Day 9: Friday 10.08.2018 Kilkenny, Rock of Cashel and the Applefarm

This morning after packing up, we drove back to Kilkenny. There, we took a brewery tour at Smithwicks. It was very well done with various media presentations, such as 'talking' pictures like in Harry Potter, which brought us closer to the history of Smithwicks. Afterwards, we visited Dunmore Cave, a limestone cave. There are numerous steps leading down into the cave. Once at the bottom, it is very impressive, as the cave has several chambers and is therefore extensive.
After the tour and of course climbing all the steps, we went to Walsh Distillery. The Irishman and Writer's Tears are produced here. The tour was very informative, as everything was explained in detail and we were allowed to look into the stills at the various stages of production. The tour also included a tasting of Writer's Tears Pot - which is among the top 50 whiskies in the world. Then we went to Rock of Cashel. Admission was included with our Heritage Card. There is an old monastery on the hill at Cashel and you have a very good view of the surrounding countryside. Next on our agenda was a visit to the Applefarm. Apparently, they have the best apple juice in Ireland - and it is indeed very delicious :). You can also camp under the apple trees there. We took advantage of this offer immediately. It cost €14 and we even got a bottle of apple juice as a gift. Later on, a family from Bietigheim-Bissingen arrived at the campsite. We had some good conversations with them and they gave us tips for the rest of our journey. They also invited us to join them for breakfast the next morning.

Mileage: 2,000 km

Lesson of the day: An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

J&T