Driving to Enniskillen
We loved our stay at Doolin. Two nights wasn't even enough as the whole area is amazing and so much to see. Negotiating some of the roads is another matter. (I think she means scary!) We drove from Doolin to Lisdoonvarna and the on to Kinvara via a different route. This one took us over a mountain with several hairpin bends. We met a couple of tourist coaches coming the other way and had to pull right over to let them pass. Barb was palpitating by the end of it. Our GPS does like to take us off track. We've tried every different setting yet she still does it.
We finally reached some decent highway and arrived at Athlone by lunchtime. We had a look at the Cathedral and then went in to tour the castle. The Castle itself was not that impressive. A lot of it has been destroyed over the years of fighting, but they have done a pretty good interactive display, including dress-up opportunities, so Barb was happy.
Then we walked crossed the Shannon River via the bridge - no levitation involved - so John could find an ATM in town. We saw a Viking boat tour go past below us and Barb was disappointed they weren't all wearing viking hats like the road "boat" we saw in Dublin. John was happy to get some English pounds out for our trip into Northern Island.
We proceeded north and the roads were pretty good, so we made it to Enniskillen by around 2.30. There was still time to pop into town for a look at the castle before backtracking a few kilometres to Corrigan's Shore House where we were staying for the night.
This castle was not very intact either, but did have some rather good displays. We spent quite a bit of time wandering through each building looking at everything. Barb loved the silverware. We also located where to go for Barb's meeting with the Fermanagh Genealogical Society tomorrow afternoon.
We drove back to Corrigan's Shore House to check in. It's down several a couple of miles of one track lane, complete with tree tunnels and grass growing in the middle of the road. The house is located on the River Erne in a most idyllic setting. We can see boats going past and cows drinking at the water's edge from our room. Catherine Corrigan (who might turn out to be a very far removed cousin) was very welcoming and gave us a cup of tea and scones on arrival. It always goes down well after a long drive.
We drove back into Enniskillen that night to find a restaurant. We Googled local restaurants and picked Franco's Italian Restaurant from the many on offer. Great choice! The food and atmosphere was brilliant. To top it off they had the best creme brulee Barb's had. She was in heaven. We'd wanted to go the The Moorings, a marina up the road. Very good we were told. Itll be open, it's high season. The big sign confirmed it would be open till 9pm. The locked steel gate across the road suggested otherwise! Hence the trek back into Enniskillen,
We had a great night's sleep in our big comfy bed, and were woken up in the morning by cow's mooing outside. Catherine's breakfast was excellent and deceptively massive - she fed it to us in stages, each of itself seemingly modest but taken together BIG! We didn't need much lunch. The only problem staying here was the poor internet connection because we were so remote. Never mind!
We proceeded north and the roads were pretty good, so we made it to Enniskillen by around 2.30. There was still time to pop into town for a look at the castle before backtracking a few kilometres to Corrigan's Shore House where we were staying for the night.
This castle was not very intact either, but did have some rather good displays. We spent quite a bit of time wandering through each building looking at everything. Barb loved the silverware. We also located where to go for Barb's meeting with the Fermanagh Genealogical Society tomorrow afternoon.
We drove back to Corrigan's Shore House to check in. It's down several a couple of miles of one track lane, complete with tree tunnels and grass growing in the middle of the road. The house is located on the River Erne in a most idyllic setting. We can see boats going past and cows drinking at the water's edge from our room. Catherine Corrigan (who might turn out to be a very far removed cousin) was very welcoming and gave us a cup of tea and scones on arrival. It always goes down well after a long drive.
We drove back into Enniskillen that night to find a restaurant. We Googled local restaurants and picked Franco's Italian Restaurant from the many on offer. Great choice! The food and atmosphere was brilliant. To top it off they had the best creme brulee Barb's had. She was in heaven. We'd wanted to go the The Moorings, a marina up the road. Very good we were told. Itll be open, it's high season. The big sign confirmed it would be open till 9pm. The locked steel gate across the road suggested otherwise! Hence the trek back into Enniskillen,
We had a great night's sleep in our big comfy bed, and were woken up in the morning by cow's mooing outside. Catherine's breakfast was excellent and deceptively massive - she fed it to us in stages, each of itself seemingly modest but taken together BIG! We didn't need much lunch. The only problem staying here was the poor internet connection because we were so remote. Never mind!
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