Road Trip Part 2

Saturday, 05.08.2023

This morning we are awakened by the sun. Our view from the window is of the harbor of Dingle. After an excellent breakfast, we explore the city. Yesterday evening was not possible due to continuous rain. We stroll around until we reach the harbor again. Suddenly, the sky darkens and we get caught in a heavy rain shower. This is a sign for us to move on. As we cross the Conor Pass, we only have 13 degrees Celsius at the highest point. The descent is not allowed for all vehicles, as can be seen on the road sign, and we know what awaits us. Now we continue on the Wild Atlantic Way towards Limerick. The small towns have funny names like Castlegregory, Derrymore, Tralee, Spa, Fenit, and Tarbert. We stop for a walk on the beach in Fenit and Ballybunion. On the way, we see a sign for the Bromore Cliffs. They are privately owned. We drive to a parking lot where the farmer charges us 5 € for parking, but gives us a brochure about the cliffs. The short hike through the meadows is a lot of fun, the cliffs are spectacular, and the wind is breathtaking. But now we have to hurry to get to Limerick. Our hotel is located right in the city center. We can park the car in a parking garage right next to the hotel. During the small city tour, we decide to have an early dinner at The Locke pub. We got this tip from a guest in Dingle the night before. We enjoy the evening with a beer, Irish live music, and step dancing before heading back to the hotel.

Sunday, 06.08.2023

Our destination today is the Cliffs of Moher, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Ireland. They rise spectacularly 230 meters from the sea and are an impressive 8 kilometers long. We start our hike from the parking lot on a farm and after half an hour we reach the Moher Tower, the southernmost point of the Cliffs of Moher. From here we hike about 2 kilometers towards the Visitor Center. The weather is glorious with sunshine and clouds, allowing us to take many impressive photos. However, the walk to the Visitor Center is too far for us, so we turn back and drive there by car. But what we did not consider is that today is Sunday and a long weekend in Ireland, as Monday is a bank holiday. There are crowds of people, we can hardly believe it. There is a line of cars in front of the parking lot and Google tells us to expect a waiting time of about 20 minutes. So we turn back and drive to our next B&B, check in, and then decide to take a walk in the small fishing village of Doolin. It is known as the center for traditional Irish music, which is played live in the three pubs of the village almost every day. We choose O'Connors Pub and have an Irish beef stew, highly recommended, along with an Irish Red Ale as always.

Monday, 07.08.2023

This morning, we make a second attempt to visit the Visitor and Experience Center. Although we arrive there at 10 am, the parking lot is already half full and there are 18 buses parked in the separate bus parking lot, so it is already quite crowded. The Experience Center is completely underground and actually very modern and interestingly designed. After that, we go to the cliffs and start our hike at the O'Brien Tower towards the north. After about an hour, we turn back. When we arrive back at the O'Brien Tower, we take the opportunity to climb to the top. We quickly take some photos before continuing our drive towards Galway on the Wild Atlantic Way. In the small town of Ballyvaughan, with its beautiful thatched houses, we take a wrong turn and end up at the harbor. Not only car enthusiasts have gathered there, but we also discover a nice café called Tea Rooms where we stop for a break.

On our way to Galway, we come across Dunguaire Castle. We reach our B&B shortly after 4 pm, check in, and continue to the city. We park at the harbor, walk around it, and reach the Spanish Arch, an archway that was built into the existing city wall from the 16th century in the 18th century. It is called the Spanish Arch because the square was called Spanish Parade at that time. Several unusually looking wooden sailboats, called Hookers, are moored in the harbor. They were the traditional boats used for transporting goods and passengers. Since the late 20th century, there has been a revival of these boats. Today, festivals take place where the boats race between Connemara and Kinvara, as well as between Galway and Clare.

Right behind the Spanish Arch, the Latin Quarter begins, the restaurant and pub district of Galway. We walk through it with many other tourists, treat ourselves to an ice cream from Dingle, and decide to have dinner at a Thai restaurant that we discovered next to the Spanish Arch. Before that, we go to Eyre Square, the city center, where 'The Browne Doorway', the entrance portal of the Browne family's house from 1627, is located. We stroll along the Corrib River to the cathedral and then have dinner at the Thai restaurant. Finding our way back to the hotel is quick and easy.

