Category: Europe

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

We spent 4 days in Scotland during the month of July in 2019. One day each in Edinburgh (pronounced by most Scottish people as “Edinbra”) and Glasgow and 2 days in Scottish Highlands. It was a complete road trip along with my Brother-in-Law and his family. If you really want to explore the beauty of Scotland, my personal recommendation would be to try a road trip. Renting a car will be the best option.

Scotland might be a small country, but there are tonnes of places here that will astonish you.

There are beautiful landscapes, no matter which part you are in.

Scotland is full of experiences that can make your trip an unforgettable one. If you’ve been dreaming about visiting Scotland for a long time, I’m sure that you will have a long bucket list to see and do.

Scotland is one of the most scenic and beautiful countries in the world. Obviously one of the most beautiful countries that I had visited in my life.

I would like to share my Scotland Experience with you. I believe this would help you to finalise your itinerary. Considering the number of places that we have been to, I believe 4-6 days would be a good option.

Day 1:

Edinburgh Castle / Miles Road:

The city of Edinburgh is one of the top places to visit in Scotland and Edinburgh Castle is a must see.

Perched high on an old volcano overlooking the city of Edinburgh, is Edinburgh Castle. One of Scotland’s most popular tourist attractions, the castle is home to the Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny. You can get a pretty great view of the city without paying for entrance. Now it’s the country’s most popular tourist attraction, drawing around 1.5 million people a year.

Encircled by 7 hills, both the city’s old and new towns are UNESCO World Heritage sites, with the famous Royal Mile framed by Edinburgh Castle and the splendid Holyrood Palace. Edinburgh is the birthplace of Harry Potter.

This gorgeous city is built atop not one but two extinct volcanos.

Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is the heart of Scotland’s historic capital.

We had explored Edinburgh in Red line of the Hop-on-Hop-off.

Hop On Hop Off has 3 routes in Edinburgh:

Red line (covers the castle, Miles Road, Dynamic Earth and so on)

Green Line

Blue Line

More details here: https://www.hop-on-hop-off-bus.com/edinburgh/edinburgh-hop-on-hop-off-tour_5121?

Considering the price and the places that are covered, I believe Bright tours would be a better option compared to Hop on Hop off Red line. (Adult – 10£, Child – 6 £)

More details here: https://www.firstgroup.com/bright-bus-tours

There are so many options for food. We personally had tried ‘Nandos’ and it was quite nice.

In Edinburg, we stayed in Lochend Serviced Apartments.

Day 2:

1) Three Bridges:

From here, you could see the spectacular view of the 3 bridges (distinct types) quite near to each other:

The Forth rail Bridge (1890)

The forth Road Bridge (1964)

Queensferry Crossing (2017)

The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, 9 miles west of Edinburgh City Centre. It is considered as a symbol of Scotland and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was designed by the English engineers Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker

Due to its distinctive red colours and huge proportions, it is one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks.

More Details here : https://www.thethreebridges.com/

2) Loch Lomond:

Loch Lomond is Scotland’s largest lake and is surrounded by greenery. If you want to have more fun, then hire a seaplane and cruise over the loch or hire a jet ski and take it to the lake.

There are lot of paid parking and paid toilets available in this place.

During our visit, we felt like the number of visitors were a lot more compared to the boats that were available for service. Due to the same reason, we decided to skip the Loch Lomond boat trip.

If you really want to stay somewhere near Loch Lomond, I would personally suggest Duck Bay Hotel.

We had a short tea break there, the surroundings and environment are simply superb.

More details here: https://duckbay.co.uk/

3) Fort William (Small Town):

Enroute to Ben Nevis range is Fort William.

It is not so much exciting as a town, but rather for its surroundings.

This is where the famous West Highland Way ends and where the highest mountain range of the UK begins: The Ben Nevis Range.

It takes only 15 minutes to drive from Fort William to the car park of the Nevis Range.

4) Ben Nevis Range:

Towering 1,344m over neighbouring Fort William, the soaring peak of Ben Nevis is not only Scotland’s highest point, but the highest mountain in the UK.

There is a cable car (Mountain Gondola) available to reach the Top most point of the Range. However, the last stretch is closed through out the year (except winter time).

The Mountain Gondola has become an amazing visitor attraction, allowing visitors to enjoy the scenic ride and absorb the stunning views and clear mountain air.

More details here: https://www.nevisrange.co.uk/

We stayed in a 2bhk luxury caravan (Caolasnacon Caravan & Camping Park) that night and it was an amazing experience.

Day 3:

1) Commando Memorial:

The Commando Memorial is a monument in Lochaber, Scotland, dedicated to the men of the original British Commando Forces (World War II)

2) Bridge of Oich:

The Bridge of Oich is a taper principle suspension bridge, designed by James Dredge, across the River Oich near Aberchalder in Highland, Scotland.

The bridge opened in 1854 and was used to take the main road traffic over the river until 1932.

Aberchalder Swing Bridge is also in the same spot.

3) Fort Augustus:

Fort Augustus is a settlement in the parish of Boleskine and Abertarff, at the south-west end of Loch Ness, Scottish Highlands. Its economy is heavily reliant on tourism.

4) Caledonian Canal:

The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford.

Please check with the officials and understand the timings when the Locks will be opened. Before the lock opening, the swing bridges will also be opened. This is indeed an amazing view and should not be missed.

There are lot of parking available near the Canal and lot of restaurants as well.

We found a small ‘fish and chips’ shop (Canalside Take Away) to be the most economical.

5) Loch Ness (Popularly known for Loch Ness Monster):

It is a large deep Fresh water loch in Scottish Highlands.

Scotland’s most well-known lake, or loch, is an impressive 23 miles long. On its shores, you’ll see picturesque villages, mountains and the ruins of Urquhart Castle. Look closely and you could be rewarded with a sight of the Loch Ness Monster!

This is the second largest Loch after Loch Lomond. There is a cruise option in this Loch. If you have missed a boating in Loch Lomond, you can very well try this as an alternative option.

