Category: Ireland

Clare is a county in western Ireland with terrain ranging from rolling countryside to craggy Atlantic coastline. Clare is the seventh largest of Ireland’s 32 traditional counties in area and the 19th largest in terms of population.

In this blog, I would like to cover a one-day trip that we did in June 2023, to County Clare.

We started our journey from Saggart, Dublin Ireland around 7:30 AM and returned by around 9:00 PM.

We took the following route. Its approximately 6.5 hour’s drive and 550 Kms.

[Apart from the driving time, you would also need time for sightseeing, refreshments and so on. So, you should certainly consider minimum around 13 hours for the entire journey].

Now let’s get into more details about the various stop overs:

1.Kinvarra: (Google map : Harbour House, The Quay, Dungory West, Kinvarra, County Galway)

From Saggart we started at 7:30 AM, it took around 2 hrs 15 minutes to reach Kinvarra.

Kinvara or Kinvarra is a sea port village in the southwest of County Galway, Ireland. Its a picturesque coastal village on the shores of Galway Bay.

You can also visit Dunguaire Castle enroute (not marked in the above map).  It was told that this castle was build in 16^th Century.

Another place that can be covered is Traught Beach. Its not mentioned in the above map and we have not visited aswell.

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 30 minutes

2. Linnalla Irish Ice cream parlour: (Café Linnala):

Kinvarra to Linnalla –> 15 Minutes

This was a surprise stop over in this trip. I managed to see people mentioning about this place, when I was searching in internet to prepare an itinerary for county Clare.

Situated on the stunning Flaggy Shore along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, Bríd Fahy and her husband Roger run Linnalla Ice Cream is one of the few farmer owned and operated ice cream parlours in Ireland.

I would certainly recommend this place. The route to the cafe is quite scenic with tonnes of photography options. You should certainly visit this place to experience the beauty of the place and of course to have few scoops of ice creams aswell.

In google map, this is shown as a ‘unnamed road’ and we will get confused if we are on the correct route. But you can blindly follow google maps and it will take you to the correct destination.

There are enough parking space available near the café and there is also a very clean restroom available within this café.

If you have time, there is a nice walkway near to the café and there are few slides and swings for the little ones aswell.

Visit their website for more details (like opening times and so on)

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 45 minutes (includes time for having ice cream aswell, the time doesn’t include the walking trail)

3. Fanore Beach:

Linnalla to Fanore –> 45 Minutes

The route from Linnalla to Fanore is quite scenic (will cover a lot of costal route aswell)

The small coastal village of Fanore is located where the Caher River enters the Atlantic Ocean on the edge of the world-famous Burren region.

Fanore Beach (holds a blue flag status) is a stunning sandy beach. There is a good view of the Burren from the beach.

During the summer months, the beach is lifeguarded. Don’t forget to check out the beach’s noticeboard for more information. This beach is popular for walkers, swimmers and surfers.

There is a surfing school available with equipment for hire at a reasonable cost.

There’s a large car park right next to Fanore Beach, however, it can be easy to miss when you’re driving the coast road (the scenery is incredible), so make sure to keep an eye out for the parking signs.

Was told that there are Jellyfish in this beach, but we never saw one. Its good to be a bit careful especially if you have dogs or kids with you.

There seems to be laws in place which needs to be taken care of:

• Dog-owners are required to clean up their dog poops in a public place such as public roads, footpaths, parks and beaches. Failure to do so can result in an on-the-spot fine of €150.
• Horse riding and dogs are prohibited between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. during the summer season.
• Motorised watercraft, surfing and the use of canoes and kayaks is prohibited in close proximity to swimmers.

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 30 minutes

4. Doolin Pier Point:

Fanore to Doolin pier –> 30 Minutes

NOTE: Its better to have lunch enroute or near to Doolin Pier. We brought lunch from Home and had the same at the car parking.

Doolin Pier (also known as Ballaghaline Quay) is situated in the Wild Atlantic Way. Doolin is the home of traditional Irish music. Its a nice walk down to the pier, but they’re not great for getting down to the sea itself as there’s no seashore here. Its more like a rocky beach here.

This is not a beach for swimming. But it is a beach for amazing views, listening and watching the waves crash, enjoying the sun, and admiring the dazzling geology of the coastline.

I believe the Sunset view from here will be excellent. There are high chances that you will find some Dolphins here. The pier has well maintained restrooms.

There is also lot of parking space available, and the rates are nominal (1 Euro for 0 – 2 Hours).

You have Ferry Services (operated by Doolin Ferry) from here to Aran Islands and Cliffs of Moher (closed during winter). Check their website for more details –> https://www.doolinferry.com/

We took the cliffs of Moher Ferry (2 PM). The total ferry travel time was around 45 – 50 minutes. Its better to book this ticket in advance (few days or week) so that you can avoid last minute surprises like tickets sold out and so on.

Ticket Rates: Adults (28 Euros), Senior Citizens (26 Euros) , Children 5-15 years (15 Euros).

The Cliffs of Moher is one of Ireland’s most popular visitor attractions. People say that until you see them from the ferry, you haven’t really seen them at all. I would also agree to that statement. Its indeed a great view of the cliffs from the ferry.

It is hard to take in their magnificent heights until you see them from sea level. The people walking along the trail high above appear no larger than ants!

The ferry has 2 decks. The upper deck is open and the lower deck is a closed one (except few seats at the back of the ferry). If its raining, you will get exposed to rain if you are sitting in the upper deck or at the back side of the ferry (in the lower deck) as they are open to sky.

One other issue with the open part in the lower deck is that water will splash on your face and head during high tide. There is a commentary available in the ferry, but sometimes (no, most of the times) it is not clear.

The entry route to the ferries is clearly marked. You will have to wait in a queue before boarding the ferry. If you are behind in the queue, there are chances that you might not get a seat in the upper deck. Please note that the ferry has toilet facilities aswell.

There is no requirement to wear life jackets as the ferry is large and high off the sea.  You are allowed to take your own refreshments.

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination (Doolin Pier) for photography and lunch: 45 minutes.

Also, you would need another 50 minutes to 1 hour for the ferry trip.

5. Cliffs of Moher:

The initial 2 km or so from Doolin Pier to Cliffs is a challenging one with very narrow and steeper roads. It might take 15 minutes to reach the cliffs from the pier.

One of the important things to be noted is that we need to take tickets to visit the cliffs. The price varies based on the time of the day. Its 7-10 Euros (For adults). For Children up to 12 years, it’s a free ticket.

Admission includes secure car parking, wi-fi, access to all areas including O’Brien’s Tower and the interactive Cliffs exhibition.

If you book online (at least one day in advance), you will get tickets at the discounted price.

Its always better to look into their website https://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/ to see more details like opening hours.

This is one of the most famous destination in the entire scenic wild Atlantic way. The cliffs run for around 14 kms and at some places, it rise to a maximum height of 214 metres (702 feet) above the Atlantic Ocean. It ranks one among the most visited tourist sites in Ireland, with around 1.5 million visits per annum.

You can also visit the Cliffs of Moher visitor’s center (opened in 2007).  This state-of-the-art underground visitor centre features various interactive exhibits, images and displays that can be enjoyed by people of all age groups. There are some restaurants and public toilets available within this center.

There’s also a observatory tower called O’Briens Tower.

The parking area is huge. But you will have to walk a long distance to reach the cliffs from the parking area (Private vehicles).

