Woke to a beautiful morning with no wind and blue skies. We left our cosy loft and meandered our way to a number of ruined castles and churches but found that most of the were on private property so not able to get close. Travelling through the countryside is an absolute treat. Quite different from England and with definite similarities to New Zealand.
We have a bit of history of rental car dramas and managed to keep this going today. I was driving on the motorway when the dash lit up with a startling collection of warning lights and messages, that would not go away. When we finally managed to contact the company they advised us to go to Shannon airport where we could exchange the car. The detour took about two hours in total but was a much better option than having to return to Dublin. A replacement car was waiting for us so we are now driving a Renault Clio - slightly bigger than what we had and goes well. Our detour took us through Limmerick which, even though it was quite a big city, was sill interesting to travel through.
Back to our journey and we drove though the village of Adare. What a stunning looking place, with different coloured buildings and some very clever advertising. Clearly a popular place on a sunny day as it was full of people.
We then headed for Rathkeale to look at the ruins of an Abbey. As we drove though the town I noticed the number of caravans and the fact that there were horses grazing in a field in the middle of the houses. With a bit of investigation we discovered that almost half of the town's residents are members of the 'travelling' community. It was really quite fascinating - there must be plenty of money in 'travelling' as the houses and caravans all looked rather fancy.
Had a few challenges finding our Air BnB for tonight and we ended up on some crazy narrow lanes before we finally found the place. It is interesting, to say the least. Two small (seriously tiny) stone cabins, one with a bed and two chairs and the other with a kitchen and dining table and one wall made of large boulders. The toilet is a composting one, down a pathway, by a field. It really does feel like we are in the middle of nowhere, but Killarney is only 8 miles away.
Not far from here is the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow and very windy road that travels around the bottom of Lough Leane. It was a stunning if somewhat hairy drive as it is only the width of one car, but is two way. Most people were pretty good about making space but there were a few tense moments!
We joined the road that forms part of the Ring of Kerry and enjoyed some spectacular views of the Lough, from the other side. Walked up to the Torc waterfall with it's moss covered boulders and surrounded by trees with their fresh new spring foliage starting to appear. The water colour shows the impact of it's journey through peaty ground.
We went to the supermarket in Killarney before heading back to our cabins for dinner and an evening sitting around the heater.
An observation about Ireland - the people we have encountered have been so kind and friendly, especially to a couple of old Kiwis who get lost, can't figure out how to get into the public toilets and set off the alarm in the supermarket!
We have a bit of history of rental car dramas and managed to keep this going today. I was driving on the motorway when the dash lit up with a startling collection of warning lights and messages, that would not go away. When we finally managed to contact the company they advised us to go to Shannon airport where we could exchange the car. The detour took about two hours in total but was a much better option than having to return to Dublin. A replacement car was waiting for us so we are now driving a Renault Clio - slightly bigger than what we had and goes well. Our detour took us through Limmerick which, even though it was quite a big city, was sill interesting to travel through.
Back to our journey and we drove though the village of Adare. What a stunning looking place, with different coloured buildings and some very clever advertising. Clearly a popular place on a sunny day as it was full of people.
We then headed for Rathkeale to look at the ruins of an Abbey. As we drove though the town I noticed the number of caravans and the fact that there were horses grazing in a field in the middle of the houses. With a bit of investigation we discovered that almost half of the town's residents are members of the 'travelling' community. It was really quite fascinating - there must be plenty of money in 'travelling' as the houses and caravans all looked rather fancy.
Had a few challenges finding our Air BnB for tonight and we ended up on some crazy narrow lanes before we finally found the place. It is interesting, to say the least. Two small (seriously tiny) stone cabins, one with a bed and two chairs and the other with a kitchen and dining table and one wall made of large boulders. The toilet is a composting one, down a pathway, by a field. It really does feel like we are in the middle of nowhere, but Killarney is only 8 miles away.
Not far from here is the Gap of Dunloe, a narrow and very windy road that travels around the bottom of Lough Leane. It was a stunning if somewhat hairy drive as it is only the width of one car, but is two way. Most people were pretty good about making space but there were a few tense moments!
We joined the road that forms part of the Ring of Kerry and enjoyed some spectacular views of the Lough, from the other side. Walked up to the Torc waterfall with it's moss covered boulders and surrounded by trees with their fresh new spring foliage starting to appear. The water colour shows the impact of it's journey through peaty ground.
We went to the supermarket in Killarney before heading back to our cabins for dinner and an evening sitting around the heater.
An observation about Ireland - the people we have encountered have been so kind and friendly, especially to a couple of old Kiwis who get lost, can't figure out how to get into the public toilets and set off the alarm in the supermarket!
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| Adare |
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| Traveller Town |
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| Our Tiny House |
5 comments:
Gorgeous photos!!! What do you do to your rental cars?🧐😂 xx
Love these photos. Deep in history! We have the exact window as in one of your photos in our church! Can see an awesome renovation with the two sided structure 😊
Also a great photo of you both x
Lovely photos. What a great trip you’re having. Gay
Sounds like those lovely people of Ireland will be also be thrilled to see those old folks leave since they are getting into or creating so much trouble. Photos are stunning. Keep them coming. What an adventure you are having. Kenneth.
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