More details here: https://www.jacobite.co.uk/

The depth of this Loch is around 200 plus metre. Loch Ness is known as the home of the Loch Ness Monster (also known as “Nessie”), a cryptid, reputedly a large unknown animal.

The existence of such a monster sea animal is still a debatable topic, as of today.

Whatever may be the debates, everything here (from Souvenirs to Cruise trip) is been sold in the name of this Lochness Monster.

6) Isle of Skye:

The Isle of Skye, or the isle of mist, is everything you’ve ever imagined it to be.

It’s rugged scenery and brooding mountain ranges are commonly featured in films and television series.

Despite being popularly famous for its natural beauty, the Isle of Skye would never leave you disappointed. From the scenic mountains to the water that surrounds you, there’s nowhere to look that isn’t gorgeous. Truly awesome place and a must-see place in your Scotland Itinerary.

It may seem like a long drive to get there, but by adding in scenic pitstops along the way, you can turn the journey into a sightseeing adventure.

Skye Bridge is the gateway to the Isle of Skye. Continue A87 through Kyle of Lochalsh and cross the Skye Bridge (there is no toll to cross the bridge).

In case if you would like to have some Indian Cuisine, there is a Restaurant named ‘Taste of India’ after a short distance from the Skye bridge.

We stayed in a 2bhk luxury caravan (Caolasnacon Caravan & Camping Park) that night and it was an amazing experience.

Day 4:

Highland cows:

While these aren’t wild, many visitors to Scotland will want to see a highland cow during their trip. As they are usually kept in fields, they can be spotted most often between April and October.

Falkirk Wheel:

The Falkirk Wheel is well worth a visit.

My personal suggestion will be to just see the Falkirk Wheel in action and avoid the boat trip.

You can take a boat ride which will take you to the Upper Canal using Falkirk Wheel. This includes a ticket. But if you are running short of time, you could easily skip.

There are lot of parking available in this region and there is a parking charge involved.

More details here: https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/falkirk-wheel/

The Kelpies:

The Kelpies tower of the Forth and Clyde canal near Falkirk and are the largest equine sculptures in the world. They stand over 30 meters high and weigh in at over 600 tonnes.

The Kelpies pay tribute to the working horses of Central Scotland who used to pull barges along the canals. They are truly magnificent sculptures.

This is one of Scotland’s most photographed man made attractions. Its worth to spend some time here.

Guided tours are available where you also get the opportunity to experience the statues from the inside. There is a visitor centre (open daily between 10 am and 5 pm) which has a gift shop and a restaurant. Paid parking is also available.

River side museum, Glasgow:

On our way back to Birmingham, we passed through Glasgow. It’s not a clean city compared to its other counterparts in Scotland.

There is a car Museum (River side museum), which is free of cost.

Riverside Museum is Glasgow’s award-winning transport museum. With over 3,000 objects on display there’s everything from skateboards to locomotives, paintings to prams and cars to a Stormtrooper.

Kids would love this place.

More details here: https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/venues/riverside-museum

Other Ways to explore Scotland:

Scenic train ride (Jacobite – Hogwarts Express (For Harry Potter Fans))

Scotland is not only beautiful from the roads. Some of the best views can only be seen from aboard a ferry or a train! Iconic train lines, like the West Highland Line which runs through the isolated landscape of Rannoch Moor and crosses the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct between Fort William and Mallaig.

You can book your tickets here: https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite/jacobite-steam-train-details.cfm

Tour Operators:

In case if you don’t want to drive, you can try public transport or tour operators like Rabbies.

More details about Rabbies tours : https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours/from-inverness

When to visit Scotland:

Scotland is a destination that is worth visiting all year long, but the summer months, from June until August, attract the most visitors, marking peak season. July and August are on average the warmest months of the year, which coincides with the peak season for tourism and summer holidays.

Scotland is renowned for being a wet country and the rains can sometimes spoil your trip especially when you are exploring the Highlands of Scotland.

As the weather is changeable, you could encounter all four seasons in one day, regardless of which month you come to Scotland. Therefore, while considering what to wear, we recommend always having a few layers with you, especially wind and rain proof layers!

Some other Tips:

1) No drinks while driving:

There are strict alcohol limits for drivers, but it’s impossible to say exactly how many drinks this equals – it’s different for each person. Any alcohol in your body can adversely affect how you drive.

The current limits are:

22 mcg of alcohol in 100 ml of breath (the ‘breath limit’)

50 mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood (the ‘blood limit’)

67 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of urine (the ‘urine limit’)

2) Across Scotland, there are challenges with the network connectivity.
So, it will be a good option to keep a map handy with you and don’t completely depend on google maps in your phone.

3) Careful with Midges:

To some people, midges can be a night mare or a serious nuisance.Midges didn’t leave us either..

Mosquito/Midges Head net can save you here. Some options below: https://outdooradventurestore.ie/product/midge-mosquito-head-net?gclid=CjwKCAjwwvfrBRBIEiwA2nFiPTEUL_MtR1Sqtd4XGcFSgnrKhcN5TR9Qio1KmzBL6uAz2yhxbztU5BoC2p0QAvD_BwE

There might be many other names still missing from the above list.

If you really have more time, I would suggest you explore further places.

I have mentioned some places below:
Edinburg Zoo
Edinburg Ghost tours
Mull of Galloway
Fairy pools, Skye
Corryvreckan whirlpool
Cairngorms National Park
Rosslyn chapel
Finnich Glen
Holy Isle
The Ring of Brodgar
Staffa
St Kilda
Luskentyre beach
Distillery (like The Edradour – Kids below 12 are not permitted)
Smoo Cave of Scotland
Inverness
Isle of Lochalsh

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” – Anonymous

Typically, we see animals in zoo and many of us don’t feel comfortable with the way animals are kept inside the cages. But here in WMSP, the animals (like camels, zebras, antelope, rhinos and many others) are given freedom to roam around and they indeed have plenty of free space to move.

