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A Grand Tour Of Ireland

The Night Before

It was raining heavily when I arrived home from work all ready to set off on our holidays. Paul had spent the day getting Matty ready and all we needed to do now was get the Harley loaded onto the trailer. I got showered and changed and bunged all those last minute bits and bobs into my backpack. Late setting off as usual and no fun on the back of the bike late at night in the pouring rain. Once at the compound we tried to get the guard to answer the intercom so so he could let us in to get Matty but it took ages. And when he did eventually answer he couldn’t understand what we wanted since he didn’t speak any English!! After a lot of arguing we finally got  Matty out and proceeded to load up the Harley. We set off about 11 o’clock and drove over Woodhead Pass, where Paul missed the same bend he always does, round Manchester and into the Chester services for an overnight stop. Awoke fairly early on account of being parked in the lorry park as we were so big. It was still raining. We had a quick breakfast and headed off to Anglesea and Holyhead for the ferry. Only going to Ireland and it’s the first time we’ve ever been searched at a ferry port! The crossing was boring as there’s not a lot to do for 3 1/2 hours on a dilapidated ferry. It was still raining when we arrived. The drive through Dublin was complicated and made more so due to some major roadworks just where we needed to get into the correct lanes for the campsite.The campsite was actually one of the best we’ve ever been on with electric, water and waste hook-up. And not too expensive either. We left the bike on the trailer as it was easier to go into Dublin on the bus which stopped right outside the campsite gates.

Dublin.          

It rained! First stop was the Book Of Kells to see what everyone keeps raving on about. I personally wasn’t that impressed, after queueing up for ages to see it. Bit like the Mona Lisa really, all hype. Mind you, the foreign tourists couldn’t get enough of it. I suppose  if you can really study it, rather than just being shown, what is probably a copy of one page, you might find it more interesting. After exiting through the gift shop, now there’s a surprise, we mooched around Dublin trying to find somewhere nice to eat, ending up in a pizza place.

 Second day in Dublin……..not raining but still dull. A visit to the Guinness Brewery was quite interesting, and we got a free Guinness at the end of the tour. The first and only time I have drunk a full glass of the vile black stuff.  Paul did offer to finish it for me but since it was MY free drink and he’d already had a pint I suffered admirably. Thank goodness it was only a half pint glass!!

Another boozy day in Dublin, this time at the Jameison Distillery. Quite different from brewing. And yet another free drink. Now I really don’t like Whisky (or is it Whiskey in Ireland?) but when it’s for free……. I did quite like it mixed with the cranberry juice though.

More mooching around Dublin, looking for somewhere to buy some new Ray Bans to replace the ones I’d lost in the brewery yesterday

Limerick

A leisurely morning before setting off to Limerick. This is where we found the true nature of the Irish roads. They are bad, as in uneven and full of potholes, and that’s on the “motorway”!! We bounced our way to Limerick with the bike on the back bobbing along behind, hoping it didn’t come adrift. The site was easy enough to find, just outside a really pretty little village, and a pleasant little site it was. Not much in the way of facilities but you could book the hot-tub if you wished! The sun was shining and it was warm. We unloaded the bike ready for the following day.

More rain. We spent the morning waiting for it to stop. It didn’t. So we decided to put on our wet weather gear and go out anyway. We headed off to the Seaplane museum which we had found a leaflet for. It looked good. We arrived to find the car park….empty…..bit ominous that. The museum was open so in we went. We were so wet we left a great puddle at the reception desk. In fact, Paul said that it had even gone through to his underpants  The receptionist told us we could leave our wet gear behind the desk whilst we went round the museum (not Paul’s jeans and underpants though). Ummmm….not a lot to say really on account of there not being much to see apart from a plywood replica of the inside of a passenger seaplane. And other than the staff I think we were the only people there! We had a cup of tea and a stale eccles cake in the “cafe”, just a few tables and chairs in the corner of a great, empty hangar of a place. There really was nothing else there. Disenchanted we went back to campsite to dry off.

