Home again, thankfully!
Our travels home were uneventful, via train from Belfast to Dublin, via plane from Dublin to Vancouver, and via ferry to Vancouver Island.
The only downside is that I seem to have picked up a cold along the way. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.
Now we can start planning our next adventure.
Friday 4 October 2019
Monday 30 September 2019
Belfast, Co. Antrim (2019-09-30)
We moved a little faster this morning, as we wanted to be in town well before 10 o’clock, hoping to get tickets for the 10:30 am tour at the Linenhall Library. We arrived at the library before 9:45 and bought our tickets. As it turned out, we needn’t have rushed as we were the only ones on the tour.
The Linenhall Library originated in 1788 as a subscription library and still operates the same way today. It is very conveniently located on Donegall Square, directly opposite City Hall in downtown Belfast. In its 200+ year history, the library has collected a lot of information about all things Irish, and is a good family history resource.
The library is a little like the Tardis....you enter through a small nondescript doorway tucked between two banks, and go straight up stairs, where you find yourself in a large space occupying two floors, crammed with books.
Our guide, Margaret, is a library subscriber, and we spent a very interesting hour with her, learning the history of the library, and about some of the unique items in its collection.
Once the tour was over, Mary at the reference desk helped me find the items that I was interested in reading, and we spent another hour there, reading and looking at microfilm. Another worthwhile expedition!
After a light lunch in the library cafe, we headed home on the bus, and after bundling up against the cold weather that has arrived overnight, we went out for one last walk in the area, and to pick up food for dinner.
Our accommodation really has been very convenient to grocery stores, bakeries, walking paths and buses, so no regrets about our choice of location.
Our bags are now reorganized, and we are ready to face the beginning of our journey home tomorrow, so tonight we can relax with an episode of Poirot and exercise the little grey cells.
The Linenhall Library originated in 1788 as a subscription library and still operates the same way today. It is very conveniently located on Donegall Square, directly opposite City Hall in downtown Belfast. In its 200+ year history, the library has collected a lot of information about all things Irish, and is a good family history resource.
The library is a little like the Tardis....you enter through a small nondescript doorway tucked between two banks, and go straight up stairs, where you find yourself in a large space occupying two floors, crammed with books.
Our guide, Margaret, is a library subscriber, and we spent a very interesting hour with her, learning the history of the library, and about some of the unique items in its collection.
Once the tour was over, Mary at the reference desk helped me find the items that I was interested in reading, and we spent another hour there, reading and looking at microfilm. Another worthwhile expedition!
 |
| The Linenhall Library |
Our accommodation really has been very convenient to grocery stores, bakeries, walking paths and buses, so no regrets about our choice of location.
 |
| Our Belfast Home - the unit on the left |
Sunday 29 September 2019
Belfast, Co. Antrim (2019-09-29)
Today was our first lazy morning since we left home, and we spent it drinking tea and reading. But by 11 am we were out for a walk.
On a previous walk we had noticed an interesting looking path that went north from our accommodation and so we decided to go exploring. We passed through The Hollow, which is immortalized in Van Morrison’s 1967 hit “Brown-eyed Girl”. Van grew up in East Belfast, and apparently many of his songs reference streets or other features of East Belfast. We would never have known these things if we had not ventured out this morning.
A little further down the path we passed through C.S. Lewis Square, which is a tribute to another local lad. Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast in 1898, and is best known for his books “The Chronicles of Narnia”, the first of which was “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”. There are several pieces of art around the square, representing characters from his books.
At Sydenham the path ran out and we were walking on a street, so we turned around and headed back home, walking 7 km in all.
After a fluid adjustment break, we caught the bus into town, just as the city was coming alive, as most stores do not open until 1 pm on Sunday. We had a coffee and a scone at Avoca, hit the major bookstores, picked up dinner at M&S, and then it was back on the bus. At our local bus stop I saw the Tesco grocery delivery van, with a cute play on words on the side of the van.
Speaking of funnies, I read about one from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - “Jokes about white sugar are not very common, but jokes about brown sugar, demerara”.
It was good to have a casual and somewhat relaxing day as our trip quickly draws to a close. We have one more day in Belfast, then a travel day back to Dublin, and we fly home on Wednesday.
On a previous walk we had noticed an interesting looking path that went north from our accommodation and so we decided to go exploring. We passed through The Hollow, which is immortalized in Van Morrison’s 1967 hit “Brown-eyed Girl”. Van grew up in East Belfast, and apparently many of his songs reference streets or other features of East Belfast. We would never have known these things if we had not ventured out this morning.