Ticket Cost:

It will be good to visit the park website to know the Park opening days.

You can buy the tickets on line as well (which gives you some discount) : https://web.wmsp.co.uk/tickets/index.php

Adults (16-64) : 24 £
Children (3-15) : 19 £
Concessions (Senior 65+ and Students) : 22 £
Under 3’s : Free
Animal Food : 3.50 £
Guide Book : 5 £
You can buy tickets in the park itself and all major card types are accepted here.

Seems the ticket price includes a free return trip, which is a great option. Please see more details here : https://www.wmsp.co.uk/free-return-ticket/

However, once you’ve got into the safari park, there are a lot of hidden costs, in case if you want to do everything the park has to offer.

We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us – Anonymous

Bath is the largest city in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987. This is one of the most visited place in England.

If you’re looking to see more of England outside of the capital, then I would highly recommend Bath which combines all the necessary factors of history, heritage and countryside charm.

We got a chance to visit this place in December (Winter) 2019. Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day with slight showers. I believe this place will be excellent during the Summer.

Bath can be a good day trip from London (may be around 1.5 hours in train from Paddington station or may be around 3+ hours in Bus from Victoria Coach station).

Ubers are easily available in Bath. They tend to be cheaper than normal taxis and are a convenient option.

If you are coming to Bath in car, I would strongly recommend to include ‘Stonehenge’ to your itinerary.

There was also a museum inside the complex which had models of Baths in Roman times, remains of sculptures , Bath areas etc. Try to reach the Roman Bath in the morning before the tourists Crowds start flowing in..

Other interesting places worth visiting:

Royal Crescent:

The Royal Crescent is Bath’s single most impressive piece of architecture, a set of 30 crescent-shaped Georgian houses designed by architect John Wood.

Thermae Bath Spa:

This 21st century rooftop pool cum spa screams luxury along with splendid views of Bath. There’s a small fee to be paid for entry, but it is well worth the experience.

Summary: Bath is city worth one-time visit. 2 days itinerary should cover all the major attractions of this ancient city.

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide.

We did the Portsmouth and IOW trip in Dec 2019. There is no bridge from England’s mainland to IOW. The only way to get to the island is to take a ferry or a hovercraft or any other kind of boats.

NOTE: There is also a ferry from Southampton to East Cowes operated by Redfunnel. This journey takes around 1 hour (https://www.redfunnel.co.uk/en/book/ferry-booking/)

If you are planning your trip from Portsmouth (island city/seacoast), I would strongly recommend to spend 1 full day(minimum) in Portsmouth aswell as there are some cool places/attractions in this city. This is a vibrant waterfront city and it’s the 3rd oldest City of the nation.

Some places worth visiting in Portsmouth are:

a) Emirates Spinnaker tower: (https://www.spinnakertower.co.uk/)

I would request to include Spinnaker tower in your itinerary. We got some great discounts from Groupon. So before booking, see if you can find some Groupon discount Coupons. The observatory in the top is worth visiting. You will get an excellent view of the entire place from the observatory. You can also step into the glass floor (sky walk) for a unique experience. Don’t forget to take your camera with you, as you can capture some stunning images from the top deck.

Other places worth visiting:

• Portsmouth Beach
• Historic Dockyard
• Ports down Hill
• Fort Nelson
• Pierce Island (20+ acres of island are around 5 minutes from downtown)
• Jennes Beach
• Boat tours
• Porstmouth Cathedral
• Portsmouth city Council Building

We Stayed in an Airbnb Apartment in Portsmouth. The stay was very nice and close to city centre.

Address: Rosemary Lane, Portsmouth, England PO1 3DR, United Kingdom.

We reached IOW by around 10.45 AM.

The IOW is measured around 24 Miles from East to West and 12 miles from North to South.

The recommendation will be to do a road trip to cover all the places. However, there are also public transport (bus) available to the main attractions. In winter, the frequency of Bus will be very less. The website https://www.islandbuses.info/services will be helpful to explore the bus routes. Hop on Hop off buses are available only in Summer, I guess.

Also please note that there are many speed cameras in IOW. So, it will be good to control your speed while driving.

We covered the following places in our IOW trip.

Below are some of the Other places worth visiting. So plan your itinerary according to your interest:

Tapnell farm Aqua park

Yarmouth

Backgang Chine Theme park

Robin hill adventure park

Whitecliff Bay

Osborne (Palace/House)  (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/osborne/)

Yarmouth Castle

Garlic Farm  (https://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/)

Newport

Island Line Railway (Ryde-Shanklin) (https://www.southwesternrailway.com/destinations-and-offers/island-line)

IOW Steam railway (located in Haven street) (https://iwsteamrailway.co.uk/)

Shanklin Chine

Carisbrooke castle (http://carisbrookecastlemuseum.org.uk/)

Water Fall @ Shanklin Chine

Yaverland Beach

IOW Zoo & Tiger Sanctuary  (http://www.isleofwightzoo.com/)

Amazon World zoo (http://www.amazonworld.co.uk/)

Donkey Sanctuary  (https://www.iowdonkeysanctuary.org/)

Sandham Gardens

Ryde Beach

SpringVale Beach

Brading Roman Villa (https://bradingromanvilla.org.uk/)

Cowes town

Cycling in IOW (there are around 200 miles of safe cycle routes in IOW)

Fossil Hunting Tour

Quarr Abbey

St.Catherine’s Down

Visit Wine yards (Ex: Rosemary Wineyard)

Brighstone Village Museum 

Godshill Model Village

Dimbola Museum

Butterfly & Fountain World

Westwight Aplacas  (http://www.westwightalpacas.co.uk/)

Summary: IOW is a very good weekend option for people from UK. It is truly a hidden gem for anyone who wishes to get away from London to relax near the seaside. Many visits here to have some fun with their family on the beach, to go surfing or to bike along the island’s nature trails

“The Journey not the Arrival matters.” – T.S Eliot

We visited Dalkey and Killiney in Oct 2021. It was a great sunny day In Ireland (perfect for a day trip).