There are safety barriers which prevents visitors from going near the cliff. However, if you keep walking away from the Visitor’s center, the barrier ends. So be a little careful and dare not to go near the edge. Already many have lost their life here.

Being one of the busiest attractions in Ireland, you are bound to find visitors all year round, however July and August are the peak months.

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 2 hours

NOTE: If you have time limitations and can cover Cliffs of Moher only through one of the two options (land or sea), My personal recommendation would be to see it from Land as it gives you to real beauty of this wonderful and ginormous landscape. However if you have people with mobility/walking issues in your group, its good to opt for the sea option as they can sit back and see the cliffs from a ferry (without much walking).

6. Lahinch Beach:

This is the last stop over in this trip

Cliffs to Lahinch Beach : 15 Minutes

This is also a sandy beach will stretches around 1Km or so.

This beach (Lifeguarded) is known for surfing, sea kayaking, kite surfing and so on.

There are also several surf schools in the area, so whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner, you can grab a board and catch a wave.

There seems to be laws in place which needs to be taken care of:

• Dog-owners are required to clean up their dog poops in a public place such as public roads, footpaths, parks and beaches. Failure to do so can result in an on-the-spot fine of €150.
• Horse riding and dogs are prohibited between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. during the summer season.
• Motorised watercraft, surfing and the use of canoes and kayaks is prohibited in close proximity to swimmers

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 30 minutes

Further before heading to Dublin, in  case if you would like to have a dinner, this can be a ideal place as there are many restaurants in this locality.

This concludes the various stops in this trip.  We returned to Saggart, Dublin which was approximately 250 Kms and 2 hours 45 minutes (reached back around 9PM)

I had to do the trip to county Clare in a day and hence had to purposefully avoid few other interesting places in County Clare.

If you have time, I will strongly recommend spending minimum 2 days (&1 night) in County Clare. There are plenty of accommodation options available within the county.

Few other places that you could explore are:

The Burren National Park

Kilfenora Cathedral

Doolin Cave

Poulnabrone Dolmen

Aillwee Cave // Birds of Prey centre

Doonagore Castle

Caherconnell Stone Fort

Leamaneh Castle

Lough Inchiquin

Clare Heritage Centre

Cliffs of Kilkee

Corkscrew Hill

Loophead cliffs/peninsula

Aran Islands

Black Head cliffs

Bridges of Ross

Corcomroe Abbey (Sunset)

Scattery islands

Shannon ferry from Clare to Kerry

There are many walking trails aswell, within county Clare.

Hope you enjoyed reading my blog. I would like you to try out this itinerary and let me know your comments!

Waterford is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region.

From its vibrant city life to its rural charm and stunning coastline, County Waterford have something for everyone.

In this blog, I would like to cover a one-day trip that we did in July 2023, to County Waterford.

We started our journey from Saggart, Dublin Ireland around 8:30 AM and returned by around 8:30 PM.

We took the following route. Its approximately 6 hour’s drive and 450 Kms.

[Apart from the driving time, you would also need time for sightseeing, refreshments and so on. So, you should certainly consider around 12 hours for the entire journey].

Now let’s get into more details about the various stop overs:

1. Kilkenny Castle (Kilkenny, Ireland’s Medieval City):

This castle has been rebuilt, extended, and adapted to suit changing circumstances over a period of 800 years. Kilkenny Castle is open to visitors all year round.

If you wish to see the castle in detail, its better to book a tour (self-guided or guided) in advance. Tickets can be found in https://heritageireland.ie/visit/places-to-visit/kilkenny-castle/

The adult ticket price is around 12 Euros and student price is around 6 Euros.

Other features include 50 acres of rolling parkland with mature trees, a formal terraced rose garden, woodlands, and a man-made lake, which were added in the nineteenth century.

The toughest challenge you will face with this first destination is ‘Parking’.

There is parking exactly in front of the castle, but slots are limited.

In case if you find something even 400-500 meters away from the castle, grab that without a further second thought.

As this is old city, you should certainly spend some time walking around the streets to explore more.

(NOTE: We did not go inside the castle but saw it from outside and explored few streets within the city centre)

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 45 min

2. Mahon Falls:

If you follow the above route, you would ideally be passing through the various sections of Comeragh Drive and Nire valley drive.

The Comeragh Mountains stretch from the coast near Dungarvan as far as Clonmel and this is one route that has spectacular views.

During the Comeragh Drive, you must stop at the ‘MAGIC ROAD’. The magic road is located close to Mahon Falls. A small road, located off the beaten track, where if you stop the car and let the handbrake off, the vehicle will magically roll uphill.

NOTE: Not sure why, I could not figure out this magic road enroute Mahon Falls.

Also, we did not take the walking trail to reach near Mahon Falls.

Mahon Falls is an 80m waterfall situated in the Comeragh Mountains near Lemybrien, Co. Waterford.  The waterfall can be seen from far, but you might have to walk around 20+ minutes (from car park) if you really want to see it from near.

There is a very nice restaurant (Cooney’s Yard) enroute the Mahon Falls. On your way back from the falls, you can have lunch from this restaurant (please note that there are not many restaurants available in this route). We just had coffee and hot chocolate and the rate seems to be nominal. There is enough parking space aswell.

There are clean toilets available, so getting down here for a lunch would be a right time for a biological break aswell.

As the route is quite scenic, you might love to have short breaks for capturing some moments in your Camera. Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination and enroute photography: 1 hour.

As per this itinerary, you can spend around 45 Min for Lunch time.

3. Bunmahon Beach:

Bunmahon Beach is a stretch of sandy beach located on the southeast coast of Ireland in Bunmahon, County Waterford. This beach is slightly off the R675 (one of the most scenic coastal routes in Ireland)

It is backed by sand dunes and is popular with surfers and for canoeing and kayaking.

Swimming at Bunmahon Beach is only suitable for experienced swimmers. The high waves are dangerous. In fact, Bunmahon Beach can be one of the most dangerous beaches on this part of the coast.

The beach is manned by lifeguards during the summer months and has been awarded Blue Flag status. 

There is a caravan park, modern outdoor play park and basketball court located directly behind the beach.

The dedicated parking space is quite limited, but I have seen people parking on both sides of the different nearby roads.

COPPER COAST UNESCO Global geopark (one of the 3 Geoparks in Ireland) is few meters away from this beach. You can also explore the park if you wish to do so.

The area used to be mined for copper and this section of the coast being known as the “Copper Coast”.

NOTE: We have not gone to the Geopark.

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 20 min

NOTE: We took lunch from home and had that near the parking area in Bunmahon Beach.

4. Kilmurrin Cove / Beach:

This is a nice viewpoint over this beach, with a decent parking lot facility.

For extra picturesque views walk a bit uphill on the farmland and enjoy the view from there! 

Kilmurrin Beach is an expansive stretch of golden sand that’s perfect for a day out with friends and family. The beach was the location for a stunning piece of sand art created by environmental artist Sean Corcoran, measuring 120ft in height and 200ft wide, higher than Dublin’s Liberty Hall. The artwork was created to encourage people around Ireland to ‘Keep Discovering’ as the country reopens once again.

Kilmurrin Beach is surrounded by two rocky headlands that shelter the soft, powdery sand, leaving the water still and clear, creating perfect swimming conditions.

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 20 min

R675 Route is one of the most scenic coastal routes in Ireland.

5. Annestown Beach:

This place is not mentioned in the above map.

