From Adare to Ballyvaughan

Adare to Ballyvaughan

We are very tired but happy chappies this evening. Yesterday was a bit of a letdown in many ways. The scenery, character-filled villages and fabulous overnight stays seemed to be a thing of the past. We couldn’t complain about Adare, but the journey had been a bit fraught – and ACH was a good reason to whinge. We left after breakfast and decided to put ourselves entirely in Siobhan’s hands. I would not override her or use any common sense at all. I would try not to read the map while we were traveling – only to insert our next destination. Worked a treat. We were on the highway for a bit on our way to Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Roly was agreeable – Muckross House had been such a success. We got there without any hassles – except that Roly saw a Tesco’s and flew into the parking lot before I could state Thornton’s Chocolates. What a blessing they aren’t made in SA!! Anyway soon after that diversion, we reached Bunratty. Quite frankly, I haven’t read the book which I purchased so don’t know too much historical detail (I heard that Hallelujah, Suse&Megan!!) Suffice to state that the castle itself was interesting – but very stark and medieval in its dcor. I did go up one turret too many – almost had a panic attack half way up, because it lead to no rooms and seemed endless in its very narrow, very short tread and very winding staircase. Anyway we then sauntered around the ‘village’ . Possibly Gold Reef City etc got their inspiration from this place. Little medieval crofter’s cottage, more affluent farmer’s house. Doctor’s surgery, Pub and Hostelry etc etc. Very adorable and well done. The surroundings (there are no ‘gardens’ to talk of) are very lush. The soft rain that fell while we were there made it feel even greener and softer!! After a quick visit to the Blarney Woollen Mills (basically a shop) we moved on to Ennis and then to Ennistymon. This last place is just a village on the way to the coast. It is too close to the coastal villages to be touristy. We stopped here for lunch and had one of our nicest meals in the tearoom. I think I have mentioned that we find the pub food a bit heavy for us. This red tearoom served the most delicious potato cakes with goats cheese and Roly had an Irish Stew which was the ideal he’d had . The place was filled with locals. Only one other non-local couple. We pottered around the village and then it was off to The Cliffs of Moher just a few Kms away. What an awesome sight. We walked to O’Briens tower which is quite a climb. The weather had cleared completely and there was blue sky to enhance the photos. We then pressed on to Doolin which is an enchanting seaside village (more like a row of shops and pubs). We had a cuppa in a dear tiny tearoom and then it was time to hit The Burren. The Burren is a geological feature. It looks like the surface of the moon. The rocks have crevices and holes in them which grant water to sink into the ground below – encouraging all manner of tiny flowers and plants to creep into the crevices. In this area we also visited a Neolithic Tomb under which two people from different ages are buried. The newer of the occupants died in 1400BC. The older, died in 3000BC! Imagine that! By now(5.30pm) we were almost at Ballyvaughan, our stopover for the night. I had booked from Adare. This time we stuck to Tripadvisor again and Cappaible House is a lovely B&B. Had a quick bite in the village and came home. Tomorrow we have to trek from here to Dublin. SO ! It will be highway most of the day. Our days of pottering are over. Foolish planning on my part – we should have flown to Heathrow from Galway which was my original plan. However there’s a reason for everything!! We are so glad that our Irish Holiday ended on such a high. It’s been a glorious day in every respect. We give You thanks and all the Glory, Lord.

More Source:

Ballyvaughan or Doolin to Dingle: A Day's Journey - TripAdvisor
Ballyvaughan Holiday Cottages (Ballyvaughan Holiday Cottages ...
Adare Sights - Ireland Travel Guide - iGuide
B&Bs near Ballyvaughan

Related News:

Details :
Submited at Saturday, May 1st, 2010 at 2:00 pm on Europe by admin
Comment RSS 2.0 - leave a comment - trackback

Leave Comment Here...