The countryside is as beautiful as I expected. Kilkenny castle is very busy with lots of school groups (last week of Semester) so we pass on a lcloser visit.
Waterford Crystal was stunning but we decided to forgo a tour for a walk as the weather is so lovely.
We stroll around the Viking Triangle taking in Christ Church Cathedral, GreyFriars, the Dragon Slayers sword and Reginald’s Tower.
Dragon Slayer’s sword. Can he lift it.
Reginald’s TowerGrey Friar’s.
After a lovely couple of hours we hopped in the car and took the coastal route to Corke.
Coastal route
Nod to Hazel, Rob’s mum who also lives in Newtown.And Annestown! No kidding Annie!Annestown
AnnestownAnnestown
Dungarvan – Abbeyside
Ireland is so lovely yet I still got a sense of the hard life Meghan had spoken of in her talk at the Museum the day before, in some places…
Onwards to Corke. We particularly wanted to visit County Corke as Rob’s mum Hazel’s Family has ancestral ties to this area.
We visited beautiful St. Fin Barre’s, the old fort and did a small walking circuit that we happened across.
Saint Fin Barre’s CathedralLabyrinth walkElizabeth Fort Clarke’s BridgeGotcha!
Greenmount walk
Busy day! Dinner at Mrs Fish’s (yum – top 5 in Cork) then about an hour’s drive back to our accommodation.
I spent the whole drive home trying to capture the beautiful light flooding across the hills…
Our flight was originally scheduled at 8:30am but left late due to a medical emergency. The flight was incredibly short 42 minutes. We were literally up, parallel for 20 minutes, then down.
Selfie – cute couple!First view of Ireland from the air.
Rob and I were very excited to visit Ireland as it wasn’t on our original itinerary. Being sick had opened up some time though, so we had four days to enjoy Ireland’s beauty.
After passing through customs and arranging to collect our hire car we headed for Dublin city.
Local traffic on the way in.
We parked and walked to a hop-on-off green bus stop for a tour. As we were walking to the bus we saw this little guy.
How much is that doggy in the window?
The bus tour was great taking us along the River Liffey and across O’Connell Bridge. we saw the birthplace of Guinness.
Milk truck? Nah that’s a beer truck!
We hopped off at the bus near College Park and Trinity College to walk around to see the book of Kells, c 800 AD it is an illuminated manuscript book in Latin containing the four Gospels of the New Testament. You have to book to see it though so we missed out as the day was fully subscribed, pics from the museum slideshow only.
Trinity College.Book of Kells.
So we moved on, next stop the Little Museum of Ireland. What a great place! Meghan our tour guide was charming, articulate, lyrical and very self effacing in her presentation of Irelands history. Sobering at times but very entertaining!
Meghan holding centre stage!
Next stop was Temple Bar to have a true taste of Guiness! Complete with Irish hats no less.
Temple BarGuinness – yum. My first one ever!Rob’s an old hand!
After sustenance we took a walk around Dublin City. We walked past a couple of really nice restaurants – Marco Pier White and Carluccio’s then past Dublin Castle.
Marco Pier White – would like to eat here!Carluccio’s – would like to eat here too…Dublin Castle
Dublin CastleDublin Castle
Then we walked past the Cathedral and though the East Inner City, popped into the Clarence for a drink (Hotel owned by U2) and then over the Millenium Bridge.
Famous Octagon Bar!
Selfie on the Bridge
Dublin is a beautiful city. Lots of tourist on this Sunday afternoon, a rain shower or two to keep us on our toes and history everywhere you turn.
We had an early dinner at Murray’s Hotel – 2 for 1 special included in our tour tickets.
After dinner we headed out of Dublin for Clough in Bellacolla, county of Laois, West of Dublin. We stayed at High Nelly Cottage, which had a thatched roof and was named after a Bicycle for the previous owner who fixed Bicycles. So cute and rustic and where I first start to run into internet and wi-Fi problems. None here!
Rob really did hit his head and I did the same thing the next day!Loft bed
Aga for cooking.Black stave for heating and cooking.
Downstairs was one room and bathroom. Stairs either end to two loft beds. It was fun to stay there and experience life as it would have been in times gone by.
We left Wirksworth Friday morning and headed to Leicester to visit Rob’s friends Fi and Rob.
Before we left we popped into St. Mary’s as Rob wanted to find “T Owd Man” an early medieval carving of a miner, that was “borrowed” from Bonsall in the mid 1800’s and never returned. A small tile; only about 20 x 30cm, it took a little while to find…
St Mary’s also has some very beautiful lead lighting.
