Friday 25th August 2017

Yesterday we made the journey from County Wicklow to Blarney, County Cork, which is located on the southern coast of Ireland. We are making this our hub for the next week so that we can begin to explore the Wild Atlantic Way.

25.08.2017 Route

Towing Kilometres – Today: 307 – Cumulative: 1,016

Our base for the week,  is Blarney Camping and Caravanning Park  which is situated a stones throw from  Blarney Castle and the famous Blarney Stone.

Saturday 26th August 2017

The weather was promising so we headed off to Kinsale, a popular seaside village south of Cork, and the beginning of the Wild Atlantic Way, a touring route along Ireland’s west coast.

We had a wander around the harbour and decided as the weather was so promising to drive out to the Old Head of Kinsale and take in some sea air. The Old Head of Kinsale is a very picturesque headland sticking out to sea and almost cut off from the mainland in the middle.

At the end is a very exclusive, private golf course, Old Head Golf Links, which the public cannot access. (I did Google the course and check out the green fees and accommodation just out of curiosity and wasn’t surprised in the least. I wouldn’t be disappointed if Ray booked a surprise break here!)

The Golf Course From The Lighthouse

As luck would have it there was an open day at the lighthouse which is situated at the end of the headland, so we decided to give it a go. The day was one of a few, which is organised as a fund raiser towards the creation of the Lusitania Memorial Garden at the Old Head Signal Tower.

We boarded a minibus which took us through the golf course and up to the Old Head of Kinsale lighthouse.

Old Head Of Kinsale Lighthouse

We ascended to the very top of the lighthouse via numerous steps to take in the breath taking views all around. We were not disappointed, they were fantastic!!

After our descent back down the lighthouse we paused for a cuppa and purchased a fantastic mounted photograph of the original signal tower by Michael Prior, a local photographer who was supporting the fundraising day.

After a drive back to the Signal Tower, we wandered back to the entrance of the golf course and walked to the cliff top, which was accessible, to enjoy the stunning views.

Old Kinsale Head

An enjoyable and educational afternoon, well worth the 20 euro contribution to support and maintain the restoration plans.

We made our way back to Blarney, stopping off at the Blue Flag beach at Garrylucas to enjoy a walk on the sand.

Monday 21st August 2017

We are off to Rosslare today aboard the Stena Line ferry and into Ireland.

At last the sun had decided to make an appearance, perhaps we had turned a corner, weather wise.

All our hopes were dashed, as we set off towards Ireland as it became more and more like pea soup!! Nothing to see, but it was calm, which suited me.

Towing Kilometres – Today: 212 – Cumulative: 709

As we approached Rosslare the fog lifted and the port became visible.

Welcome to the Emerald Isle! A place neither of us has visited before. After the 3 and half hour crossing we made our way to County Wicklow, up the east side of Ireland and found our campsite in Redcross.

We had booked into the adult half of the site, therefore avoiding the kids (on this occasion) and any prospect of unnecessary noise.  Pleasant enough, with lovely shared showers and toilet block.

Tuesday 22nd August 2017

Powerscourt Waterfall

We ventured out today to the highest waterfall in Ireland, called Powerscourt Waterfall in Wicklow Mountains National Park. We took the sensory walk to the waterfall, which added to the experience and  our daily step count.

Lunch time was calling so we decided to head towards the sea on the east coast. We had read there was a good coast walk along the cliffs from Bray to Greystones.

Unfortunately, Bray was very similar to many popular seaside towns, with sea front parking, promenade and a variety of seaside shops, (very much ‘kiss me quick hats’ territory), and not what we enjoy, so we drove on to find Greystones to do the walk in reverse.

we found Greystones, but it is undergoing a regeneration project, with extensive building work, including many private dwellings, which spoilt the harbour area, the coastline and the walk we had intended.

We started to manoeuvre our way through the obstacles of the building word and then gave up. We wandered back to the harbour and in the opposite direction and sat and watched a few adventurous youngsters daring each other to jump off the rocks into the sea, whilst we had a brief picnic lunch.

We headed back to camp to settle for the evening.