Wicklow Mountains

Monday, we had another tour, although this one didn’t start quite so early. We woke up around 7 and, after getting ready, started walking back into Dublin. We got breakfast along the way and then waited for our tour back at the Dublin Tourism Information Center. Today, we would be heading south into the Wicklow Mountains area with Hilltop Treks. Our tour guide was Emily and once everyone was on board the bus, we headed to the outskirts of Dublin. Sandy and I were doing a guided walk, along with two girls from Norway, while the rest of the group was going to Powerscourt Gardens. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to do both. After dropping the others off at Powerscourt, we headed back towards Enniskerry and then a short ways up R117 to a pull off on the side of the road. From here, we started hiking along the Dublin Mountains Way into Barnaslingan Wood. Shortly, we made a quick stop at The Scalp Lookout, where we had nice views of the surrounding mountains and could see where the road passes through the Scalp.

The Scalp is a narrow glacial valley through which R117 passes. The summits are quite wooded, in contrast to the bald, rocky slopes where we had stopped. We even saw a feral goat on the steep hill.

Then we continued on the trail, passing through some open areas. At one point, a very deep puddle blocked our way and we had to hop a fence to pass through a field and stay dry. We then entered Carrickgollogan and continued on Dublin Mountains Way. Near the summit of this hill, we took a detour off the main trail and hiked up the rather steep Mountain Access Trail to the summit of Carrickgollogan.

From here, we had wonderful views in all directions. We could see the Irish Sea to the east, all of Dublin to the north, and the surrounding Wicklow and Dublin Mountains in the other directions.

It was very windy up here, though and we could see storm clouds in the distance.

After getting some pictures, we started hiking back. Back at Barnaslingan, we took the Scalp Lookout Trail to head back in a slightly different way than we had come and soon were back at the bus. Emily dropped us off in Enniskerry, where we would have lunch at Poppies and went to pick up the rest of the group. I had the Poppies Chicken and Sandy had a chicken panini and we both enjoyed our meal. It's a small restaurant and as the others from the tour starting returned and the restaurant filled up, I was getting claustrophobic. So after finishing lunch, I walked around the quaint little village of Enniskerry for a bit as I waited for everyone else to finish their lunch and got some pictures of the town. From Enniskerry, we drove up an old road into the mountains towards Glencree and then got on the Old Military Road heading into Wicklow Mountains National Park. The mountains here were bare of forest, with primarily rock and bogs covering the land, along with the occasional lake. Emily told us about the history of the area and even sung a few traditional Irish songs, both in English and Irish Gaelic. At Sally Gap, we turned left on R759 and made a quick photo stop for this rugged landscape.

A small cascade flowed under the road and our tour guide told us that this area was used in the filming of PS I Love You and Braveheart. Then we continued on to another photo stop on a ledge high above Lough Tay, also called Guinness Lake as the family had an estate here.

Additionally, the lake’s waters were nearly black, except for a white sandy beach area at the northern end of the lake - thus resembling the dark color of Guinness with a creamy head.

From here, we got back on more-trafficked roads and made our last stop at Glendalough. Glendalough was the highlight of this tour and although we didn’t have much time, it was a very enjoyable visit. We started off near the visitor center and while some in the group used the restroom, I took some pictures of rhododendron.

I asked Emily if these plants were native to Ireland and she told me no - they were a species from Malaysia, and while beautiful, were invasive and harmful to native flora. But nonetheless, they made for a beautiful sight and it was good timing that we were here in Ireland while the rhododendron were blooming.

From the parking area, we walked over to the Monastic City in the lower valley and spent some time walking around and viewing the ancient sites.

The round tower looked a lot bigger than what I had seen in pictures and the graves were beautiful.

I really liked the Glendalough crosses on many of the gravestones.

St. Kevin’s Kitchen remarkably still had its stone roof intact, while the large cathedral was missing its roof, but was the largest and most impressive structure.

After some time exploring in the lower valley, we headed towards the lakes following the Green Road boardwalk trail.

First, we passed the lower lake and then came to the parking area for the upper lake.

There was a small unnamed waterfall on a stream flowing into the lake and then I walked over to the Upper Lake for a couple of quick pictures.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time to spend here, but the lake was absolutely beautiful, surrounded on both sides by mountains.

After a couple pictures, we rushed back to the bus and made our way back to Dublin. Due to heavy traffic in the city, Emily dropped us off near Temple Bar. It’s a real tourist-trap area, but was fun to walk through and do a bit of people-watching. We had sushi for dinner and then went back to O’Donoghue’s for some drinks with our favorite bartender. By the time we were ready to walk home, it was actually dark, I think the first time we had seen darkness since arriving in Ireland.