There are many beaches in the R675 route. The one that we visited after Kilmurrin was Annestown beach.

Annestown Strand is in Annestown, County Waterford and is an attractive bathing place. It is popular with surfers and swimmers alike.

There is a dedicated parking space available but there is a height clearance restriction to enter the car park.

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 10 min

6. Newtown Cove / Beach:

Newtown is a small, sheltered cove with a stony beach, with easy access for swimmers by the slipway or ladder.

The water is very clean generally with good visibility. This place is popular during summertime. There is a lot of parking space available, and this place is nearby metal man statue.

The Metal Man statue stands on one of three pillars near Newtown Cove.

It was constructed as a maritime beacon after the tragic loss of over 350 lives after HMS Seahorse sank back in 1816.

Dressed in traditional British sailor clothing, the Metal Man is on private land with the entrance to the monument blocked due to dangerous cliffs. However, you can see the figure from various points along the coast. 

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination: 20 min

7. Station House, Kilmeadan  (WSV Railway):

The Waterford Suir Valley Railway starts from this station and ends at this station (journey time is approximately 50 minutes).

This is a heritage narrow gauge railway whihc runs along 10 kilometres of the abandoned Waterford Dungarvan line. We were told that this is Ireland’s longest narrow-gauge railway.

I had my son with me during the trip and hence this place was picked as one of the destinations in this trip. Kids would love this train journey.

There is enough car parking space available in front of this station. The car park and train’s starting point (Kilmeadan) are very near to each other (just a few metres).

There is also a toilet facility and a café shop (Whistlestop Cáfe) available within the station.

Try to book online in advance, if you plan to visit this place as sometimes the seats get filled faster.

I had done an online booking in the WSV website ( https://www.wsvrailway.ie/) a day prior and have opted for the 4PM trip (last trip of the day). By picking 4PM slot, you will get enough time to cover all the places mentioned above in the route map.

Enroute, the train stops at a station for a minute or so. On the left side, watch out for the cormorants resting on the ruins of Kilmeadan Castle and get a glimpse into Mount Congreve Gardens . Make a wish when you see the fairies in the Magic Wood.

NOTE:

1. There are different slots available like 11 AM, 12 Noon, 1 PM, 2 PM, 3PM and 4 PM (last slot)
2. There are 8 small compartments available. Enclosed compartments can hold 12 people and partially open compartments can hold 8 people.
3. You will get better views (River Suir) if you sit on the left-hand side. The right side has view only to the walking track (part of Waterford greenway)
4. If you plan to take photos/videos, I suggest booking a partially open compartment as its quite open (the enclosed ones have fully closed windows).
5. The carriages are wheelchair accessible.

8. Dunmore East / Dunmore Harbour:

Dunmore East is a popular tourist and fishing village in County Waterford, Ireland.

The harbour is one of the five designated National Fishery Harbours and has the second highest figure for fish landings after Killybegs.

Tourism in Dunmore East is supported by boating and sailing facilities, holiday homes, traditional pubs, a golf course, and several hotels.

This place can potentially be a good place for you to have your Dinner.

We tried some Fish and Chips from ‘Fish shop’.  The food was economical and good (taste wise and Quantity wise)

Approximate time that you can set aside for this destination (including Dinner):  1 Hour

9. Waterford City Centre:

This place is not mentioned in the above map.

If you are following the above map, you will be passing through Waterford city centre enroute Dublin.

Waterford is the oldest and the fifth most populous city in the Republic of Ireland.

Waterford, Ireland’s oldest city is believed to have been established by the Viking Ragnall (the grandson of Ivar the Boneless) in 914 AD.

Incase if you didn’t have your dinner from Dunmore, this place would be another great option.

Parking can be a problem if you decide to park your car and explore the city by foot.

Waterford is renowned for its exciting festivals and events such as the West Waterford Festival of Food.

This concludes the destinations in this trip.  We returned to Saggart, Dublin which was approximately 150Kms and 1.5 hours.

I had to do the trip to Waterford in a day and hence had to purposefully avoid few other interesting places in Waterford.

If you have time, I will strongly recommend spending 2 days (&1 night) in County Waterford.  There are plenty of accommodation options available within the county.

Few other places that you could explore are:

Waterford crystal Factory, Medieval Museum, Bishops’ Palace

COPPER COAST UNESCO Global geopark

Dungarvan (Davitts Quay),

Tramore Beach

Lismore castle garden

Ardmore Beach

Ardmore farm & Mini Zoo

Goat Island, Ballynamona

Copper Coast Sea Kayaking

Hook Lighhouse

There are many walking trails within county Waterford:

Waterford Greenway

The Mahon Falls Walk

The Coumshingaun Loop Walk

The Ardmore Cliff Walk

The Ballysaggartmore Towers Walk

The Anne Valley Walk

The Dunmore East Cliff Walk

There are also different surfing schools within Waterford that offer lessons for novice surfers and first timers, so don’t worry if you’ve never tried surfing before. If you fancy trying your hand at a bit of surfing, this is an ideal place.     

Hope you enjoyed reading my blog. I would like you to try out this itinerary and let me know your comments!

Victor’s way is an Indian Sculpture Park located in County Wicklow, near Dublin, Ireland. It is a 22-acre park surrounded by lush green forest and typical Irish countryside. The park also has some open green fields, ponds and several small lakes.

We followed the below route:

The entire route is quite scenic.

We had spent some time at the Cloghleagh Bridge and at the Lough Tay Viewing point (and Guinness Lake) before reaching Victor’s way.

Cloghleagh Bridge:

This lovely Single arch bridge (over Shankill River) is surrounded by woodland and is adjacent to a quaint church. It’s a beautiful quiet place surrounded by shady trees, with small waterfalls and large flat rocks. There is also a Walking Trail available here.

Lough Tay Viewing point (and Guinness Lake):

The lake is located along the Sally Gap drive and you’ll be treated to magnificent views of its inky black water. The Guinness Lake, as it’s known, is situated within a private estate, but it can be viewed from above from several viewing points along the Sally Gap.

Victor’s way:

You can either book online or pay as cash (10 Euros for Adults) for the tickets. I have not seen any ticket counter as such. There is a small slot where you deposit the money. When we visited, there was a person available near the car park to collect the cash. I don’t remember them giving us any printed tickets or so.

There is enough parking space available within the park.

The entry to the Victor’s Way is an unusual opening, with two ladies on either side. It is known as Victoria’s Gate and the opening represents the birth canal. The birth canal in other words is the one through which we came through into this world. It’s the first journey we ever make in life, and at this point our world becomes so much bigger.

The birth canal here represents being born again and entering into the park, with all the worries of the world left behind on the other side.

The park was known as Victoria’s Way until 2015, when it was closed by the owner who felt that too many day-trippers were coming into the park for fun activities (for parents & children). It was reopened in 2016 as Victor’s Way with new age restrictions as it was designed as a garden for over 28’s year old only.

Although the park won’t suit everyone’s taste, it’s one of the unique things to discover in Ireland. If you’re looking to escape from your busy daily life, then a trip to the peaceful Victor’s Way Park might just be what you need. In addition, it was created for those between the ages of 28 to 60 years old.

It is indeed a great place for a relaxing walk. You can easily spent a good hour or two, walking around the sculpture gardens and it’s best to follow the arrows to guide you through the different areas. There are lot of sculptures (lot of Indian/Hindu deities aswell) within the campus. Some statues appear stunningly beautiful in their black granite.

