitor’s Centre, took the maps of the town, and headed off towards the cute cottages that are so much photographed, and have come to represent Adare. I was somehow under the impression that the whole town would be littered with such cottages, but apparently there are only about 8 of them in a single line together.
The cottages were the only part sight of Adare that we were interested in, and they were a very short walk away. Some of them have people living in them, some are shops and some are restaurants. We peeped into all the shops there, and sat down in one of them to have coffee. Clicked lots of pictures and left in exactly an hour, as we had a long day ahead of us.
Our next stop was the Cliffs of Moher, and we made it there by 1 pm. Parked in the huge parking bay, where you also pay the entrance fee, and then walked to the Visitors Centre. The whole area is quite impressively maintained, and well landscaped. From the Visitors Centre we slowly walked to the viewing wall. Walked up and down and soaked in the views. It was really spectacular, especially on a bright and clear day like this. The temperature was easily around 18-20 C, and the sun was out in all its glory. This was quite a sight to see and we really liked the Cliffs.
That done, we drove to Doolin town, and bought tickets for the O’Brien Boat cruise of the Cliffs starting at 3 pm. We had a quick sandwich and cookie lunch at a harbor-front stall. We were told that their 2 pm cruise had been delayed, and would be leaving at 2:45 pm, and if we wanted we could board that trip (the 3 pm tour would be delayed further). We were just in time to board the earlier tour at 2:45 pm, so we decided to take it.
The next hour on the boat was definitely one of the high points of our Ireland trip. I would strongly recommend to any visitor going to Cliffs of Moher to definitely see it from the water, as it is much more spectacular from here. Today, the ocean was not rough, but still the swells were quite daunting, which rocked the boat and brought water on board ! The boat slowly made its way to the Cliffs, and on reaching there, it parked there for quite some time. Unforgettable sights on such a clear day. Zillions of birds flying about. A memorable journey, and I am so glad we took the boat trip.
The boat dropped us back at 3:45 pm, and we immediately left for Galway, driving via the Burren. Our first stop was at the Kilfenora Visitor’s Centre, where we were given maps and directions. We drove on to the ring fort, and then to the Poulnabrome. The latter was the ancient burial site, which was mildly interesting. We continued driving to Ballyvaughan and Kinvarra, and this part of the drive was scenic, with limestone mountains on one side. However, overall the Burren underwhelmed us. I wouldn’t go out of the way to visit here, but if I was driving through, it was pleasant.
We reached our B&B (Oranmore Lodge) at Oranmore village, just outside of Galway, by about 6:30 pm. Relaxed for a while with a cup of tea. After an hour’s rest, we drove into Galway town and parked. As we walked over to Quay Street and High Street, we were in for a pleasant surprise. We had never seen a livelier corner in the whole of Ireland. The atmosphere was fabulous, people were thronging the streets, and the place buzzed with electricity. Never seen anything like this in Ireland so far. We walked all over the city centre, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We went for dinner at the Asian Tea House on Mary Street. The food was extremely spicy and the cooking was top-notch. Must visit eatery in Galway. Our B&B host had suggested we visit the Taaffe’s Pub, which is in the city centre, where trad music session was going on. It was packed to the core, and difficult to find even standing space. Had a pint of beer, and enjoyed the foot stomping music and singing that emanated from there. Finally, well past 10 pm we decided to call it a day, and drove back to our B&B.
GALWAY :
Woke up to a clear, warm and sunny day. We packed up, loaded our luggage in the car, had breakfast, and said goodbye to our hostess Mary. It felt bad to be leaving Friars Glen – it was certainly one of the best B&B we had ever stayed in around the world, and we have stayed in quite a few.
We set off from Killarney at 9:15am. The Dan Dooley lady from Kerry airport had been true to her words, and had dropped off a new GPS at our B&B. Thankfully, this one worked like a charm. We had no difficulty navigating now, and we were at Adare by 10:45 am. We parked near the Visitor’s Centre, took the maps of the town, and headed off towards the cute cottages that are so much photographed, and have come to represent Adare. I was somehow under the impression that the whole town would be littered with such cottages, but apparently there are only about 8 of them in a single line together.
The cottages were the only part sight of Adare that we were interested in, and they were a very short walk away. Some of them have people living in them, some are shops and some are restaurants. We peeped into all the shops there, and sat down in one of them to have coffee. Clicked lots of pictures and left in exactly an hour, as we had a long day ahead of us.
Our next stop was the Cliffs of Moher, and we made it there by 1 pm. Parked in the huge parking bay, where you also pay the entrance fee, and then walked to the Visitors Centre. The whole area is quite impressively maintained, and well landscaped. From the Visitors Centre we slowly walked to the viewing wall. Walked up and down and soaked in the views. It was really spectacular, especially on a bright and clear day like this. The temperature was easily around 18-20 C, and the sun was out in all its glory. This was quite a sight to see and we really liked the Cliffs.
That done, we drove to Doolin town, and bought tickets for the O’Brien Boat cruise of the Cliffs starting at 3 pm. We had a quick sandwich and cookie lunch at a harbor-front stall. We were told that their 2 pm cruise had been delayed, and would be leaving at 2:45 pm, and if we wanted we could board that trip (the 3 pm tour would be delayed further). We were just in time to board the earlier tour at 2:45 pm, so we decided to take it.
The next hour on the boat was definitely one of the high points of our Ireland trip. I would strongly recommend to any visitor going to Cliffs of Moher to definitely see it from the water, as it is much more spectacular from here. Today, the ocean was not rough, but still the swells were quite daunting, which rocked the boat and brought water on board ! The boat slowly made its way to the Cliffs, and on reaching there, it parked there for quite some time. Unforgettable sights on such a clear day. Zillions of birds flying about. A memorable journey, and I am so glad we took the boat trip.
The boat dropped us back at 3:45 pm, and we immediately left for Galway, driving via the Burren. Our first stop was at the Kilfenora Visitor’s Centre, where we were given maps and directions. We drove on to the ring fort, and then to the Poulnabrome. The latter was the ancient burial site, which was mildly interesting. We continued driving to Ballyvaughan and Kinvarra, and this part of the drive was scenic, with limestone mountains on one side. However, overall the Burren underwhelmed us. I wouldn’t go out of the way to visit here, but if I was driving through, it was pleasant.
We reached our B&B (Oranmore Lodge) at Oranmore village, just outside of Galway, by about 6:30 pm. Relaxed for a while with a cup of tea. After an hour’s rest, we drove into Galway town and parked. As we walked over to Quay Street and High Street, we were in for a pleasant surprise. We had never seen a livelier corner in the whole of Ireland. The atmosphere was fabulous, people were thronging the streets, and the place buzzed with electricity. Never seen anything like this in Ireland so far. We walked all over the city centre, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We went for dinner at the Asian Tea House on Mary Street. The food was extremely spicy and the cooking was top-notch. Must visit eatery in Galway. Our B&B host had suggested we visit the Taaffe’s Pub, which is in the city centre, where trad music session was going on. It was packed to the core, and difficult to find even standing space. Had a pint of beer, and enjoyed the foot stomping music and singing that emanated from there. Finally, well past 10 pm we decided to call it a day, and drove back to our B&B.