Giant's Causeway

Sunday morning, we had a wake up call for 430 and after getting our stuff together, we caught a taxi to the Dublin Discover Ireland Centre. We swung by the convenience store and got some breakfast and ate it at the steps of the former church. Soon, the tour buses from Irish Day Tours arrived and we got on the one heading to the Giant’s Causeway and Northern Ireland. Our bus driver and tour guide’s name was Matthew and he was a fantastic guide. As we drove north on M1 towards Northern Ireland, Matthew told us about the history of Ireland and the conflict in Northern Ireland. Although today there is no formal border crossing, just a sign along the highway indicating we had crossed into the United Kingdom, in the past, this was a heavily armed border and all visitors would need to show papers to cross. After we had crossed into the UK, we made a quick stop at a gas station in Banbridge for a bathroom and coffee break. While we were stopped, I got some pictures of some cows grazing next to the gas station. Then we continued on heading north, driving through Belfast and then getting on A2, the coastal road. This portion of the drive was incredibly scenic as we drove along the Northern Ireland coast, with the islands of Scotland just barely visible on the horizon. We drove through the town of Larne, where we saw a big crown in the center of a roundabout. This 8-m tall coronation crown was erected to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, though it may not stay there much longer. The Larne Council erected the crown without planning approval and so it will likely be taken down in 2015. Continuing north, we made a short stop in the tiny coastal village of Carnlough.

This little village had a picturesque harbour on Carnlough Bay, situated between the North Straight to the east and the mountains and Glens of Antrim to the west.

We also saw a memorial to a local hero - Paddy.

Paddy was a pigeon who carried coded messages between the Allied forces during World War II.

After about 15 minutes, we got back on the bus and continued heading north along the coast. Near the town of Cushendall, the road departed from the coast and headed into a more forested area, where Matthew told us a bit about forestry in the region. We crossed the Glendun Viaduct, a three-arched viaduct over the River Dun, and soon got back towards the coast as we approached our first main stop - Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

The rope bridge connects to a small island that was once used by fisherman to catch salmon in the rich waters. From the parking area, we made the scenic hike of about a mile to the bridge.

This is a fairly popular attraction and Matthew warned us there could be a line to cross the bridge, so we walked quickly. Matthew had given us vouchers before we got off the bus so we headed straight towards the bridge. The coastal walk is free, but visitors must pay to cross the bridge; our admission was included in the tour.

The bridge spans approximately 20 meters and is about 30 meters above the rocks and sand below. Once on the island, we enjoyed views of Rathlin Island and islands of Scotland in the distance.

There were kittiwakes and other sea birds nesting in the volcanic cliffs of the island and mainland.

To the west we could see the cliffs above Larry Bane Bay, where we had gotten off the bus, and Sheep Island.

Looking south, we could see the beautiful cliffs of Portaneevey.

I got some very nice pictures from the island and then we made our way back across the bridge. The line to cross seemed longer so I was glad we had gotten there when we did. Near the bridge, we had great views of Portaneevey cliffs, including a beautiful sea cave in the basalt cliffs.

Since there would be no more lines, our walk back was a little slower and we stopped to get more pictures and enjoy the beautiful scenery a bit more. Back at the parking area, we had a couple minutes before the bus was taking off, so we grabbed sandwiches for lunch from the cafe. We boarded the bus and headed west for a short ways to the highlight of the day's tour, The Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Matthew dropped us off and would be picking us back up near the restaurant. Strangely, it is free to visit the Giant’s Causeway, but there is a fee to enter the visitor center and gift shop. It was lightly raining when we disembarked the bus and began walking, but stopped shortly thereafter. We started off on the Blue Trail, heading down along the coast next to the shuttle route.

We passed Port Granny and soon made it to the Grand Causeway.

By the time we got here, the rain had stopped completely and we could see blue skies, although the basalt rocks were very wet and slippery.

We climbed around here, getting pictures and enjoying the phenomenal views of the mountains, coast, and of course the strange polygonal basalt columns that the causeway is famous for.

From here, we continued on the Blue Trail, stopping for a picture of the Giant’s Boot, a massive rock that looks astoundingly similar to a boot.

Shortly past the boot, we turned right to get on the Red Trail and headed up towards the cliff above along the Shepherd's Path.

Along the trail, there was quite a bit of spear thistle, with wicked-looking thorns on its leaves and stalks, but the trail was well-maintained and we were able to avoid any painful contact.

Near the top, the path turned to steep stairs as we ascended the Shepherd's Steps.

Once up at the top, we enjoyed wonderful views of the causeway and coastline below the cliffs as we made our way back, taking a short detour on Aird Snout to view the causeway from directly above.

In the distance looking west, we could see strange glowing columns below the clouds over Portballintrae and Portrush.

I have no idea what caused these, but they were very interesting looking.

We finished the Red Trail back at the Visitor Center and got on the bus. Almost immediately after we boarded, the rain started again, but it was light and we were safely on the bus. As we waited for the other visitors to return, we watched a steady stream of classic British cars driving by, mostly Jaguars and MGs. There must have been some car show in the area. When everyone returned, we drove a little bit further west and made a quick stop to view Dunluce Castle from the road.

This castle is the location of House of Greyjoy in Game of Thrones. Then we headed towards Belfast. I fell asleep and don’t remember anything more about the drive there, but awoke as we were heading into Belfast. First, we made a quick stop at Buoy Park and I ran out for a quick photo of St. Anne’s Cathedral adjacent to the park.

