The final, and one of my favourite, stops of our South Western Ireland trip was the beautiful Garnish Island- reached by a short ferry trip from the village of Glengarriff, overlooking the waters of Bantry Bay and set against the back drop of the Caha Mountains.
Garnish island extends to 37 acres and is renowned for its gardens which flourish in the mild humid micro climate of Glengarriff harbour assisted by a pine shelter belt.
Italian garden Garnish Island.
A damp visit that in no way took away the beauty of the island- I was entranced. On the way over we passed Seal Island. The ferryman drew in close, allowing us to say hello and take some photos.
It was an enchanting and enriching afternoon and a lovely conclusion to our road trip.
First port of call on the penultimate day of our tour was Bantry House, a private estate and the ancestral home of the Earls of Bantry- still lived in by the family. Set in magnificent Italian gardens , inspired by the travels of the second Earl, this was a highlight of the trip for me.
Visit, have afternoon tea, stay a night or two, or get married. Whatever you do, you cannot fail to be moved by this beautiful, slightly ramshackle house and gardens. I was instantly smitten with the experience, enhanced by the knowledgeable and charming guide that took us around.
The departure town for over three million Irish Emigrants and final port of call for the RMS Titanic. We visited the Cobh Heritage Cente, which tells the story of Irish emigration through to the 1950s and traces the history of Cobh over the centuries. Starting with the indentured servants who were transported to the colonies to work on the plantations in the 17th century, to Annie Moore, who with her two brothers were the first emigrants to be processed on the newly opened Ellis Island in New York in 1891.
Today Cork was one of the stops on our tour of Western Ireland.
Cork is one of the oldest cities in Ireland. This medieval city extends from South Gate Bridge to North Gate Bridge and is divided by a long Main Street- the North and South Street. The medieval Main Street would have been narrower, messier and smellier, than its current form, but still followed the same route. Many of the lanes and alleyways that led off the Main Street still exist today. The city centre is an island positioned between two channels of the River Lee, which meet downstream at the eastern end of the city centre.
It was and still is, plainly a merchant’s city…
As a librarian I had to pay a passing glance at the city library. Loved the window display:
Puck Fair is one of Ireland’s oldest fairs. It takes place annually 10–12 August in Killorglin, County Kerry.
Held in Killorgan, Co Kerry each year, a wild mountain goat is crowned king of the town by the Queen of Puck, who is traditionally a young local schoolgirl. There is a coronation parade and King Puck rules the town until his dethronement on the festival’s final day.
The first day of Puck is known as “the gathering”. On this day the Puck goat is enthroned on a stand in the town square and the horse fair is held. The second day of Puck is known as the “Fair day”. On this day a general cattle fair is held. The third and last day of Puck is known as the “scattering” day and on this day the goat is removed from his stand and his reign as king Puck ends and he is returned to the wild Kerry
Travelling around Ireland in October, we missed the Puck Fair, but I loved the legend.
A Road trip of Road trips today. The stunning Ring of Kerry. Starting in Kenmare, this is a 110 mile circular route around the Iveragh Peninsular covering stunning views, charming towns, rugged forests, gushing waterfalls, all edged by the rolling, crashing waves of The Atlantic Ocean. It was a sublime journey, covering breathtaking land and seascapes. Key stages of the journey included the Coomakista Pass, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks, Molls Gap, Skellig Micheal in the Atlantic, Waterville village and Cahersiveen.
‘And some time make the time to drive out west … along the Flaggy Shore, In September or October, when the wind And the light are working off each other So that the ocean on one side is wild With foam and glitter…’
“You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.”
Charlie Chaplin (1888- 1977)
A short stop in Waterville today. A small town on the Wild Atlantic Way, Western Ireland where Charlie Chaplin, English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film, liked to holiday.
Day one of my Western Irish tour started in Clonakilty, birthplace of Micheal Collins (1890-1922), Irish revolutionary, soldier and politician who was a leading figure in the early-20th century struggle for Irish independence.
Next stop was Timoleague, a small village where the ruins of a thirteenth century Franciscan abbey stands picturesquely at the waters edge.
Kinsale, a harbour town with a maze of narrow streets and an eclectic mix of bars, restaurants and shops was the next stop.
Kinsale, Western Ireland.
It was raining hard during my visit here, but it’s Western Ireland and it’s October… It took nothing away from the beauty of the location.
Last stop of the day was Charles Fort, just outside of Kinsale. A star-shaped military fortress that has stood firm for centuries. It was raining even harder by now, but the fort was totally worth getting drenched for.
Despite being partially ruined, you could imagine the soldiers and their families living in this fortress.