We took the Public transport (Luas) from Saggart to Connolly (Last stop of the red line).

Connolly Luas (Tram) and the Dart (Train) stations are quite near to each other.

Connolly station:

It is the biggest train station in Ireland. There are around 7 platforms in Connolly (+ 2 Platform for Luas).

The train timings and Platforms are clearly marked on the boards. So you don’t have to panic and there are even sign boards clearly indicating the platform numbers.

We took the train to Bray from Connolly. Dalkey is the 14th stop from Connolly. Dalkey is a very small station. This is a very scenic train route.

We had covered the following places in our trip:

1. Dalkey Town:

Just outside the train station, you will see clear road markings indicating the different place names.

Dalkey town is a small and beautiful town with lots of shops including multi cuisine restaurants.

It’s also an interesting fact that many rich and famous people stay in and around Dalkey. 

If you are reaching here during lunch time, make sure to have the lunch from the Dalkey town itself. You wouldn’t find more options in the other destinations during this journey.

If you are planning to have a walking tour, it will be good to  get some bottles and snacks from Dalkey. There is a SuperValu available here.

2. Dalkey Castle & Heritage Centre:

Dalkey Castle is one of the seven fortified town houses/castles of Dalkey. The castles were built to store the goods which were off-loaded in Dalkey during the Middle Ages, when Dalkey acted as the port for Dublin. The castles all had defensive features to protect the goods from being plundered. These are still available on the site. For more details: https://www.dalkeycastle.com/ Note: Please note that there is an entry fee of 13.95 Euros.

3. Colliemore Harbour & Dalkey island:

This was more of a walking tour.

The next destination after the castle was the Colliemore Harbour.

Please note that there are small boats available to visit the Dalkey island (Its an uninhibited island) .

This island is an ideal spot for fishing.

But these boat services are seasonal.

You can check the website to see some boat timings : http://kentheferryman.com/

4. Dillion’s Park:

It’s a great place for a small picnic, to go fishing or simply to enjoy the views of Dalkey Island and the lighthouse.

5. Vico Road to Vico Bath:

We took the Vico Road (Scenic route along the coast) to reach the Vico Bath.

You will see a lot of nice houses with great views, enroute.

Vico Bathing place is a must see in this route. Unfortunately, there are no great markings to Vico Bath. So please be a little careful else you might miss the entrance (it’s a small path going down with a bridge over the dart line) to the Bath area.

Maps Indication (Courtesy: Google Maps): https://www.google.com/maps/@53.2703705,-6.0973575,3a,75y,176.69h,75.09t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEiB1toGZ6ntZtLD18S-cpw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

The historic Vico Baths in Dalkey is one of the most popular places to go swimming in Dublin. This historic bathing place has been delighting locals and tourists alike for many years.

Here, we are covering these places as a part of the walking tour. If you plan to visit this place directly in a car, please remember that there is no much parking available near to the bath, as the Vico road is very narrow. The best option will be to park your car somewhere near the Dalkey Town.

There is no life guard available here. So it is good to be careful while swimming. There is a small changing room but no bathrooms.

Historically, it was a gentlemen only bathing place. There were penalties for women who break the rule and try to swim there. But such things have changed now and no such rule persists today.

You would also see  a Big ‘EIRE’ Sign on your walk down to the Vico Baths.

6. Killiney Hills

This park was dedicated to public use in 1887. Killiney Hill is a popular destination for walkers and hikers availing spectacular views, over the surrounding areas.

You can follow the Vico Road further to reach the entry to the Killiney Hill. Clear indication boards are available.  Please remember that if you are planning to take this route, you will have to climb a large number of steps (don’t recollect the number of steps) to reach the top of the Killiney Hill. If you have small kids / or people with walking difficulties in your group, this wouldn’t be an ideal route for you. Instead you can reach the top of Killiney hill through the other side in your car. There is also a big car park available at the top.

The views from the Killiney hill top is marvellous. As soon as you reach Killiney hill top, please refer to one of the maps/boards which are erected in different places. That places will give you a fairly good idea about the various points of interest within the Killiney Hill.

From one side of the Killiney hill, you can see the Vico Road, DART Train line and the Dalkey Island.

From another side, you will see the Killiney Beach.

From another side, you will see a lot of residential areas, Motor way and industrial estates.

7) The Obelisk (within the Killiney Hills):

Don’t miss the Obelisk while you are in Killiney Hill.

Killiney Obelisk has been the subject of much attention since it was built in the 1740s. It was intended as the centerpiece of a great undertaking to plant and landscape the hill, which at first was called Obelisk Hill, and more recently has become known as Killiney Hill.

You can also visit the Pyramid, when you are in Killiney Hill.

NOTES:

1. There are couple of options to reach the Killiney Hill, if you are coming in car. (One route has a height restriction in place)
2. There are no much shops available in the  Killiney hill. Either you have to get something from a coffee shop near to one of the car parks. Normal people try to come up to the Killiney hill with some small snacks, Pizzas, Burgers and so on.
3. There is also a rest room available outside the coffee shop.

8. Killiney Beach:

You can Climb down the Killiney hill to reach the Killiney beach.

Personally, We did not like the beach.

There is enough parking space available near the Killiney Beach. There is also public toilet available (near the Killiney beach parking). The toilet is not maintained properly.

Food options:

As mentioned earlier, there are lots of restaurants in Dalkey.

Personally we had tried food from Kathmandu Restaurant and Wood Burn Pizza. The food was tasty.

There were also 3-4 Indian cuisine restaurants available in Dalkey.

Some restaurants would need prior booking.

Parking Options:

By chance if you want to visit in car, there are parking spaces available near Collimeore harbour, Castle, Killiney hill and Killiney beach.

Killiney Beach was our last destination in our journey. The Killiney DART (Train) station is just near to the Killiney Beach.

For those who wants to return back to the Dublin City Center, you can take direct train to Connolly from Killiney station.

