PhotoLink to today's photos….
The entire tour Itinerary can be seen here.
First we had breakfast. The picture to the right shows (by couples at the first three tables) Bill & Marge, Joanne & John, Pat & Harriet.
Then we met in the Study to meet Mike, our driver for the tour. Very friendly guy, even laughs at my jokes. Mike made note that a couple had cancelled at the last moment, so there would only be twelve of us in a 19-passenger van. Wow!! We feel sorry for those that had to cancel but we'll be very comfortable.
Our group consists of driver/guide Mike and ladies Pam, Annette and Marti from lower Indiana, Gwen from Washington State, John & Joanne from Virginia, Bill & Marge from Michigan, Pat & Harriet from South Carolina, plus us - Owen & Dolores from Florida.
After loading up the van, Mike used motorways to get out of Dublin to the south. After a bit we diverted to Moone Abbey near the village of Moone. It's a ruin but rather well preserved as it now appears. One huge Celtic cross has be put back together from the fragments found of it in the graveyard.
On to lunch period in a town I can''t name cause it's too long. D & I just had cokes. D bought things for the grandsons in the SuperValu.
Then on quite a ways to a dolmen (rocks piled on rocks 6,000 years ago) for what reason no one knows. Got pictures. I don't know how they did it.
On to Craiguenamanagh the town where the Duiske abbey is located. Good preservation work going on here, with the roof put on so now they can do inside work.
We went into M Doyle's for a glass, then walked the banks of the River Barrow. Kids were diving into the river from a stand. Two came toward us - I asked how the water was and got the reply "Cold".
Then on to Dungarvan, our home for the night. We toured the local castle/fort started many years ago thanks to good staff. They showed us all over the place even though it was beyond closing time. Finally we said we had to leave for dinner. They asked where and we replied Tannery. They threatened to lock us in and take our place.
We did dinner at the Tannery, the restaurant associated with the cooking school of the same name (and the Inn in which we're sleeping tonight). Excellent food with a Gruner Veltliner.
Now to bed…..
PhotoLink
On to Schull, which will be new to us. We'll stay at the Schull Harbour Hotel, also new.
We had a great breakfast in the Tannery. Then we loaded up and hit the road. First to a viewing area of Dungarvan Bay, then on to Ardmore which has a tall "lookout" tower (actual use not known). Sort of interesting because the entry was 15 feet up; obviously they used a ladder of some sort and pulled it up inside. The walls decreased in thickness going up. St Declan's church ruins were adjacent as was the cemetery. From this location you could see the local bay. Very pretty.
On then to Kinsale. It was market day in Kinsale so there were all sorts of stands up and down the square. Food, jewelry, aromatic goods, etc. Many people out shopping plus the tourists so the streets were busy. Kinsale also has a nice little harbor so we walked all the streets. When our feet gave out we had a glass at the Armada Bar. We posted a card to grandson Jamie and bought a few things.
More driving down the coast on wee tiny roads to Schull (pronounced Skull), a small town on another nice bay, but with offshore islands. We checked into the hotel (which has a LIFT!!) and put up our stuff. Then we walked up one side and down the other to see what the town featured. D bought cough lozenges in the Pharmacy, but that was it.
We returned to the hotel and into the bar. We looked over the pub food menu and decided it would do. D had seafood chowder that was all seafood and broth, and huge. She ordered a crab sandwich to follow and could not finish it. I had a salad with chicken that came out with six chicken tenders on it - I don't eat anywhere near that many at home. Most of the tour crowd came in, and so did driver/guide Mike.
D came back up to relax and I typed the notes so far. But I think I'll go back down to see what's happening. And I did go back down; those remaining and I chatted some more and wondered about tomorrow, because the forecasters are saying "heavy rain".
PhotoLink
Up in the morning to a gray day. Breakfast in Charters, the hotel dining room. Most of the crowd if not all were present.
We got underway and went to a close-by dolmen called An Altoir (An Altar) because it was said to have been used as a Catholic altar during the period in the 1800's when they were forbidden to serve in a church. See the photos, link above.
then the rain started. Fairly hard. Low clouds interfered with scenery. We went out to Mizen Head on Mizen Point to see the lighthouse and old signal station there. Typically, you park and walk through the vending area then out on a path and narrow bridge to the structures on the point. Today, most of us just stayed in the vending area and looked at exhibits. Some bought items; Joanne bought a sweatshirt with the logo on it.
When we left there we decided not to have any stops on the way to Bantry (our lunch spot) because we wouldn't get good pictures and would only get damp. But then we were held up in a narrow spot by a van with a broken wheel. Mike coached him through so we went on. Then we were blocked by a herd of cows crossing the road (video here).
We ran across the square at Bantry into the Snug for lunch. D had a kilo of mussels, i had mackerel & stuff. John & Joanne were with us. We had a good time chatting about many things, mostly travel. John's a retired USCG civilian employee, Jo is in IT in a college - the only one of us still working.
Part-way up the hill there was a lengthy road repair effort with people and big machines everywhere. Getting through that took time. And of course we were up in the clouds. We could see well enough to see a lot of water cascading down the hillsides. Once we topped the pass the clouds lightened - we could see better but not well.
Mike stopped for pictures at the famous gas pump - the one with the Murphy's Draft globe on top. I have the picture from five years ago.
We kept descending in view of Kenmare Bay, with visibility getting better. After a bit we entered Kenmare. Mike did the two legs of the triangle to show us where the attractions are, then went out past the golf course to The Lodge, our accommodation for the night. The rooms are huge and comfortable but there's no life in the place - no bar or restaurant - so you're forced to walk into town to do anything. But perhaps I shouldn't complain, the place in Dingle is also a distance from town.
D didn't want to walk into town and get wet. So she sent me into town for comfort foods. We had had a big lunch so we didn't need much. I walked, I bought, I returned, and now I'm typing these notes.