“In the town itself, actually within sight of the house in which Charlie lived, there was an ENORMOUS CHOCOLATE FACTORY! Just imagine that! And it wasn’t simply an ordinary enormous chocolate factory, either. It was the largest and most famous in the whole world!”
Roald Dahl. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .
A visit to Cadbury World today to visit Bournville’s very own ‘enormous chocolate factory’
Quakers, the Cadbury brothers introduced chocolate as an alternative to alcohol which was believed to be one of the causes of so much poverty and deprivation amongst working people.
Social philanthropists, the brothers not only made fine chocolate, but also provided for their workers health and recreational needs- groundbreaking and revolutionary in its time.
We had a great morning learning the history of the Cadbury’s, the processes of making chocolate and of course eating a few bars on the way round!
We stumbled across this re-created Georgian style garden in Bath. I loved the structured formal layout with it’s defined paths and box hedged features.
We had a little Road Trip down to Dorset and Somerset a couple of weekends ago. The weather was rubbish so we went inland to the city of Bath.
A true high point for me was the Royal Crescent.
This is one of Bath’s most iconic landmarks, was built between 1767 and 1775 and designed by John Wood the Younger. This impressive landmark is arranged around a perfect lawn overlooking Royal Victoria Park and forms a sweeping crescent of 30 Grade I Listed terrace houses.
It is iconically Georgian. I wanted to look behind that sweeping bank of closed doors. Have a wander. Stay a night. Play at being mega rich.
Oh! There was also a cricket pitch…
We didn’t do the Roman Baths- the obvious Bath attraction. Still in COVID times pre- booking online is the way to go- obviously 🤦🏽♀️.
Today we followed the ‘Brighton’s Back Passages’ walk (p.46) from the above by David Bramwell, John Ashton, and Tim Bick.
Starting at Morrison’s supermarket in Kemp Town, the first back passage was a tunnel- shaped covered alley.
A few passages later we hit Quadrophenia Alley ‘where Jimmy and Steph get it on…’ and apparently ‘Fans have been known to re-enact the love scene here’.
Quadrophenia Alley
The next Alley off Little East Street had ‘ambient music installed in an attempt to calm passing drunk vandals… and has been decorated by legendary Japanese street artist Lady Aiko.’
Many more alleys followed.
Items of interest included:
Brighton’s smallest pub and. ‘… it’s hardest to find.’A pull bell.Fake door- created for the set of the film Wimbledon and has never been removed.Pub by Brighton station Max Miller Statue, Pavilion Gardens.
The Brighton’s Back Passages walk finished at the lovely Brighton Pavilion.
Brighton Pavilion.
We started the walk off with coffee and cake at The Flour Pot Bakery.
And finished with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc at the Theatre Royal.
The walk was brilliant. Cheeky Walks spot on and very easy to follow. We didn’t loose our way at all. A first for us…!
Last weekend involved a road trip up to the West Midlands
Wet trip up to Middle England.
And an overnight stay in the Regent Hotel Leamington Spa, now a travel lodge.
It is a beautiful grand old lady of a building and had me wondering about it’s history. Wikipedia told me this:
In 1809, a plot of land was purchased to build the hotel on, which cost £1,000. The foundation stone was laid eight years later, on 18 July 1818 by the granddaughter of the original landowner. The hotel was officially opened on 19 August 1819. The hotel opened as Williams Hotel, but 3 weeks later was renamed The Regent by permission of the then Prince Regent (George IV). In 1830 Princess Victoria, then aged 11, apparently stayed overnight at the hotel with her father. Eight years later from the balcony of the hotel it was announced that Victoria, now Queen, had allowed the prefix Royal on its name, which the town still bears to the day. Moving to more modern times, the cast and crew of the British comedy Keeping Up Appearances stayed at the hotel whilst filming in Leamington. For some years now the hotel has been a Grade II listed building and in 1998 the hotel closed its doors. In 2003 however it was decided that the hotel was to be extensively redecorated and refurbished as part of a scheme to regenerate the surrounding area.
Leamington was also beautiful on a chilly May Sunday morning. I love the architecture and the wide tree- lined avenues.
Couldn’t live in the Midlands. The draw of the coast is too strong, not to mention the warmer climes in the South East of England. However there is still something magical about the Shires- historical and literary.
Nymans’s-National Trust property in West Sussex- dramatic architecture is part Regency, part pseudo-medieval – and now part ruin, following a fire in 1947. Nothing is quite as it seems…
Been there a few times but last weeks visit had added interest after watching Netflix’s drama The Crown and realising it was the ancestral home of Anthony Armstrong Jones, lord Snowden, husband of Princess Margaret.
Milly Space 