Seems that many of the sculptures here were directly carved in Mahabalipuram, India.

Please note that this place is not intended for Family Fun (like other parks). This is more of a meditation park.

There is a lot of walk around. So please plan accordingly if you have small kids or elderly people within your group.

Its always better to check their website for the opening season/timings. Please note that this is not open throughout the year. Also, I believe they don’t encourage pets.

Website: https://victorsway.eu/

The Irishman Victor Langheld designed and created the park. Victor also stays within the campus. So there are high chances that you might see him somewhere within in the park.

One of the most famous sculpture here is The Ferryman’s End.

The Ferryman’s End represents the icon of burnout, is set in algae covered waters.

     The ferryman ferries himself and others from ‘this shore’ to the ‘other shore’ (and where the grass is always greener). In other words, he/she ferries from here (meaning sameness) to there (meaning difference) and so from death to life. (Courtesy: https://victorsway.eu/sculptures/ferryman.htm)

(Note: One personal comment. Don’t underestimate the size of this sculpture after seeing the images in Internet. It is relatively small and is set in algae covered waters)

There is a craft shop onsite selling Indian made products. The interesting thing is that there is nobody available within the shop for selling the items. All items have the amount details mentioned in that. If you liked any item, just check the price, and deposit the money in a small box (Honesty Box) kept at the entrance.

We visited Howth in August 2021.

Howth is in the outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes the island of Ireland’s Eye.

Its stunning location surrounded on three sides by the Irish Sea makes it a favourite with tourists.

One of Dublin’s oldest working harbours, Howth has been a fishing village and port since at least the 14th century.

We took the Public transport (Luas) from Saggart to Connolly (Last stop of the red line)

Other Travel Options:

1. You can get the 31 number bus that will take you to the Howth Harbour. Or you can take the 31A number bus which goes through Howth Village to Howth Summit. Both buses leave from the same location, Eden Quay (just off O’Connell Street).
2. If you are coming from downtown Dublin, follow the R807 road along the coastline. This road will turn into R105 and this will lead you to downtown Howth. It is about 18km and might take about 30 minutes depending on traffic.

Connolly luas (Tram) and the dart (train) stations are quite near to each other.

The Dart station is in the first floor and you can take lift/escalator from the Luas Platform to reach there.

If you are interested, you can use Leap Travel Card. More detail about Leap Visitor card can be found here:

https://about.leapcard.ie/leap-visitor-card

If atall you don’t have leap cards, you can buy it from the shops within or nearby the Luas/Dart stations.

You can touch off your leap card in the machine provided at the entry. Don’t forget to do that at the exit aswell.

Connolly station:

There are around 7 platforms in Connolly (+ 2 Platform for Luas).

The train timing and Platforms are clearly marked in the boards. So you don’t have to panic and there are even sign boards clearly indicating the platform number.

The dart train from Connolly to Howth would take around 30 minutes. Trains are available at regular intervals.

If you are visiting Howth using you own car, there ae plenty of parking space available near to the dart station.

There are multiple trails available in Howth. It’s worth to note that many of these trails get busy over the Weekends / Public holidays.

In the beginning of the cliff paths, there are clear indications of the various paths like Green, Blue, Red, Purple and so on. But there are high chances that you miss the actual path (as colour codes are missing at many places, enroute)

All Trails website will give you a rough idea about the various options.

https://www.alltrails.com/ireland/county-dublin/howth

We had gone with the Cliff walk from the dart Station towards the Howth Summit (Howth head Cliff Walk-lower cliff walk). The distance is around 6 Kms (walking time of 1.5-2 Hours approx)

NOTE: If you have more time, you can try Black Linn Loop Walk that goes through Ben of Howth (highest peak of the peninsula). From the summit, you might get a full 360 degree view overlooking the entire peninsula, Howth Castle, Howth village and so on.

Another option is the Bog of Frogs Loop Walk, which follows the coastline for 12km.

If you are taking the Howth Summit route, the best way is to take Google search option to look for Howth summit (as the destination) . The good thing with that destination is that you can take a Return Bus either to Dublin city centre or back to the ‘Howth’ Dart station.

 The beginning of the cliff walk is relatively very steep.

But you have some parking space available at the end of the steep.

Enroute the way to  the cliff parking, you can also visit Balscadden Bay Beach.

NOTE: When you walk past the village towards Howth Head, walk up the hill until you reach a little gate, behind which there is a set of quite steep steps, that lead you down to this beach.

Please note that the path is quite narrow there is no fence available throughout the cliff walk. So please be careful if there are small children in your group.

The view throughout the cliff walk is excellent. There are tonnes of photography options throughout the walk.

Near to the Summit, you can also see a path going down to the Baily Lighthouse (the last lighthouse in Ireland to be automated). This cottage-style, 13-metre tall lighthouse sits out on the cliffs with a stunning view over the Irish Sea. Baily (built in 1917) is one of Ireland’s most photographed lighthouses on the eastern coastline.

In this trip, we did not go to the Lighthouse.

NOTE: If you really dont have the energy / time for a 6Km walk, you can drive till the Howth Summit and walk down the Baily lighthouse.

Just check out for sign bus board (near the summit) from where you can get the return bus (H3) back to Howth beach or the Dublin City Centre.

There is also enough Car parking space available near the summit.

Compared to the Main Howth City centre, the summit has relatively less number of restaurants/shops.

After the cliff walk, we took the bus back to the Howth beach (Bus H3, which goes to city center via Howth Beach), got down the bus at Howth beach stop and went to the Ferry / Bay area to take a boat service to Ireland’s Eye.

Currently uninhabited, Ireland’s Eye was once home to a monastery, established around 700 AD.

Ireland’s Eye can be visited every day during the summer months and on weekends / bank holidays only during the rest of the year.

There are different companies that are operating ferries here.

A 45 minutes TO and FRO trip to the Ireland’s eye will cost around 25 Euros/person.

We had taken the service of a company named ‘Howth Cliff Cruises’. (http://howthcliffcruises.ie/)

NOTE: I have read in many places that we can get down at the Ireland’s eye and walk around. You can visit the Martello Tower aswell. Landing on the island is at the discretion of the captain depending on weather conditions. Since we had take a evening ferry, such an option was not available for us.

This is a great boat trip, something that should not missed during your journey to Howth. You will see a lot of birds and probably seals, during this journey.

During the return journey in boat, you would also get a chance to see the Howth Harbour Lighthouse from different angles.

NOTE: There are options available to walk down the Howth Pier to see the Lighthouse at a closer distance.

After the boat trip, we returned back to the Howth Dart station and further to the Dublin city centre.

Howth is a very safe destination. Coast guard security is also present at important points.

If you are looking for some food options, there are multiple options available.

We had tried ‘The Bloody Stream’ and the service/food quality/menu items were really good.

Also there are a few Indian restaurants like ‘Okra Green’ in Howth. Due to a tight schedule with a limited time, Personally I did not try any items from Okra.

You need to spend around 6-7 hours to complete the itinerary/places , that I mentioned here.

NOTES:

1.Please note that there are many other places to see like Howth Castle, St. Mary’s Abbey, Howth Market, Howth Village, National Transport Museum, Hurdy Gurdy Vintage Radio Museum and so on.

2.There are some limited accomodation options available like ‘King Sitric’.

“The Journey not the Arrival matters.” – T.S Eliot

We visited Dalkey and Killiney in Oct 2021. It was a great sunny day In Ireland (perfect for a day trip).