Tuesday, 08.08.2023

We leave Galway and continue on the Wild Atlantic Way, which now leads along the coast of Connemara. We want to stop at the Salthill Promenade in Galway, but it has started raining again, so we continue driving. We stop for a photo at Coral Beach. There are many snorkelers in the water. The weather is slowly getting better. We drive on to the Patrick Pearse Visitor Center. He was a middle-class man from Dublin who bought a property here in 1905 and built a house on it. Patrick Pearse greatly admired the people in this area. He taught adults to read and write the Irish language, which was rarely taught in schools at that time. He was a teacher, poet, writer, nationalist, republican activist, and leader of the Easter Rising in 1916. In May, he was executed along with other leaders. After so much history, we need a coffee break. We stop in Roundstone. There is a cycling race going on here. The town is beautifully decorated, full of people, and there is a lot of music. We enjoy the distraction. At the Connemara Smokehouse, we buy smoked mackerel for a picnic on the beach the next evening. Finally, we arrive in Clifden. The town is full of tourists. We get a freshly renovated room at The Arch Hotel and get to taste the newly introduced Red Ale from a local brewery. We have dinner at the Lamplight, the restaurant belonging to the hotel. They serve Irish tapas, which are very delicious. After dinner, we take a short walk through the town. Now this day comes to an end with many impressions and beautiful memories.

Wednesday, 09.08.2023

Another rainy morning, as always, without a rain hat nothing works here. We are on our way to Achill Island. Our first stop is Kylemore Abbey. A very sad story is associated with this beautiful estate. The foundation stone was laid in 1867 by Mitchell Henry, a wealthy industrialist and politician, and his wife Margaret Henry, who built their dream castle here. Thus, the happiness of the couple and their nine children seemed perfect. However, fate granted them this happiness for only 3 years. Because in 1874, Margaret Henry fell ill on a trip to Egypt and died a few days later at the age of only 45. One of their daughters also had a fatal accident while riding a horse. Mitchell was marked by personal loss and his business sense abandoned him. Between 1877 and 1881, Mitchell Henry had a Gothic church built in memory of his wife. In 1903, he was forced to sell the castle. An American bought it as part of a dowry for his daughter. However, the newlyweds from America only saw the castle as a burden and tried to sell it again. The First World War came to their aid, as the Benedictine nuns in Ypres, Belgium had to flee and found refuge in Ireland. They bought Kylemore in 1920 for £45,000. Since 1923, it has been a Benedictine monastery and an international boarding school, which closed in 2010 due to declining enrollment. The interiors of the castle are very impressive. We were also able to visit the Gothic chapel. But the most impressive part was the Victorian garden. There was the head gardener's house to visit. Not all of the different greenhouses were still there. There used to be a tomato house and a banana house.

The weather also seems to play along again as we decide to move on. Our next stop is Newport. Here we take a coffee break. We take a walk through the town and pass a 7-arched old bridge over the Black Oak River. It used to be a railway bridge, but it and the associated rail network have been converted into a 42 km long cycle path. The next highlight is a statue of Princess Grace from Monaco. Hans-Werner takes a seat next to her. In her memory, her son Albert unveiled a memorial bench here in March of this year. Her grandfather John Henry Kelly was born in a small town near Newport and emigrated to the United States of America in 1867. But now enough historical information. We drive across the Michael Davitt Bridge to the 146 square kilometer island where about 2500 people live. Our B&B, Sona Baile Home Stay in Dooagh, is quickly found. We spend the evening on Keem beach with fresh bread and smoked mackerel from the smokehouse in Connemara. A bottle of wine is also part of the experience. Watching the sunset here is a very special experience.

Thursday, 10.08.2023

We say goodbye to Achill Island, which we are a little sad about. You could easily spend a few days here, which is certainly not only due to the sunshine.

At the end of our tour, we want to treat ourselves to something special and have booked a night at the castle, which we will reach at 1 pm. Kilronan Castle was built in 1804 on a 17-hectare property and expanded in 1876. From 1939, it stood empty and fell into ruin. An Irish investor bought Kilronan Castle in 2006 and restored the ruins into a hotel in a historic style. This has been successful, especially with the interior design, but only to a limited extent with the newly built section.

We spend the afternoon in the wellness area. In the evening, we have a table reserved at the Palm Court.

Friday, 11.08.2023

After breakfast at the Douglas Hyde Restaurant, we visit the wellness area again before we have to check out of the room at 12 pm. We have signed up for a tea time at 2:30 pm. We spend the time until then with a walk to the lake, Lough Meelagh, which belongs to the hotel. We arrive on time for tea time and are presented with two tiers on the table, leaving nothing to be desired. The bottom plate contains more hearty dishes, toast with egg and ham, salmon tartare, and chicken sandwich. Above that, there are cakes, and each person is served three scones with clotted cream and jam on the tier. On top, there are sweet treats, chocolates, Luxembourg cakes, and a glass of chocolate cream. Estimated minimum of 4000 calories. Everything is extremely tasty, but simply too much to eat, one tier would have been enough.

We leave Kilronan Castle at 4 pm and drive to our last B&B, the Little Flock Farm in Ballymurray, right on Lough Ree, where we passed by boat just over two weeks ago.

Here our journey comes to an end, and we conclude this blog.