Back on the road and on the way to Leicester we stopped at Bolsover Castle in the North East of DerbyShire.
Holding a commanding position the castle has stunning views across DerbyShire. Built in the 12th Century the original Norman fortress has changed many hands and been extended and added to to through to the 16th Century and is now a Grade I listed building.
The surrounding Castle or fortress is mainly in ruins but the little Castle built as a “party palace” has some incredibly maintained interiors.
6 metre doorway with views to the outer windows.Looking out into the forecourt. Who’s that peeking in?Amazing interiorsPainted ceiling fresco
The Tower known as “Little Castle”Curious water fountain with the buttress walkway behind
Fun fact: Bolsover has a reputation as one of the “spookiest” by English Heritage staff, with mystery footsteps, a boy holding visitors hands, muffled voices and unexplained lights! Not that we experienced any of this.
The views from the fortress walls high over DerbyShire were second to none.
This beautiful tree was roped off as there was a family of owl nesting.
After leaving Bolsover we made our way to Leicester to Fi and Rob’s, friends of Rob.
We had a lovely evening with Fi as Rob had a function on and the next day we all went for a lovely walk to Bradgate Park.
Bradgate Park is a public park in Charnwood forest in Leicester and it covers 850 acres. When we arrived a group we’re gathering, on horseback and in period costume! We saw them again later about half way through the walk.
16 hands and side saddle!All four riders in the distance
As we walked we passed Deer, Old John (a folly), 500 year old oak trees and the ruins of Bradgate House.
Old JohnDeerMore DeerFi and Rob and Rob inside the tree!
Gorgeous old Oak tree.
The two Rob’s!
We had a lovely morning and it was such a nice visit. Rob is very fortunate to have such wonderful friends. We left Leicester for Manchester late in the afternoon after a long delicious lazy lunch as we were travelling to Dublin, Ireland first thing the following day, Sunday.
My intention was to blog everyday and to some extent I have been as I journal everyday. Internet connections, wifi availability and some times phone battery have hampered my efforts however and I have fallen behind with my posts.
I’m so excited to have finally arrived in my beloved Scotland; a lifelong dream, that I just have to share it so I promise to catch up with earlier travels, including the days in Ireland very soon but I just have to share this today!
Ron I travelled up from Dover to Carlisle on Sunday and then after visiting Carlisle Castle and Hadrian’s wall yesterday, we arrived in Scotland at about 6:30 last night.
We are staying Fascadale Croft in West Lothian, which means we are situated approximately halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh which is ideal for exploring the central Scottish belt. Our Croft is very comfortable, probably the best BnB Rob and I have found to date and very good value!
Today we visited Linlithgow Palace, Blackness Castle (where some of Outlander was filmed) and Hopetoun house. Our first full day has been a brilliant day, the weather is cool but we had no rain until we just arrived home earlier this evening.
Linlithgow palace
We parked near the loch to walk around to the castle you can see in the background and the greeting party arrived to meet us! Swans, ducks and other water birds started swimming towards us. It was quite surreal and a very sweet moment.
They were expecting food of course and we’ll trained they were too but we were a an empty handed disappointment!
So beautiful!
The palace was outstanding! Four towers in tact and I felt like a child exploring tunnels, walkways and the rooms of Kings and Queens gone by.
Friendly pup on the walk.View from a window.
St Andrews Church spires from the very top of the West tower
I counted over 110 steps in each tower. Who needs a Stairmaster when you can go exploring instead 😄.
Lots of StairsTop of the 113 stairs!
Each of the towers branch off at five different levels and the outer walls are a maze of tunnels and rooms.
View from the East tower over the loch.View from an internal window
The lower levels were for the servants and guards and as you go up there are halls, bedrooms, a chapel and even a very tiny room at the the top of the highest tower.
The central courtyard also had a very decorative fountain.
On the second level there was a display of items found when restoration excavation works where carried out. Most were pottery but one of the cases held the remains of a child’s shoe.
Blackness Castle
On the Firth of the Forth sits the ship that never sailed… A medieval fortress that was more recently used as a setting in “Outlander” tv series.
Heaviest gate ever!
The Keep
Prison scene from Outlander!
Hopetoun House
17th century stately country estate. We decided not to go in as only a very small portion is open to the public. Very impressive from the outside I must say!
Queensferry Crossing
One of three bridges that cross over the Forth. I caught the cable stays in the afternoon sunlight and it reminded me of thr sails on a ship, stunning!
Rob and I have had a brilliant day. Couldn’t have asked for better for our first day in Scotland!
Physio my way 
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