We took the Public transport (Luas) from Saggart to Connolly (Last stop of the red line).

Connolly Luas (Tram) and the Dart (Train) stations are quite near to each other.

Connolly station:

It is the biggest train station in Ireland. There are around 7 platforms in Connolly (+ 2 Platform for Luas).

The train timings and Platforms are clearly marked on the boards. So you don’t have to panic and there are even sign boards clearly indicating the platform numbers.

We took the train to Bray from Connolly. Dalkey is the 14th stop from Connolly. Dalkey is a very small station. This is a very scenic train route.

We had covered the following places in our trip:

1. Dalkey Town:

Just outside the train station, you will see clear road markings indicating the different place names.

Dalkey town is a small and beautiful town with lots of shops including multi cuisine restaurants.

It’s also an interesting fact that many rich and famous people stay in and around Dalkey. 

If you are reaching here during lunch time, make sure to have the lunch from the Dalkey town itself. You wouldn’t find more options in the other destinations during this journey.

If you are planning to have a walking tour, it will be good to  get some bottles and snacks from Dalkey. There is a SuperValu available here.

2. Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre:

Dalkey Castle is one of the seven fortified town houses/castles of Dalkey. The castles were built to store the goods which were off-loaded in Dalkey during the Middle Ages, when Dalkey acted as the port for Dublin. The castles all had defensive features to protect the goods from being plundered. These are still available on the site. For more details: https://www.dalkeycastle.com/ Note: Please note that there is an entry fee of 13.95 Euros.

3. Colliemore Harbour & Dalkey island:

This was more of a walking tour.

The next destination after the castle was the Colliemore Harbour.

Please note that there are small boats available to visit the Dalkey island (Its an uninhibited island) .

This island is an ideal spot for fishing.

But these boat services are seasonal.

You can check the website to see some boat timings : http://kentheferryman.com/

4. Dillion’s Park:

It’s a great place for a small picnic, to go fishing or simply to enjoy the views of Dalkey Island and the lighthouse.

5. Vico Road to Vico Bath:

We took the Vico Road (Scenic route along the coast) to reach the Vico Bath.

You will see a lot of nice houses with great views, enroute.

Vico Bathing place is a must see in this route. Unfortunately, there are no great markings to Vico Bath. So please be a little careful else you might miss the entrance (it’s a small path going down with a bridge over the dart line) to the Bath area.

Maps Indication (Courtesy: Google Maps): https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2703705,-6.0973575,3a,75y,176.69h,75.09t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEiB1toGZ6ntZtLD18S-cpw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

The historic Vico Baths in Dalkey is one of the most popular places to go swimming in Dublin. This historic bathing place has been delighting locals and tourists alike for many years.

Here, we are covering these places as a part of the walking tour. If you plan to visit this place directly in a car, please remember that there is no much parking available near to the bath, as the Vico road is very narrow. The best option will be to park your car somewhere near the Dalkey Town.

There is no life guard available here. So it is good to be careful while swimming. There is a small changing room but no bathrooms.

Historically, it was a gentlemen only bathing place. There were penalties for women who break the rule and try to swim there. But such things have changed now and no such rule persists today.

You would also see  a Big ‘EIRE’ Sign on your walk down to the Vico Baths.

6. Killiney Hills

This park was dedicated to public use in 1887. Killiney Hill is a popular destination for walkers and hikers availing spectacular views, over the surrounding areas.

You can follow the Vico Road further to reach the entry to the Killiney Hill. Clear indication boards are available.  Please remember that if you are planning to take this route, you will have to climb a large number of steps (don’t recollect the number of steps) to reach the top of the Killiney Hill. If you have small kids / or people with walking difficulties in your group, this wouldn’t be an ideal route for you. Instead you can reach the top of Killiney hill through the other side in your car. There is also a big car park available at the top.

The views from the Killiney hill top is marvellous. As soon as you reach Killiney hill top, please refer to one of the maps/boards which are erected in different places. That places will give you a fairly good idea about the various points of interest within the Killiney Hill.

From one side of the Killiney hill, you can see the Vico Road, DART Train line and the Dalkey Island.

From another side, you will see the Killiney Beach.

From another side, you will see a lot of residential areas, Motor way and industrial estates.

7) The Obelisk (within the Killiney Hills):

Don’t miss the Obelisk while you are in Killiney Hill.

Killiney Obelisk has been the subject of much attention since it was built in the 1740s. It was intended as the centerpiece of a great undertaking to plant and landscape the hill, which at first was called Obelisk Hill, and more recently has become known as Killiney Hill.

You can also visit the Pyramid, when you are in Killiney Hill.

NOTES:

1. There are couple of options to reach the Killiney Hill, if you are coming in car. (One route has a height restriction in place)
2. There are no much shops available in the  Killiney hill. Either you have to get something from a coffee shop near to one of the car parks. Normal people try to come up to the Killiney hill with some small snacks, Pizzas, Burgers and so on.
3. There is also a rest room available outside the coffee shop.

8. Killiney Beach:

You can Climb down the Killiney hill to reach the Killiney beach.

Personally, We did not like the beach.

There is enough parking space available near the Killiney Beach. There is also public toilet available (near the Killiney beach parking). The toilet is not maintained properly.

Food options:

As mentioned earlier, there are lots of restaurants in Dalkey.

Personally we had tried food from Kathmandu Restaurant and Wood Burn Pizza. The food was tasty.

There were also 3-4 Indian cuisine restaurants available in Dalkey.

Some restaurants would need prior booking.

Parking Options:

By chance if you want to visit in car, there are parking spaces available near Collimeore harbour, Castle, Killiney hill and Killiney beach.

Killiney Beach was our last destination in our journey. The Killiney DART (Train) station is just near to the Killiney Beach.

For those who wants to return back to the Dublin City Center, you can take direct train to Connolly from Killiney station.

For those who wants to explore beyond Killiney, please check out the rail network. There’s a great rail network coverage and you could pick some nice destinations.

Dalkey and Killiney Hill  is infact a great one day trip from Dublin. Infact this can be covered in a half day trip aswell.

NOTE: We have covered only a few places here in this blog. Our idea was to give you a high level overview of this place. Certainly do a homework and make a proper plan. You can really craft a beautiful one day itinerary for this destination.

Happy Journey!!

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide.

We visited Bray and Greystones in July 2021.

Thanks to the Sunny Weather (believe me, it didn’t rain that day in Ireland), it was really a wonderful trip.

We took the Public transport (Luas) from Saggart to Connolly (Last stop of the red line)

Connolly Luas (Tram) and the Dart (Train) stations are quite near to each other.

Bray is relatively a small station.

You can also go to Bray in bus and there is a bus depot aswell, in Bray.

Main Attractions in Bray:

1. Sea Life Aquarium:

We couldn’t visit the aquarium as the entries were restricted with prior booking (due to covid restrictions).

2. Bray Beach:

Bray beach is not a pure white sand beach.

You will see a lot of pebbles here.

There are lots of snack shops (ice creams shops and restaurants) near the beach area.

Few points to note:

a) There are clear indications through out the walking trail.

b) Remember the Wicklow Litter Code: You wouldn’t see any bins through out the walking trail. You will have to keep the rubbish with you and throw it in the bins at the start or the end point.

c) Some of the paths in the walking trail is very narrow.  A one way traffic might have to be followed there.