Then we stopped at Donegall Square at the Belfast City Hall for about 45 minutes.  I spent much of the time walking around the absolutely beautiful city hall, getting pictures from different angles.

A truly gorgeous building and perhaps the most beautiful city hall I had ever seen.

Surrounding the City Hall were beautiful gardens and walkways with numerous statues and the Garden of Remembrance and Cenotaph, dedicated to those who fought in World War I and II.

Next to the City Hall was the Scottish Provident Building, an office building with a beautiful facade. I don't see many office buildings like that back home.

We also stopped in a couple of stores along Donegall Place, just north of City Hall, and then re-boarded the bus. Before we headed back to the Republic, however, Matthew took us to a few more places in Belfast to really make the former conflict come to life. We drove to several murals commemorating figures from the IRA and the Irish struggle in the Falls Road area, including the Bobby Sands mural and the Solidarity Wall.

We also saw the Garden of Remembrance, honoring those who had died on a hunger strike, and the security fence that is still in place.

There were several spots where we had to turn around due to the fence being closed, and I was amazed that Matthew could turn the huge tour bus around on such narrow streets.

Then we started making our way back to Dublin, about a two-hour drive. Although we didn’t get back to Dublin until after 8, there was still plenty of daylight left. We were hungry, however, so we stopped at O’Donoghue’s near the Dublin Tourist Information Center. The downstairs was crowded, so we ate upstairs. The food and service was great, although I felt bad for Joe, the bartender, who had to keep running up and down the stairs to bring us our food and drinks. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel after a very long, but fun day.

First Day in Dublin

This June, we went with my family for a trip to Ireland to see some of the highlights of the beautiful Emerald Isle. We left Friday afternoon from Raleigh, flying via Air Canada to Toronto and then overnight to Dublin. I chose Air Canada, because they were significantly cheaper than other airlines, but also because they have good customer service (for an airline, anyway) and clearing US Customs is a lot easier in Toronto than major US airports, like JFK or Boston. We did have the added step of clearing Canadian customs, but because we were only in transit, this was very simple and straightforward. Our trans-Atlantic flight left Toronto late in the evening and we arrived in Dublin around 11 in the morning. After getting our luggage and clearing Immigration/Customs, we caught our shuttle from Aircoach that took us to our hotel in Dublin - Ballsbridge. We arrived a little early and had to wait in the lobby for about a half-hour for our room to be ready. Once it was, we dropped off our luggage, changed clothes and headed into Dublin. From the hotel, we headed down Northumberland Road, which changes names several times as it heads into the main tourist area of the city. Besides some airplane food, we hadn’t eaten today, so our first stop was somewhere to eat and have a drink. My cousin Lani had just turned 18 and it would be her first (legal) drink. We stopped at the Blarney Inn on Nassau Street near Trinity College.

Here, we had a late lunch and some drinks to officially commemorate our visit to Ireland. My mom, uncle, and cousin had Guinness, while I had a Smithwicks, as I don’t care much for Guinness. Sandy had a whiskey & ginger ale. For food, Sandy and I both had some traditional Irish food - Shepherd's Pie and Sandy got a bowl of creamy vegetable soup. After we ate and finished our drinks, the server let us go behind the bar and took a group picture. From here, we continued down the street and headed to Trinity College.

Sandy was really excited about visiting the library here, but unfortunately, it was about to close. So we walked a bit around the campus, getting pictures of the beautiful buildings, including the Campanile, Public Theater, and Graduates Memorial Building and planned to come back for a visit to the library later.

There was a lot of construction going on, but I was still able to get some good pictures of the beautiful buildings. After that, we headed over to Suffolk Street to the Dublin Tourism Information Centre, which is located in a beautiful old church, the former Church of St. Andrew.

This is where we would be picked up early in the morning tomorrow for our tour of the Giant’s Causeway and Northern Ireland and I wanted to be sure we knew exactly where to go. We didn't want to be wandering around aimlessly at 6 in the morning. Then we did a little bit of shopping - I picked up a power converter, since the European one I had brought doesn’t fit the Ireland/UK outlets and Sandy got some lovely paintings from a street vendor. We also found a 24-hour convenience store. Our tour tomorrow was very early in the morning, too early to get breakfast. But we could stop by this convenience store and get something to eat before the tour. By this time, it was getting into the evening and although not late, we were all exhausted from the long flight. But before we made our way back to the hotel, we made a detour to Dublin Castle.  The inside was closed for the evening, but we walked around the outside and I got some pictures of the beautiful buildings.

Heading into the area, we saw a suit of armor near a door and then headed towards Chapel Royal and Norman Tower.

The Norman Tower, also called the Record Tower and built in the 13th century, is the last intact medieval tower at the castle and in all of Dublin.

The beautiful Chapel Royal was once the Church of Ireland chapel and has a number of carved heads along its walls.

After a short time, we started making our way back to the hotel for an early bedtime.