For those who wants to explore beyond Killiney, please check out the rail network. There’s a great rail network coverage and you could pick some nice destinations.

Dalkey and Killiney Hill  is infact a great one day trip from Dublin. Infact this can be covered in a half day trip aswell.

NOTE: We have covered only a few places here in this blog. Our idea was to give you a high level overview of this place. Certainly do a homework and make a proper plan. You can really craft a beautiful one day itinerary for this destination.

Happy Journey!!

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide.

We visited Bray and Greystones in July 2021.

Thanks to the Sunny Weather (believe me, it didn’t rain that day in Ireland), it was really a wonderful trip.

We took the Public transport (Luas) from Saggart to Connolly (Last stop of the red line)

Connolly Luas (Tram) and the Dart (Train) stations are quite near to each other.

Bray is relatively a small station.

You can also go to Bray in bus and there is a bus depot aswell, in Bray.

Main Attractions in Bray:

1. Sea Life Aquarium:

We couldn’t visit the aquarium as the entries were restricted with prior booking (due to covid restrictions).

2. Bray Beach:

Bray beach is not a pure white sand beach.

You will see a lot of pebbles here.

There are lots of snack shops (ice creams shops and restaurants) near the beach area.

Few points to note:

a) There are clear indications through out the walking trail.

b) Remember the Wicklow Litter Code: You wouldn’t see any bins through out the walking trail. You will have to keep the rubbish with you and throw it in the bins at the start or the end point.

c) Some of the paths in the walking trail is very narrow.  A one way traffic might have to be followed there.

4. Greystones Beach:

The final destination of this cliff walk is the Greystones Beach.

Compared to the Bray beach, the Greystones beach is less crowded. (You can play/swim here).

The bay area here is really nice.

The Greystones town is small and there are lot of shops in both sides of the road (for light refreshments and so on).

The Greystones dart station is around 1 km / 10-15 min (walking distance) from the beach.

There is a small and nice beach near to the station.

You can take the train from Greystones to Bray (if you have parked your cars in the Bray Parking area).

For those who wants to return back to the Dublin City Center, you can take direct train to Connolly from Greystones station.

For those who wants to explore beyound Greystones, please check out the rail network. There’s a great rail network coverage and you could pick some nice destinations.

There are lot of restaurants and small coffee shops available in both Bray and Greystones.

Some among them are:

PLATFORM Pizza Bar and BOX BURGER (in Bray)

We had tried some of the Indian restaurants (lots of options available) in Greystones and really liked ‘Chakra By Jaipur’ the most.

If you are looking for ice-creams, our personal recommendation would be ‘Gino’s’

Another cool hangout place for Vegetarians in Greystones is ‘The Happy Pear’.

Bray and Greystones is infact a great one day trip from Dublin.

NOTE: We have covered only a few places here in this blog. Our idea was to give you a high level overview of this place. Certainly do a homework and make a proper plan. You can really craft a beautiful one day itinerary for this destination.

Happy Journey!!

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” – Jawaharlal Nehru

We visited Wicklow Mountains, Glendalough and Kilkenny In Ireland in December 2018. We booked this trip through ‘Wild Rover Tours’. The details of the tour can be seen in the link below:

https://wildrovertours.com/activity/kilkenny-wicklow-mountains-glendalough/

This is a full day trip from Dublin, Ireland and the booking can be done online.

Route Map:

During online booking, they give you some discounts (10-15%) on other similar tour packages operated by the same company.

They have 3 Pickup points in Dublin and the trip starts at 8:10 AM

8:10am at Gresham Hotel, O’Connell St Dublin 1
8:20am at Ulster Bank Bus Stop, Dame Street / College Green Dublin 2
8:30am at Jurys Inn, Christ Church Dublin 8

Note: They have only 1 Drop point near O’Connell street (will be back by 6PM)

Charges: Adult: €33.00
Child (under 12): €25.00 (they don’t accept reservations for babies under 2)
Student: €28.00

Place 1: As a part of this trip, we first visited ‘Richard Collen’s Working Sheep Farm.

Mr Richard and his wife explains how they run the farm.

Also a very interesting ‘Sheep Herding Demonstration Using Border Collies’. It’s an interesting one, for people like me who have not seen this before. This is a wonderful experience not to be missed!

After demonstration, they hand us the baby lambs for hugs and cuddles and you can take pictures with the baby lamps.

Place 2: The next place is the famous heritage site of Glendalough; a glacial valley and medieval monastic settlement. Its just a 5 minutes drive from the sheep farm.

The Bus will be parked there for 2 hours (expected to be back in bus by around 12PM)and we can visit the Glendalough Monastic Site. Nick (our guide) from the Tour operator side will explain about the place and once the walking tour is over, we can walk till the Glendalough Upper and Lower Lake. Please note that the walking distance is around 1.6 Kms+ (one side) from the parking area. The views are stunning and I would personally recommend this.

There are restaurant and bathroom facilities available in the ‘Glendalough Hotel’.

I would personally suggest you to take some light food from here as the bus would stop only at the next attraction at around 1:45 PM.

Enroute to the place 3, we will pass through the beautiful scenic mountains (Wicklow Gap) lying both sides of the Braveheart Drive road. You will also pass through very small town like ‘Holly Wood’. The bus will also stop for 10 minutes, for you to take some beautiful snaps of the mountains. You will also get a chance to see a lot of ‘Fairy trees’ enroute.

Place 3: The last and final place of visit is ‘Kilkenny’ Medieval City. We might reach here around 1:45 PM and bus will be parked near the Kilkenny Castle till 4PM. Before reaching Kilkenny, the guide will provide all the information related to the various attractions in that area.

If you are a person who is not fond of History, this is not a location that you might enjoy.

My decision was to visit the St. Canice’s Medieval Cathedral and Round Tower. You need to pay a small fees for getting onto the top of the Round Tower from where you can get a 360 view of the town. Beware that there are around 100 steps and it’s a risky one for the elders and young kids.

There is also a small ticket for seeing the inside of the Cathedral.