4. Greystones Beach:

The final destination of this cliff walk is the Greystones Beach.

Compared to the Bray beach, the Greystones beach is less crowded. (You can play/swim here).

The bay area here is really nice.

The Greystones town is small and there are lot of shops in both sides of the road (for light refreshments and so on).

The Greystones dart station is around 1 km / 10-15 min (walking distance) from the beach.

There is a small and nice beach near to the station.

You can take the train from Greystones to Bray (if you have parked your cars in the Bray Parking area).

For those who wants to return back to the Dublin City Center, you can take direct train to Connolly from Greystones station.

For those who wants to explore beyound Greystones, please check out the rail network. There’s a great rail network coverage and you could pick some nice destinations.

There are lot of restaurants and small coffee shops available in both Bray and Greystones.

Some among them are:

PLATFORM Pizza Bar and BOX BURGER (in Bray)

We had tried some of the Indian restaurants (lots of options available) in Greystones and really liked ‘Chakra By Jaipur’ the most.

If you are looking for ice-creams, our personal recommendation would be ‘Gino’s’

Another cool hangout place for Vegetarians in Greystones is ‘The Happy Pear’.

Bray and Greystones is infact a great one day trip from Dublin.

NOTE: We have covered only a few places here in this blog. Our idea was to give you a high level overview of this place. Certainly do a homework and make a proper plan. You can really craft a beautiful one day itinerary for this destination.

Happy Journey!!

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharlal Nehru

We visited Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and Kilkenny In Ireland in December 2018. We booked this trip through ‘Wild Rover Tours’. The details of the tour can be seen in the link below:

https://wildrovertours.com/activity/kilkenny-wicklow-mountains-glendalough/

This is a full day trip from Dublin, Ireland and the booking can be done online.

Route Map:

During online booking, they give you some discounts (10-15%) on other similar tour packages operated by the same company.

They have 3 Pickup points in Dublin and the trip starts at 8:10 AM

8:10am at Gresham Hotel, O’Connell St Dublin 1
8:20am at Ulster Bank Bus Stop, Dame Street / College Green Dublin 2
8:30am at Jurys Inn, Christ Church Dublin 8

Note: They have only 1 Drop point near O’Connell street (will be back by 6PM)

Charges: Adult: €33.00
Child (under 12): €25.00 (they don’t accept reservations for babies under 2)
Student: €28.00

Place 1: As a part of this trip, we first visited ‘Richard Collen’s Working Sheep Farm.

Mr Richard and his wife explains how they run the farm.

Also a very interesting ‘Sheep Herding Demonstration Using Border Collies’. It’s an interesting one, for people like me who have not seen this before. This is a wonderful experience not to be missed!

After demonstration, they hand us the baby lambs for hugs and cuddles and you can take pictures with the baby lamps.

Place 2: The next place is the famous heritage site of Glendalough; a glacial valley and medieval monastic settlement. Its just a 5 minutes drive from the sheep farm.

The Bus will be parked there for 2 hours (expected to be back in bus by around 12PM)and we can visit the Glendalough Monastic Site. Nick (our guide) from the Tour operator side will explain about the place and once the walking tour is over, we can walk till the Glendalough Upper and Lower Lake. Please note that the walking distance is around 1.6 Kms+ (one side) from the parking area. The views are stunning and I would personally recommend this.

There are restaurant and bathroom facilities available in the ‘Glendalough Hotel’.

I would personally suggest you to take some light food from here as the bus would stop only at the next attraction at around 1:45 PM.

Enroute to the place 3, we will pass through the beautiful scenic mountains (Wicklow Gap) lying both sides of the Braveheart Drive road. You will also pass through very small town like ‘Holly Wood’. The bus will also stop for 10 minutes, for you to take some beautiful snaps of the mountains. You will also get a chance to see a lot of ‘Fairy trees’ enroute.

Place 3: The last and final place of visit is ‘Kilkenny’ Medieval City. We might reach here around 1:45 PM and bus will be parked near the Kilkenny Castle till 4PM. Before reaching Kilkenny, the guide will provide all the information related to the various attractions in that area.

If you are a person who is not fond of History, this is not a location that you might enjoy.

My decision was to visit the St. Canice’s Medieval Cathedral and Round Tower. You need to pay a small fees for getting onto the top of the Round Tower from where you can get a 360 view of the town. Beware that there are around 100 steps and it’s a risky one for the elders and young kids.

There is also a small ticket for seeing the inside of the Cathedral.

Based on individual preference, you can also decide between:

Kilkenny Castle

Ballykeefe Distillery

Rothe House & Garden

Saint Francis’s Abbey Brewery

National Craft Gallery

You will be back in the City Center by 6PM, if the bus starts around 4.15 PM from Kikenny.

Overall, I feel that the trip is very economical. The Travel Guide ‘Nick’ and the pilot ‘Paddy’ were very supportive and caring. Nick has spend more than 30 years in Ireland and he gives a lot of information (using Mic and speaker) about the History of Ireland, Dublin and the attractions that we visit. He was amazing – not only was he informative but hosted walking tours along the way which was interesting. He also brought along some instruments and entertained us with his music along the way.

The only thing what you have to keep in mind is that the operator doesn’t spend/waste time by stopping the bus in front of the restaurants. Anyway food is not included in this package. So be prepared to grab a short menu like Burgers or sandwich wherever the bus parks. This is quite a busy journey throughout the complete day. In case, if you want to save some money, you can also pack food from your home/hotel. The tour operator don’t block you from having outside food inside the coaches.

Overall, I would recommend this one-day package to my fellow travellers.

As for the tour itself, everything was great except time. But I guess that’s the same thing for all day tours; there’s little time for so many things to see and do. All in all, it was a great tour, and we were lucky to have a beautiful weather to make it more enjoyable.

Anyway, there are some other tour operators like ‘Paddywagon’ who are also operating in the same route.

https://www.paddywagontours.com/KILKENNY-and-WICKLOW-Day-Tour-From-DUBLIN?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-vuPrYK23wIVBbTtCh39wg6JEAAYASACEgL_5vD_BwE

But they don’t take you to the sheep farm, I guess.

In Winter time, we might not see the real beauty of this place. But in Summer, these are must see destinations.

We visited county Galway from Dublin, in February 2019.

This was a part of the 5-day road trip from Dublin covering mainly Mayo, Galway and Clare counties.

Road map- Day 2:

Places covered on Day 2 (In County Galway)

1) Connemara National Park:

The park covers nearly 3000 hectares of land and includes mountains, bog, heath and woodland. Entrance to the park is free. Pets are allowed.

There are four trails in the park. The Woodland Trail, Scruffaunboy Walk, Lower Diamond Hill Walk and Upper Diamond Hill Walk, however the real reason for coming here is to do one thing only, and that is to climb Diamond Hill, the 445m mountain that stands majestically in the centre of the landscape. The full hill walk is combination of 3 of the walks, 7.5km and takes 2-3 hours. You will find the visitor centre in the entrance of the trail.

We did not proceed for the Trails, as we were running short of time.

Note: Connemara is also known for Connemara Pony Breed.

2) Kylemore Abbey:

This is one of the most visited tourist attractions in this part of the County Galway. Seems like this Abbey was a former castle.

You can visit some rooms in the abbey, many of them were redesigned with the original furniture and provide a lot of information about the history of Kylemore Abbey.

There is a entry fee into the Abbey.

