If you are thinking of going on vacation to Ireland ever, I have a trip for you. Called the Wild Atlantic Way. Even though John has passed and I no longer take these trips, I can share with you the trips I did take in my twelve years living in Ireland. One was a trip up the west coast of Ireland. We left from Wexford but I must tell you some of the most dramatic scenery I have ever seen was on the roads from Cork up the west coast to the Cliff of Moher.
One summer we decided to go south and then up the Wild Atlantic Way to Galway, where his daughter was living at the time. We left Wexford on the N25 and went southwest. It took about two and a half hours to get to the City of Cork, one of the largest cities in Ireland. We did not stop at the big town of about 125,000 people. If you go that way, you can experience kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, and if you go down to Cobh harbor, you can see the migration-center from which most people left the Island during the famines.
We went a bit further and stopped at Bantry Bay, a gorgeous harbor.
Must-see sites in Bantry include:
- Quay Bar- Ma Murphy’s, Th Anchor Bar
- St Brendan’s Church
- Beicin Loop
- Bantry House & Garden
- Bantry Bay
I must say that the Bantry House was magnificent. It is now a B&B, but at the time we went, it was on an open visit. The gardens remain fantastic, but I truly enjoyed the tour of the rooms with the period furniture. How rich some people lived in the day!!! I stand up to Downton Castle and then some…oh those gardens WOW
The beauty of the inner rooms of this home are magnificent
After we left Bantry, we continued up the highway to stop at Kinsale. Oh, so picturesque, with narrow streets of old-fashioned, one-off shops, colorful houses, and a beautiful waterfront
Love the colors of the houses!
We proceeded on the N25- itself an enjoyable drive. We stopped for the day in an area called Glengariff, which means rough glen. There is a massive wildlife center you can tour and which helps to explain the name of the area. Wild and wonderful, you can go to the center and participate in any number of nature walks geared for all age groups. The scenery was absolutely wonderful. It had everything: woods, flower paths, deep pools, waterfalls. An exceptional place, I recommend to you if you get the chance to visit.
We drove into the harbor area in Glengarriff and decided to stay in the Eccles hotel. This is an old hotel built in the late 1700 hundreds and then added on and improved over the years. It overlooks Bantry Bay and we had a drink outside on the veranda and retired to the dining area for a great seafood meal.
We climbed the stairs to our third-floor room. I must warn you that there is no elevator in this hotel. LOL ; but the room was very comfortable, and we ready for the next leg of our journey after a great breakfast.
Next, we went on to the country of Kerry. Some of the most extraordinary scenery I have ever seen began in Kerry. I’ll show you in the next Wild Atlantic Way trip post.
Thanks for visiting. Let me know what you think of the scenery I showed you. Would any of these places tempt you? Next, I’ll show you are trip from Bantry up to the Cliffs of Moher; which proved the saying Irish weather changes in the wink of an eye!
Share your feeling in the comments section, please
Take good care…talk soon
Dara