Based on individual preference, you can also decide between:

Kilkenny Castle

Ballykeefe Distillery

Rothe House & Garden

Saint Francis’s Abbey Brewery

National Craft Gallery

You will be back in the City Center by 6PM, if the bus starts around 4.15 PM from Kikenny.

Overall, I feel that the trip is very economical. The Travel Guide ‘Nick’ and the pilot ‘Paddy’ were very supportive and caring. Nick has spend more than 30 years in Ireland and he gives a lot of information (using Mic and speaker) about the History of Ireland, Dublin and the attractions that we visit. He was amazing – not only was he informative but hosted walking tours along the way which was interesting. He also brought along some instruments and entertained us with his music along the way.

The only thing what you have to keep in mind is that the operator doesn’t spend/waste time by stopping the bus in front of the restaurants. Anyway food is not included in this package. So be prepared to grab a short menu like Burgers or sandwich wherever the bus parks. This is quite a busy journey throughout the complete day. In case, if you want to save some money, you can also pack food from your home/hotel. The tour operator don’t block you from having outside food inside the coaches.

Overall, I would recommend this one-day package to my fellow travellers.

As for the tour itself, everything was great except time. But I guess that’s the same thing for all day tours; there’s little time for so many things to see and do. All in all, it was a great tour, and we were lucky to have a beautiful weather to make it more enjoyable.

Anyway, there are some other tour operators like ‘Paddywagon’ who are also operating in the same route.

https://www.paddywagontours.com/KILKENNY-and-WICKLOW-Day-Tour-From-DUBLIN?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-vuPrYK23wIVBbTtCh39wg6JEAAYASACEgL_5vD_BwE

But they don’t take you to the sheep farm, I guess.

In Winter time, we might not see the real beauty of this place. But in Summer, these are must see destinations.

We visited county Galway from Dublin, in February 2019.

This was a part of the 5-day road trip from Dublin covering mainly Mayo, Galway and Clare counties.

Road map- Day 2:

Places covered on Day 2 (In County Galway)

1) Connemara National Park:

The park covers nearly 3000 hectares of land and includes mountains, bog, heath and woodland. Entrance to the park is free. Pets are allowed.

There are four trails in the park. The Woodland Trail, Scruffaunboy Walk, Lower Diamond Hill Walk and Upper Diamond Hill Walk, however the real reason for coming here is to do one thing only, and that is to climb Diamond Hill, the 445m mountain that stands majestically in the centre of the landscape. The full hill walk is combination of 3 of the walks, 7.5km and takes 2-3 hours. You will find the visitor centre in the entrance of the trail.

We did not proceed for the Trails, as we were running short of time.

Note: Connemara is also known for Connemara Pony Breed.

2) Kylemore Abbey:

This is one of the most visited tourist attractions in this part of the County Galway. Seems like this Abbey was a former castle.

You can visit some rooms in the abbey, many of them were redesigned with the original furniture and provide a lot of information about the history of Kylemore Abbey.

There is a entry fee into the Abbey.

Another attraction that we skipped in this region was ‘LetterFrack Village’. The village has some traditional music bars, restaurants and so on.

3) Aasleagh Falls:

Aasleagh Falls, sometimes spelled Ashleigh Falls, is a small but picturesque waterfall on the River Erriff near Killary Harbour. There is a parking area, a short walk from the falls. Salmon fishing is popular in this region.

We also saw the Killary Fjord Boat tours office on the way. The service was not operational because of Winter.

• You can find more details in the below link:
• https://killaryfjord.com/

4) Sionnanach:

There is a nice parking space here. There are seats wooden seats arranged in this place. You can park your vehicle and relax for some time.

5) Clifden:

We had gone upto Clifden that day but it was already late evening and we had to leave back to county Mayo where we had booked for that night stay.

Clifden is around 15 minutes from Letterfrack and is one of the largest towns in this region.

The main attractions in Clifden are:

1) Sky road: The Sky Road drive in Clifden is a popular route in the Connemara region and has been described as the most impressive coastal drive in the country.

2) Clifden castle / Dunguaire Castle

Road Map – Day 3

Places that we covered/planned to cover on Day 3 (In County Galway)

Glengowla Mines

Rossaveal Ferry (To Aran Islands)) (we did not go for boating here)

Salthill Promenade

National Aquarium

Claddagh (Corrib Princess Boat) (we did not visit here)

Spanish Arch (we did not visit here)

Galway Bay

Kinvarra Fishing Port (we did not visit here)

1) Glengowla Mines

We really wanted to go inside this mines but at the entrance gate, we realised that it is normally closed to Visitors during winter.

It’s an old lead mine that was only in operation for fifteen years or so in the 1800’s(1851-1865) but now it’s open for tours down into the mine. Its an interesting place to learn about the miners work and about Irish history. Mainly Silver and lead was mined from here.

Am little confused if we should call it as a Historic place or a Tourist attraction.

Please note that the mine is open for the season from March 18^th and close by the end of October. They are open from 10 AM till 6PM, with the last guided tour at 5 PM.

They have various options like Guided Tours, Sheep herding, Farm walks, Museums, gift shops and so on.

Fares:

Adult : 11 Euros

Children : 4.5 Euros

Students : 10.5 Euros

Family : 27 Euros

2) Rossaveal Ferry ( To Aran Islands):

Ferry services are available to Aran islands from Rossaveal.

This ferry port is around one hour drive from the Galway city centre.

They also suggest booking the tickets well in advance, to avoid any disappointments at the last moment.

Notes:

You have to park your vehicles (Parking charges apply) in the designated parking space.

They also arrange a shuttle bus which leaves Galway city on time to get you to the ferry.

They allow pets inside the ferry.

Bicycles are allowed (but with some restrictions on the total numbers)

Travel times to the Aran Islands from Rossaveal.

Rossaveal to Inis Mór (Inishmore): 40 Minutes.

Rossaveal to Inis Meáin(Inishmaan): 50 Minutes.