Another attraction that we skipped in this region was ‘LetterFrack Village’. The village has some traditional music bars, restaurants and so on.

3) Aasleagh Falls:

Aasleagh Falls, sometimes spelled Ashleigh Falls, is a small but picturesque waterfall on the River Erriff near Killary Harbour. There is a parking area, a short walk from the falls. Salmon fishing is popular in this region.

We also saw the Killary Fjord Boat tours office on the way. The service was not operational because of Winter.

• You can find more details in the below link:
• https://killaryfjord.com/

4) Sionnanach:

There is a nice parking space here. There are seats wooden seats arranged in this place. You can park your vehicle and relax for some time.

5) Clifden:

We had gone upto Clifden that day but it was already late evening and we had to leave back to county Mayo where we had booked for that night stay.

Clifden is around 15 minutes from Letterfrack and is one of the largest towns in this region.

The main attractions in Clifden are:

1) Sky road: The Sky Road drive in Clifden is a popular route in the Connemara region and has been described as the most impressive coastal drive in the country.

2) Clifden castle / Dunguaire Castle

Road Map – Day 3

Places that we covered/planned to cover on Day 3 (In County Galway)

Glengowla Mines

Rossaveal Ferry (To Aran Islands)) (we did not go for boating here)

Salthill Promenade

National Aquarium

Claddagh (Corrib Princess Boat) (we did not visit here)

Spanish Arch (we did not visit here)

Galway Bay

Kinvarra Fishing Port (we did not visit here)

1) Glengowla Mines

We really wanted to go inside this mines but at the entrance gate, we realised that it is normally closed to Visitors during winter.

It’s an old lead mine that was only in operation for fifteen years or so in the 1800’s(1851-1865) but now it’s open for tours down into the mine. Its an interesting place to learn about the miners work and about Irish history. Mainly Silver and lead was mined from here.

Am little confused if we should call it as a Historic place or a Tourist attraction.

Please note that the mine is open for the season from March 18^th and close by the end of October. They are open from 10 AM till 6PM, with the last guided tour at 5 PM.

They have various options like Guided Tours, Sheep herding, Farm walks, Museums, gift shops and so on.

Fares:

Adult : 11 Euros

Children : 4.5 Euros

Students : 10.5 Euros

Family : 27 Euros

2) Rossaveal Ferry ( To Aran Islands):

Ferry services are available to Aran islands from Rossaveal.

This ferry port is around one hour drive from the Galway city centre.

They also suggest booking the tickets well in advance, to avoid any disappointments at the last moment.

Notes:

You have to park your vehicles (Parking charges apply) in the designated parking space.

They also arrange a shuttle bus which leaves Galway city on time to get you to the ferry.

They allow pets inside the ferry.

Bicycles are allowed (but with some restrictions on the total numbers)

Travel times to the Aran Islands from Rossaveal.

Rossaveal to Inis Mór (Inishmore): 40 Minutes.

Rossaveal to Inis Meáin(Inishmaan): 50 Minutes.

Rossaveal to Inis Oírr(Inisheer): 55 Minutes.

3) Salthill Promenade:

The Irish for Salthill is ‘Bóthar na Trá’, which literally means ‘the road by the sea’.

Salthill’s main attraction every year has been its promenade and numerous sandy beaches. The promenade covers approximately 3kms of coastline, overlooking Galway Bay.

This is an ideal area for jogging, rollerblading or strolling.

There are lots of bars, restaurants, and hotels. There are many designated parking space aswell.

4) National Aquarium:

You can see a wide and diverse collection of Ireland’s native marine and freshwater animals here.

Galway Aquarium is designed over two floors, where visitors follow a vivid interpretation of the Irish aquatic landscape, from the glacial mountain streams of Connemara, down through the famous River Corrib and out into Galway Bay.

Galway Atlantaquaria typically opens for every holiday and Bank holiday weekend (St Patrick’s Day, Good Friday etc).

Opening Times:

Open Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm

Open Saturday, Sunday 10am – 6pm

Last admission 45 mins before closing time every day.

Admission Fee:

The admission fee includes entry for the day, so visitors are allowed to come and go any time but need to hold the receipt for re-Admission

General:

Adult €13.00

Child €8.50

Senior €9.50

Student €10.00

Children ages 2 and under are free.

Family Tickets:

2 Adults and 1 Child € 31.00

2 Adults and 2 Children € 35.00

1 Adult and 2 Children € 24.00

Each Additional child € 4.50

Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult at all times!

There is also a fish feeding demonstration happening at different timings like 3Pm for big fish feeding.

As Ireland’s largest aquarium, they strive to ensure that a visit to the Galway Aquarium provides a real wonder for visitors of all ages.

Website: www.nationalaquarium.ie

5) Claddagh and the Corrib Princess Boat:

Claddagh (Irish: an Cladach, meaning “the shore”) is an area close to the centre of Galway city, where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay. It was formerly a fishing village, just outside the old city walls. It is just across the river from the Spanish Arch, which was the location of regular fish markets where the locals supplied the city with seafood as recently as the end of the 19th century.

The boat was not operational in winter and hence had to skip this in our tour.

They do some sailings in April and in the month of October.(Private group hire of 20+ passengers)

Public daily sailing happens between May and September.

Corrib Princess Boat is a luxury 157 seat passenger boat. They sails from Woodquay in the heart of Galway city. The journey takes passengers along the majestic River Corrib and onto Lough Corrib, the Republic of Ireland’s largest lake, providing visitors with unsurpassed views and natural amenities that make this the most spectacular waterway in Ireland.

The sailing duration is around 90 Min.

6) Spanish Arch:

The Spanish Arch built in 1584, stands on the left bank of the River Corrib, where Galway’s river meets the sea.

7) Galway Bay:

Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway and the Burren in County Clare.

Galway Bay is famous for its unique traditional sailing craft, the Galway Hooker.

You can get in touch with Galway Bay sailing club for sailing related details.

8) Kinvarra fishing port/ Kinvara Harbour

Due to the limited time, we did not visit the Fishing port.

Kinvara is a picturesque fishing village, located on the South Shores of the famous “Galway Bay”.

By late evening, we managed to reach the Home stay which we had booked through Airbnb. We had stayed in Pake’s Cottage (Near Cliffs of Moher, County Clare).

We visited Dublin Zoo in November 2018.

This is one of the most visited places in Dublin (by families).

You would need 3-4 hours to cover the entire zoo.

This zoo is located in Phoenix Park just after People’s Garden and its one of the oldest zoo in the world (opened to the public on 1st September 1831). Its spread across 28 hectares.

Dublin Zoo has not got a designated car park. However, there are lots of places to park around Phoenix Park.

An interesting history:

The zoo is noted for its lion breeding program, and since the 1850’s, more than 700 lions have been bred here. The most famous past resident is probably the MGM trademark lion. Named Slats, he was filmed for the opening sequence that preceded all films from the then newly formed MGM studio, and first appeared on screens in 1924.

You can buy tickets online and save some money.

Ticket price below:

There are other options like ‘Annual Pass’.

The zoo is open almost throughout the year.

The zoo is home to roughly 400 animals from 100 different species, and you can visit all of them across the eight different habitats, which range from an Asian jungle to a family farm, where kids get to meet the inhabitants up close and milk a (model) cow.

Some of the mammal’s that you find are:

Chimpanzee,

Gorilla

Orangutan

When visiting the new Orangutans enclosure in Dublin Zoo be careful when they are crossing above your head.

