Ireland

Blarney, Cork & Kinsale

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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.

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Blarney Castle

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Monday 28th August 2017

After a busy weekend on the site, many of our neighbours have vacated and today seems like a good day to pay a visit to Blarney Castle. Although it is a Bank Holiday back home, here it’s just a normal Monday, so perhaps we might avoid the crowds.

We drove the short distance to Blarney Castle and parked up in the free car park. Bonus! We were told on entry that there was a one hour wait to ‘kiss the Blarney Stone‘ but hey, when you’ve got all day, what’s an hour?

The castle was a 10 minute stroll from the entrance along the banks of the River Martin and the Cherry Walk.

Blarney Castle View Through Monolith
Kissing The Stone Information

We wound our way in the queue to the top of the castle and then had to make the decision – do we kiss the stone or not? It looked a little awkward laying on your back and then grabbing hold of two iron poles and lowering yourself even further down, in order to kiss the stone, but what the heck. We both did it!

Kim Kisses The Blarney Stone…
…then Rays’ Turn

Maybe we will have gained the gift of eloquence! Only time will tell.

Feeling very good about our achievements, we made our way back down the circular stairway. We stopped en route to look out from the castle windows, take photos or investigate various rooms.

After leaving the castle we wandered through the poison garden, hidden behind the castle battlements.  We learnt a few things about some familiar plants we never knew.

The Poison Garden

The grounds of the castle are truly stunning,  beautifully managed and extremely well laid out. Blarney House stands in the middle of the parkland and is very imposing.

Blarney House

We spent the afternoon exploring the main grounds and the Rock Close, a mystical place;  encountering waterfalls, sculptures, as well as the magnificent fern garden, arboretums and pinetum.

Blarney Castle Gardens
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Ballincollig

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Wednesday 30th August 2017

Today we didn’t want to venture too far, as the weather was not looking promising and we knew we would have to take down the awning before the rains arrived, so we headed off to Ballincollig.

We had discovered there was a regional park, with a number of walking trails in and around the park, which had was once been home to a gunpowder mills complex from the 18th century.

We made good use of a few of them, taking in the River Lee, Inniscarra Bridge and many of the defunct buildings.

Next on our plan was to follow the River Lee back to the Inniscarra Dam and Taiscumar Reservoir. The dam is an impressive structure. It was built in 1953 and reaches a height of 45 metres, and is 247 metres wide.

Having looked around the dam and reservoir, we headed back to the caravan after a nice day visiting the Ballincollig area.

In the evening we walked to a local restaurant, Stoneview, to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary, albeit a day late. (The restaurant isn’t open on Tuesdays). I enjoyed fresh turbot and Ray the rib-eye, washed down with a ‘cheeky’ bottle of Portuguese white. The restaurant had lovely views and a great spot to watch the sun go down.

Stoneview Restaurant