Rossaveal to Inis Oírr(Inisheer): 55 Minutes.

3) Salthill Promenade:

The Irish for Salthill is ‘Bóthar na Trá’, which literally means ‘the road by the sea’.

Salthill’s main attraction every year has been its promenade and numerous sandy beaches. The promenade covers approximately 3kms of coastline, overlooking Galway Bay.

This is an ideal area for jogging, rollerblading or strolling.

There are lots of bars, restaurants, and hotels. There are many designated parking space aswell.

4) National Aquarium:

You can see a wide and diverse collection of Ireland’s native marine and freshwater animals here.

Galway Aquarium is designed over two floors, where visitors follow a vivid interpretation of the Irish aquatic landscape, from the glacial mountain streams of Connemara, down through the famous River Corrib and out into Galway Bay.

Galway Atlantaquaria typically opens for every holiday and Bank holiday weekend (St Patrick’s Day, Good Friday etc).

Opening Times:

Open Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm

Open Saturday, Sunday 10am – 6pm

Last admission 45 mins before closing time every day.

Admission Fee:

The admission fee includes entry for the day, so visitors are allowed to come and go any time but need to hold the receipt for re-Admission

General:

Adult €13.00

Child €8.50

Senior €9.50

Student €10.00

Children ages 2 and under are free.

Family Tickets:

2 Adults and 1 Child € 31.00

2 Adults and 2 Children € 35.00

1 Adult and 2 Children € 24.00

Each Additional child € 4.50

Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult at all times!

There is also a fish feeding demonstration happening at different timings like 3Pm for big fish feeding.

As Ireland’s largest aquarium, they strive to ensure that a visit to the Galway Aquarium provides a real wonder for visitors of all ages.

Website: www.nationalaquarium.ie

5) Claddagh and the Corrib Princess Boat:

Claddagh (Irish: an Cladach, meaning “the shore”) is an area close to the centre of Galway city, where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay. It was formerly a fishing village, just outside the old city walls. It is just across the river from the Spanish Arch, which was the location of regular fish markets where the locals supplied the city with seafood as recently as the end of the 19th century.

The boat was not operational in winter and hence had to skip this in our tour.

They do some sailings in April and in the month of October.(Private group hire of 20+ passengers)

Public daily sailing happens between May and September.

Corrib Princess Boat is a luxury 157 seat passenger boat. They sails from Woodquay in the heart of Galway city. The journey takes passengers along the majestic River Corrib and onto Lough Corrib, the Republic of Ireland’s largest lake, providing visitors with unsurpassed views and natural amenities that make this the most spectacular waterway in Ireland.

The sailing duration is around 90 Min.

6) Spanish Arch:

The Spanish Arch built in 1584, stands on the left bank of the River Corrib, where Galway’s river meets the sea.

7) Galway Bay:

Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway and the Burren in County Clare.

Galway Bay is famous for its unique traditional sailing craft, the Galway Hooker.

You can get in touch with Galway Bay sailing club for sailing related details.

8) Kinvarra fishing port/ Kinvara Harbour

Due to the limited time, we did not visit the Fishing port.

Kinvara is a picturesque fishing village, located on the South Shores of the famous “Galway Bay”.

By late evening, we managed to reach the Home stay which we had booked through Airbnb. We had stayed in Pake’s Cottage (Near Cliffs of Moher, County Clare).

We visited Dublin Zoo in November 2018.

This is one of the most visited places in Dublin (by families).

You would need 3-4 hours to cover the entire zoo.

This zoo is located in Phoenix Park just after People’s Garden and its one of the oldest zoo in the world (opened to the public on 1st September 1831). Its spread across 28 hectares.

Dublin Zoo has not got a designated car park. However, there are lots of places to park around Phoenix Park.

An interesting history:

The zoo is noted for its lion breeding program, and since the 1850’s, more than 700 lions have been bred here. The most famous past resident is probably the MGM trademark lion. Named Slats, he was filmed for the opening sequence that preceded all films from the then newly formed MGM studio, and first appeared on screens in 1924.

You can buy tickets online and save some money.

Ticket price below:

There are other options like ‘Annual Pass’.

The zoo is open almost throughout the year.

The zoo is home to roughly 400 animals from 100 different species, and you can visit all of them across the eight different habitats, which range from an Asian jungle to a family farm, where kids get to meet the inhabitants up close and milk a (model) cow.

Some of the mammal’s that you find are:

Chimpanzee,

Gorilla

Orangutan

When visiting the new Orangutans enclosure in Dublin Zoo be careful when they are crossing above your head.

They’ve been known to pee and poo down on onlookers for the craic.

Elephant ,

Giraffe,

Hippopotamus,

Rhinoceros,

Lemur,

Okapi,

Oryx,

Sea Lion,

Zebra,

Snow Leopard,

Tiger Wolf

Some of the Bird’s that you find are:

Flamingo,

Ostrich,

Pea cock,

Penguin

Family Farm

Located near the entrance/exit, the zoo also has a petting farm, where visitors can interact with farm animals

Cows,

Sheep,

Pigs,

Goats,

Rabbits,

Chickens,

Other animals

There is a Snake park with in Campus.

There is a beautiful lake within the zoo.

Carefully recreated habitats:

Their habitats have been carefully recreated, there is no cage in this Zoo and you can feel the wellbeing of the inhabitants. The Zoo has worked on an expansion project for 20 years including a huge African Plains area, a new sea lion cove habitat, a forest trail for the elephants, a forest for the orangutan and a rainforest for the gorilla.

Play Forest:

Dublin Zoo has got a free and innovative play area for children (mainly kids aged from 3 to 10). Named Play Forest, it is strategically located across the lake from the main entrance, just past the main Asian Forest attractions — or about a 10 minute walk if you weren’t stopping to look at the animals. The play area includes fun wooden climbing structures and a giant slide.

There are restaurants and souvenir shops within the campus.

There are lot of seating arrangements in the campus. It’s really good option to relax yourself after a long walk. If you have taken food from home, you can take advantage of the numerous picnic areas scattered throughout the zoo.