They’ve been known to pee and poo down on onlookers for the craic.

Elephant ,

Giraffe,

Hippopotamus,

Rhinoceros,

Lemur,

Okapi,

Oryx,

Sea Lion,

Zebra,

Snow Leopard,

Tiger Wolf

Some of the Bird’s that you find are:

Flamingo,

Ostrich,

Pea cock,

Penguin

Family Farm

Located near the entrance/exit, the zoo also has a petting farm, where visitors can interact with farm animals

Cows,

Sheep,

Pigs,

Goats,

Rabbits,

Chickens,

Other animals

There is a Snake park with in Campus.

There is a beautiful lake within the zoo.

Carefully recreated habitats:

Their habitats have been carefully recreated, there is no cage in this Zoo and you can feel the wellbeing of the inhabitants. The Zoo has worked on an expansion project for 20 years including a huge African Plains area, a new sea lion cove habitat, a forest trail for the elephants, a forest for the orangutan and a rainforest for the gorilla.

Play Forest:

Dublin Zoo has got a free and innovative play area for children (mainly kids aged from 3 to 10). Named Play Forest, it is strategically located across the lake from the main entrance, just past the main Asian Forest attractions — or about a 10 minute walk if you weren’t stopping to look at the animals. The play area includes fun wooden climbing structures and a giant slide.

There are restaurants and souvenir shops within the campus.

There are lot of seating arrangements in the campus. It’s really good option to relax yourself after a long walk. If you have taken food from home, you can take advantage of the numerous picnic areas scattered throughout the zoo.

If interested, you can also adopt animals.

https://www.dublinzoo.ie/67/Adopt-an-Animal.aspx

Dublin zoo has live web cams. You can see them (Elephants, penguins) here:

https://www.dublinzoo.ie/17/Webcams.aspx

Tesco Clubcard points can be converted into Dublin Zoo passes.

We visited county Mayo from Dublin in February 2019.

This was a part of the 5-day road trip from Dublin covering mainly Mayo, Galway and Clare counties.

Road map- Day 1:

Places covered on Day 1:

1) Termonbarry Lock

2) Strokestown Park House

3) Downpatrick Head

4) Céide Fields

1) Termonbarry Lock (This is in County Roscommon)

Happened to see that the re-opening of Tarmonbarry Lock on the Shannon Navigation was done in Apr 2015. This lock is still operational. This is really an Engineering marvel.

You can spend around 30 minutes in this location, as it is quite near to the main road.

There is a lot of parking space available.

2) Strokestown Park House / National Famine Museum (This is in Roscommon County)

Strokestown Park is a unique historic property in the west of Ireland and is the home of the first landlord to be assassinated during the height of the Great Famine of Ireland the 1840s.

If you are a history lover, this place can be in your itinerary. The museum contains some of the best records from the time of the Famine.

Please note that there is a ticket charge involved to get into the National Famine Museum (around 10 Euros/person).

There is a Woodland Walk which is free of charge and open 7 days a week from 10.30am-3.30pm. This would be interesting for kids. (You don’t have to buy any tickets to use this walkway)

There is a lot of parking space available. Website: http://www.strokestownpark.ie

3) Downpatrick Head

This place should be in your itinerary, if you are going to this part of Ireland.

It’s a place of absolute coastal beauty. It is one of the Signature Points on the Wild Atlantic Way in Mayo.

From the parking area, there is a nice walk. A little bit upwards, but easy to make.

The name Downpatrick is derived from a time when St Patrick himself founded a church here. You can still see the ruins of the church building, a stone cross and holy well here today. This was once a popular destination for pilgrims, who came here each year on the last Sunday of July, known as ‘Garland Sunday’. Today that tradition lives on, and mass is still celebrated at Downpatrick Head on that same day.

There is also a holy well and a memorial to 25 Irishmen who fled from British Redcoats during a 1795 uprising. They hid in the caves at Downpatrick Head, but couldn’t get back out before the tide came in and flooded the cavern. They all perished.

There is a Lookout Post here, one of many around the coast of Ireland dating from about 1939. At these lookout posts in 1942-43, ground markers were etched out spelling EIRE and with a number – this one is 64 – to alert aircraft to the fact that they were now over neutral Ireland.

Be little careful when you go near the edge of the cliffs. Unlike Cliffs of Moher, we don’t have enough protection (steel fence) at the edges.

4) Ceide Fields:

While you visit Down Patrick, please make sure to take the short drive out to visit the Céide Fields. The Céide Fields are the oldest known field systems in the world, over five and a half millennia old. It is a unique Neolithic landscape of world importance, which has changed our perception of our Stone Age ancestors. You can also visit the Céide Fields Visitor Centre, which has exhibitions, audio-visual shows and so on.

Opening Times:

Open Easter to October 29th

Daily 10am – 6pm June to Sept

Daily 10am – 5pm Other months

Available for bookings in winter months.

Admission Charges

Adult: Euro 4.00

Group / Senior: Euro 3.00

Group / Senior: Euro 3.00

Family: Euro 10.00

After Ceide fields, we went back to the homestay.

Road map- Day 2:

Second day, we started a little early as we had to cover a lot of attractions on the same day.

Places covered on Day 2:

Achill Island

Croagh Patrick

Roonagh Pier @ Wild Atlantic Bay

Doolough valley / famine valley

Connemara National park

Kylemore Abbey

Aasleagh Falls

Sionnanach

Clifden

1) Achill Island:

Achill Island is on Ireland’s West Coast in Mayo County. It is on Wild Atlantic Way – a 2500 KM long trail that goes along the Atlantic Ocean in Ireland.

This is a place that you should cover when you are in Mayo.

Achill Island is the largest of all islands off the coast of Ireland. Achill is accessible by the Michael Davitt Bridge, built in 2008 on the site of the original bridge which was constructed in 1887.

It makes a fantastic day trip from Westport, as it’s only one hour away.

Inhabited for over five thousand years, the Irish language is still spoken on the island.

You can see hundreds of sheeps in this region. The sheeps along with the background gives you the best postcard pictures in your camera.

The 2 other places (I couldn’t go to these places) which are around 15-30 Minutes are:

Keel beach (White sand beach)

Keem Bay

2) Croagh Patrick:

Croagh Patrick is a Holy Mountain which overlooks Clew Bay in County Mayo. Croagh Patrick is 8km from Westport town and its peak can be seen soaring above the surrounding countryside. Spectacular views of the Clew Bay coastline and the south Mayo countryside can be seen from the mountain. This is one of the highest peaks in the Western part of Ireland. Please note that in case if you are not planning to climb the mountain, there might not be anything special for you at this place. There is lot of parking space (paid), available here.

3) Roonagh Pier:

We have not visited this place but heard that this is a nice place.

4) Doolough valley:

This is a magical landscape of lakes and mountains.

It is a high-quality driving route in a spectacular setting on the R335 between Delphi and Louisburgh in Co. Mayo.

There is also a Famine Memorial in this region. This is a stone memorial, in the form of a simple stone cross which was erected in memory of the victims of the famine in this area.

Unfortunately, it was slightly raining when we passed through this area. However, this is one of the journeys that I would never forget.

The last 4 destinations that we visited was Connemara national Park, Kylemore Abbey, Aasleagh Falls, Sionnanach and Clifden. I would like to cover those destinations in my blog related to ‘County Galway’.

After seeing Clifden, we went back to our home stay.