Castles and views to die for
The day didn't look promising when we woke this morning, for it was overcast and windy and we thought the brollies would get a work out for sure.
The breakfast at Grey Gables Farmhouse was superb! We had a full Irish breakfas with scones almost as good as John's (wow!).
We drove off in a different direction to Jan and Nick, winding our way through some very narrow back country roads before finding our way to the main road.We stopped along the way at a delightful town called Macroom where Barb was very taken with a castle-like gates (there was a ruined castle behind which we didn't go into). John was thrilled to find a Vodaphone where he could purchase a sim card for his phone.
It was starting to rain as we left Macroom, and by the time we reached Ross Castle it had cleared a little but the sky was still moody. It actually enhanced the look of this gorgeous castle on the lake. We decided to forgo the castle tour (they only did guided tours, not DIY wandering around) and the jaunting cars (horse and trap/cart). We thought forty euros for a ride was a bit steep.
We drove through the lovely town of Killarney, which would be worth a longer stay if we ever come back to Ireland, and on to Muckross House. We did do the fully guided house tour here and it was fabulous. All the Irish guides we've had have been great.
The house is magnificently decorated. Queen Victoria once stayed here with Prince Albert, so they'd done a lot of renovations for her visit given four year's notice(!) (and in the long term bankrupted themselves as a result).
We left Muckross House to drive to Cahersiveen where we're staying tonight. On the way we diverted off the path to visit the Gap of Dunloe to see the views. This involved a four kilometre walk up and down to a viewing point (we didn't get all the way up....that would've been another few kilometres. The views were pretty wonderful anyway.
Jan and Nick were already there by the time we reached the accommodation. We all trooped into the nearby town to have dinner at a pub.The food was great! Jan had taken the precaution of phoning ahead to book a table, to the surprise of our hostess. Thus we in turn were surprised that it wasn't busy at all after how busy the pub in Kinsale was on a Thursday night - we parked on the street right outside the pub door!
After our very filling meal we went for a bit of a walk around the town. We found a sign pointing to a castle only 3 kilometres away....who could resist. We did cheat by driving there.
It was a ruin that was closed to the public but still worth a look. By now it was 8.30pm and still light.
It was a ruin that was closed to the public but still worth a look. By now it was 8.30pm and still light.
By the time we'd driven to another viewing lookout and then to the harbour the light was finally starting to fade.
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