lazybloke
Priest of the cult of Chris Rea
- Location
- Leafy Surrey
A fantastic site, have been lurking for a while and reading amazing LEJOG and other accounts and was reminded of my Ireland tour I did in the early 90s.
'Pics or it didn't happen'.... sadly I have none. My exgf has that album, or rather she had it. She probably burnt it when I married her best mate not long afterwards.
Anyway, there was a Scandinavian ferry from Swansea to Cork. That seemed an adventure in itself, a huge vessel that went through rough seas. I was only used to cross channel ferries, so this was most exciting. I especially liked the swimming pool, down near the bottom of the ship where everything smelled of oil.
Arrived in Cork and made our way to Blarney to kiss the stone, then headed west expecting to find a campsite. Finding none we knocked on a door at Macroom and asked about camping and ended up camping in someone's garden. Got a cooked breakfast in the morning too, which helped us on our way over the hills to Killarney where we stopped at the Youth Hostel for a couple of days. From there we explored the local area and Dingle, before heading for the Ring of Kerry.
The highlight was catching the Knight's Town ferry (a wooden boat) to Valentia Island, where houses had peat stacked up to burn, instead of logs. Felt like we'd got back in time 100 years. Again we knocked on a door to ask directions for camping and this time we were put up for the night in a spare bedroom! I still remember the smell of peat smoke in the air when we left the next morning. Wonderful place, utterly charming.
I've since heard that its character is gradually changing for the worse as locals get displaced by people with money moving in. Shame if that's true.
Back to Killarney youth hostel for the night, and then what seemed like an almighty 'leg' back to Kinsale where we actually stayed in a pukka campsite. Had our last night in a pub enjoying the stout, then back to the Cork ferry the next day and home.
Wish I had photos, but instead of dwelling on the past I should really plan my next tour. Like many people I had a large gap in cycling once I started working, but now in my 40s I've started cycling again. Have done a couple of London to Brightons (one at night), so I'm keen to join "the Fridays" next year to see how my legs get on.
Ultimately I'd like to go and tour France for a few days, but would probably start with something close to home. Just need to persuade my better half that she can looks after the kids without my help!
'Pics or it didn't happen'.... sadly I have none. My exgf has that album, or rather she had it. She probably burnt it when I married her best mate not long afterwards.
Anyway, there was a Scandinavian ferry from Swansea to Cork. That seemed an adventure in itself, a huge vessel that went through rough seas. I was only used to cross channel ferries, so this was most exciting. I especially liked the swimming pool, down near the bottom of the ship where everything smelled of oil.
Arrived in Cork and made our way to Blarney to kiss the stone, then headed west expecting to find a campsite. Finding none we knocked on a door at Macroom and asked about camping and ended up camping in someone's garden. Got a cooked breakfast in the morning too, which helped us on our way over the hills to Killarney where we stopped at the Youth Hostel for a couple of days. From there we explored the local area and Dingle, before heading for the Ring of Kerry.
The highlight was catching the Knight's Town ferry (a wooden boat) to Valentia Island, where houses had peat stacked up to burn, instead of logs. Felt like we'd got back in time 100 years. Again we knocked on a door to ask directions for camping and this time we were put up for the night in a spare bedroom! I still remember the smell of peat smoke in the air when we left the next morning. Wonderful place, utterly charming.
I've since heard that its character is gradually changing for the worse as locals get displaced by people with money moving in. Shame if that's true.
Back to Killarney youth hostel for the night, and then what seemed like an almighty 'leg' back to Kinsale where we actually stayed in a pukka campsite. Had our last night in a pub enjoying the stout, then back to the Cork ferry the next day and home.
Wish I had photos, but instead of dwelling on the past I should really plan my next tour. Like many people I had a large gap in cycling once I started working, but now in my 40s I've started cycling again. Have done a couple of London to Brightons (one at night), so I'm keen to join "the Fridays" next year to see how my legs get on.
Ultimately I'd like to go and tour France for a few days, but would probably start with something close to home. Just need to persuade my better half that she can looks after the kids without my help!