A new day and the rain kept coming down in buckets. Rode into Limerick to look at the castle, couldn’t be worse than the previous day. But we couldn’t find it. Oh, we could see it well enough and we followed all the signs but just as we thought we’d made it we found ourselves heading off in the opposite direction. I think the leprechauns must have been having some fun at our expense! Eventually got there. Not a bad little castle, really trying to keep up with the times with “interactive” displays, which appeared to be from another decade. You could play in the stocks. Took us about an hour and then back to the campsite as there didn’t appear to be much else to do. There wasn’t even a cafe to get a cuppa.

Beara

Packed up early during a break in the rain ready to move on to the Beara Peninsula by way of Killarney. Big  mistake! If we thought the road from Dublin to Limerick had been bad we were just about to discover that things could get far worse. Not too bad until we had to hang a left at Killarney and head towards Cork. The road appeared to enter some kind of national park and got narrower and narrower until it was only just wide enough for two vehicles to pass. We managed OK until we reached an even narrower bridge at which point we met a 52 seat coach coming the other way. Some one had to give way but there was no way we could reverse far with the bike trailer on the back of us. But the coach driver wasn’t going to give in either. Impasse! He got out of his bus and started shouting at us, so Paul got out of the driving seat and made as if he were going to put the kettle on while we waited. Eventually the coach driver realised we were going nowhere and there was a long line of traffic behind both of us, so got back into his bus and inched himself past. On we went up this narrow road which then became no more than a dirt track bordered with overhanging trees. It got so narrow at one point that we left one of our roof rails in a particularly low hanging tree along the way. We stopped in a little car park at the top of a hill to check the bike. It was still raining. Eventually the road became a road again and we were rewarded with some dramatic views. 

The final experience of the day was at the junction in a little town called Glengariff. We had to turn almost back on ourselves to get onto the road we needed. As we pulled round we had to miss a couple of cars parked on the junction, well this is Ireland after all, and that’s when Paul noticed on the rearview camera that the bike had fallen over. He managed to get to a quiet spot where he could pull over, checked the bike and got it upright again. Made it to the campsite with no further mishaps. What a journey!!!!! Sunshine. And quite warm. Time to chill with a nice cool Magners.

Another dull and miserable day but at least it’s not raining….yet. Decided to take the bike on a really good run. The Beara Ring has been recommended so off we go. Nice ride around the peninsula with plenty of stops to take photographs of the mean and moody landscape.  We found a garage with a cafe about halfway round which served the best quiche I have ever tasted. And then a spectacular run over the top of the mountain and back to the campsite. By which time it was raining again. Went down to to the pub for a drink. Well at least they served Magners.

Oh yes….sunshine!!!!!!  Went into Glengariff to see if we could find somewhere that sold ratchet straps and some double-sided Sellotape. Both proved non existent in the town. We did spot a little hardware shop which looked like the sort of place you could get anything. So we called in. We were greeted by a little, wizened old man who asked us what we wanted. To which Paul replied that we were looking for some double-sided sticky tape. 

OM “What do you mean, double-sided sticky tape?” 

P “Tape that’s sticky on both sides”

OM “ What ? Sticky…? On both sides…..?”

P “ Yes, double-sided sticky tape.”

OM “ Sticky……… On both sides you say?

Ten minutes later after repeating this conversation several times:

P “ Oh, never mind, forget it”

We turned to leave at which point the Old Man ran out from behind the counter yelling at us that we young people today had no patience and for that reason he wasn’t going to help us anymore. On leaving the shop with the Old Man being pacified by his daughter we noticed it was called “The Lucky Black Cat”!! We should have known!

Our search led us to Bantry, which must have been the model for Ballamory as every house was brightly painted a different colour!

Found the ratchet straps at least on a market stall.  Since we were there we went up to Bantry House for the afternoon. A really nice house and the gardens were peaceful. And the weather stayed nice.