If interested, you can also adopt animals.

https://www.dublinzoo.ie/67/Adopt-an-Animal.aspx

Dublin zoo has live web cams. You can see them (Elephants, penguins) here:

https://www.dublinzoo.ie/17/Webcams.aspx

Tesco Clubcard points can be converted into Dublin Zoo passes.

We visited county Mayo from Dublin in February 2019.

This was a part of the 5-day road trip from Dublin covering mainly Mayo, Galway and Clare counties.

Road map- Day 1:

Places covered on Day 1:

1) Termonbarry Lock

2) Strokestown Park House

3) Downpatrick Head

4) Céide Fields

1) Termonbarry Lock (This is in County Roscommon)

Happened to see that the re-opening of Tarmonbarry Lock on the Shannon Navigation was done in Apr 2015. This lock is still operational. This is really an Engineering marvel.

You can spend around 30 minutes in this location, as it is quite near to the main road.

There is a lot of parking space available.

2) Strokestown Park House / National Famine Museum (This is in Roscommon County)

Strokestown Park is a unique historic property in the west of Ireland and is the home of the first landlord to be assassinated during the height of the Great Famine of Ireland the 1840s.

If you are a history lover, this place can be in your itinerary. The museum contains some of the best records from the time of the Famine.

Please note that there is a ticket charge involved to get into the National Famine Museum (around 10 Euros/person).

There is a Woodland Walk which is free of charge and open 7 days a week from 10.30am-3.30pm. This would be interesting for kids. (You don’t have to buy any tickets to use this walkway)

There is a lot of parking space available. Website: http://www.strokestownpark.ie

3) Downpatrick Head

This place should be in your itinerary, if you are going to this part of Ireland.

It’s a place of absolute coastal beauty. It is one of the Signature Points on the Wild Atlantic Way in Mayo.

From the parking area, there is a nice walk. A little bit upwards, but easy to make.

The name Downpatrick is derived from a time when St Patrick himself founded a church here. You can still see the ruins of the church building, a stone cross and holy well here today. This was once a popular destination for pilgrims, who came here each year on the last Sunday of July, known as ‘Garland Sunday’. Today that tradition lives on, and mass is still celebrated at Downpatrick Head on that same day.

There is also a holy well and a memorial to 25 Irishmen who fled from British Redcoats during a 1795 uprising. They hid in the caves at Downpatrick Head, but couldn’t get back out before the tide came in and flooded the cavern. They all perished.

There is a Lookout Post here, one of many around the coast of Ireland dating from about 1939. At these lookout posts in 1942-43, ground markers were etched out spelling EIRE and with a number – this one is 64 – to alert aircraft to the fact that they were now over neutral Ireland.

Be little careful when you go near the edge of the cliffs. Unlike Cliffs of Moher, we don’t have enough protection (steel fence) at the edges.

4) Ceide Fields:

While you visit Down Patrick, please make sure to take the short drive out to visit the Céide Fields. The Céide Fields are the oldest known field systems in the world, over five and a half millennia old. It is a unique Neolithic landscape of world importance, which has changed our perception of our Stone Age ancestors. You can also visit the Céide Fields Visitor Centre, which has exhibitions, audio-visual shows and so on.

Opening Times:

Open Easter to October 29th

Daily 10am – 6pm June to Sept

Daily 10am – 5pm Other months

Available for bookings in winter months.

Admission Charges

Adult: Euro 4.00

Group / Senior: Euro 3.00

Group / Senior: Euro 3.00

Family: Euro 10.00

After Ceide fields, we went back to the homestay.

Road map- Day 2:

Second day, we started a little early as we had to cover a lot of attractions on the same day.

Places covered on Day 2:

Achill Island

Croagh Patrick

Roonagh Pier @ Wild Atlantic Bay

Doolough valley / famine valley

Connemara National park

Kylemore Abbey

Aasleagh Falls

Sionnanach

Clifden

1) Achill Island:

Achill Island is on Ireland’s West Coast in Mayo County. It is on Wild Atlantic Way – a 2500 KM long trail that goes along the Atlantic Ocean in Ireland.

This is a place that you should cover when you are in Mayo.

Achill Island is the largest of all islands off the coast of Ireland. Achill is accessible by the Michael Davitt Bridge, built in 2008 on the site of the original bridge which was constructed in 1887.

It makes a fantastic day trip from Westport, as it’s only one hour away.

Inhabited for over five thousand years, the Irish language is still spoken on the island.

You can see hundreds of sheeps in this region. The sheeps along with the background gives you the best postcard pictures in your camera.

The 2 other places (I couldn’t go to these places) which are around 15-30 Minutes are:

Keel beach (White sand beach)

Keem Bay

2) Croagh Patrick:

Croagh Patrick is a Holy Mountain which overlooks Clew Bay in County Mayo. Croagh Patrick is 8km from Westport town and its peak can be seen soaring above the surrounding countryside. Spectacular views of the Clew Bay coastline and the south Mayo countryside can be seen from the mountain. This is one of the highest peaks in the Western part of Ireland. Please note that in case if you are not planning to climb the mountain, there might not be anything special for you at this place. There is lot of parking space (paid), available here.

3) Roonagh Pier:

We have not visited this place but heard that this is a nice place.

4) Doolough valley:

This is a magical landscape of lakes and mountains.

It is a high-quality driving route in a spectacular setting on the R335 between Delphi and Louisburgh in Co. Mayo.

There is also a Famine Memorial in this region. This is a stone memorial, in the form of a simple stone cross which was erected in memory of the victims of the famine in this area.

Unfortunately, it was slightly raining when we passed through this area. However, this is one of the journeys that I would never forget.

The last 4 destinations that we visited was Connemara national Park, Kylemore Abbey, Aasleagh Falls, Sionnanach and Clifden. I would like to cover those destinations in my blog related to ‘County Galway’.

After seeing Clifden, we went back to our home stay.