Went to the pub for dinner, a very strange experience. The bar was also the village shop and Post Office. We had to go through to the back to find a table. The Irish do like their big empty spaces. Couldn’t have certain things on the menu as it wasn’t the right day for them.

Whilst eating we received a text message from Kate informing us of the heavy rain and massive flooding in Mexborough. So bad in fact that they had lost their caravan when it floated away! And here was I moaning about the rain we were getting!!!

Blarney

Up sticks and off we go again, this time to Blarney. But at least the roads were reasonable and the campsite very pleasant.

More sunshine. Well it had to be done. The obligatory visit to Blarney Castle and the Blarney stone. The castle and grounds are very pleasant. Went up to the top of the tower where I very definitely DIDN’T kiss the Blarney stone! It looked very unhygienic with all and sundry’s spit and snot all over it !! And you had to pay EXTRA for the pleasure!!!!!! Didn’t stop the gullible tourists though. Later, whilst I was looking through some arrow slits, an American fireman called Jerry, who was on a bus tour, tried to give me a lesson in archery and Robin Hood until I pointed out that I was born and raised in Nottingham so had been brought up with bows, arrows and the infamous outlaw! And that a close friend of my parents had actually been a Sheriff of Nottingham! Wrong thing to say to a Yank really, couldn’t get rid of him for ages! Had a good day though.

Went to a museum near Cork where they had set sail for America a couple of hundred years ago. Was OK, the usual decades old “interactive” displays. Went to the pub near the campsite for dinner.

Wexford and Waterford

Moved on to Wexford. Fairly easy trip. This site was very basic. But as it was owned by the garage at least we knew we could get petrol. We spent the evening sat in the camper watching some stuck-up couple pitch their caravan. He had one of those motor movers but didn’t seem to fare any better with that than he would pushing the caravan into place. Just as you thought it was in, out it came again! He even needed his wife to stand at the back of the ‘van to guide it in!!

A trip into Waterford to visit the glass factory. They make some gorgeous stuff but most of it out of my price range. I can but dream…..

From there we hunted out the Waterford Harley Davidson shop where Paul bought the obligatory T-shirt. 

Yet another dull, breezy day with the promise of rain day. So we togged up and went for a final ride out on the bike. Went into Wexford, not a lot there so we headed back to the site.. 

Back at the campsite we decided to check out the pub just down the road. We had spotted it in passing and it had looked intriguing. It was a little round building with a thatched roof and when we walked up to it it looked deserted. We opened the door and peered in. There were a few people from the campsite inside so in we went. It was dark and dingy with cobwebs hanging off the beams. The barman wore a threadbare jacket over an equally threadbare jumper. And there was the obligatory line of glasses of Guinness in various stages of settling on the bar with a 1950’s TV set playing in the background. It was all a bit Wicker Man. We only had the one drink as Paul caught the barman picking his nose so we didn’t fancy any more!

Dublin Again

Back to Dublin for our final stop. Same site as we started at so that meant we could empty all our tanks before setting off for home.

Dull but dry. Went for a last mooch around Dublin and found a Celtic museum, which passed an hour. My overall and lasting impression of Dublin is that it’s just another capital city and I won’t be fussed if I never come back. Back to the site and start packing everything up.

Up early, tanks emptied and everything fastened down or packed away. Got to the docks fairly easily, only getting lost once. On board the ferry, after a quick tour around the boat, we decided to upgrade to the Club Lounge where we got complimentary drinks and breakfast stuff in quiet and more pleasant surroundings rather than joining the bunfight in the restaurant.

After that a fairly uneventful trip home with Paul missing that bend again going the other way!

Unfortunately, Ireland is not high up on my list of places I’d like to return to. It’s not that we didn’t enjoy it but a lot of it seemed like hard work, like trying to find things to do and places to go. And we must have gone to the wrong bits because I didn’t find the people particularly friendly or welcoming either. In fact not at all like the ads on TV would have us believe. On the up side, it was pretty for the most part and for once, I suppose, it didn’t get as much rain as England.