A little further down the path we passed through C.S. Lewis Square, which is a tribute to another local lad. Clive Staples Lewis was born in Belfast in 1898, and is best known for his books “The Chronicles of Narnia”, the first of which was “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”. There are several pieces of art around the square, representing characters from his books.
 |
| The Lion |
 |
| The Witch |
 |
| The Wardrobe |
After a fluid adjustment break, we caught the bus into town, just as the city was coming alive, as most stores do not open until 1 pm on Sunday. We had a coffee and a scone at Avoca, hit the major bookstores, picked up dinner at M&S, and then it was back on the bus. At our local bus stop I saw the Tesco grocery delivery van, with a cute play on words on the side of the van.
 |
| Tesco Grocery Delivery Van |
It was good to have a casual and somewhat relaxing day as our trip quickly draws to a close. We have one more day in Belfast, then a travel day back to Dublin, and we fly home on Wednesday.
Saturday 28 September 2019
Belfast, Co. Antrim (2019-09-28)
Today is Saturday, and time to get a little exercise, as we have got a little lax since arriving in Belfast.
Our first destination was the ancient Knock burying ground, where I believe my great great great O’Neill grandparents are buried....I have a copy of the headstone details, but wanted to get a photo of the stone, if it is in good condition. To get there we took a bus most of the way, then walked along the A55 highway (risking our lives to cross the road), before walking down a short street to the gates of the cemetery. But when we got to the cemetery gates, we found them securely locked (who has ever heard of a cemetery closed on Saturday?)....strike one! Peering through the bars of the gate, it was obvious that the cemetery is not maintained, and if we had got in, we would have been lucky to find the stone, let alone read it.
The next target was the Knockbreda cemetery, on Church Road, Castlereagh, in search of the final resting place of the nemesis of my great great Cosgrave grandfather, the one who challenged Alexander Findlay in the Court of Chancery, lost, declared bankruptcy and emigrated to New Zealand (but that is another story). Google Maps said that we could walk there in 37 minutes so off we went, back across the A55, through a residential area, and, once we got to Church Road, up and up and up, until we were high above Belfast, with wonderful views over the city.
We found a cemetery, at a Presbyterian church, and left no stone unturned, but found no sign of an Alexander Findlay....strike two! Perhaps, he is in “the other” Knockbreda cemetery, which Google Maps told us was only another 40 minutes walk away.
So off we went again, walking down a major road with a sidewalk, and then onto a narrow road with no sidewalk. It was so narrow that cars could barely pass one another, and each time one went past we were forced into the blackberry bushes to avoid being run down. But eventually we came to that other Knockbreda cemetery and began searching for the grave of Alexander Findlay. We worked our way around the church and had almost gone right around, when we found the headstone (it was hard to miss, being about 8 feet square), which was lucky, because we then noticed that this cemetery had another HUGE section beyond the wall, which would have taken hours to search through.
Pleased that our search was not a total waste of time, we adjourned to a nearby mall for lunch and to plan strategy for the next phase of today’s adventure, returning to the location which the Cosgrave family farmed from 1770 until the 1850s. I already knew roughly where it was, but armed with new information from a map found at PRONI, I wanted to confirm exactly where it was.
Google Maps gave us two choices - take #7 bus into the centre of the city and then #8 bus to Malone, or take #6 bus further out of town, and then walk for 27 minutes. You can guess which option we chose. The #6 bus was delayed 15 minutes, but it came eventually and dropped us at the Belvoir Forrest Park. From here we walked on narrow lanes and public footpaths, across the Lagan canal and Lagan River and onto New Forge Lane. The farm was around the area where New Forge Lane met Malone Road and Balmoral Avenue, and was 14 acres in size. The map indicated that the farm was about twice as deep as it was wide, and my calculator told me that 14 acres is 610,000 square feet, so it would have been about 1100 ft deep with a street frontage of about 550 feet (200 paces give or take a bit), with trees along the street frontage.
This area today is comprised of several very large and very fancy looking houses, hidden behind high walls and high gates. I would not mind owning those 14 acres today. After pacing out the likely stretch of street, I was able to confirm exactly where the farm would have been, and I hoped that maybe the old farm house had been kept as an implement shed or the like, but alas, despite jumping up to peek over walls and gates, there was no sign of it. But here we were, walking in an area that my ancestors walked 250 years ago....priceless!
Feeling that 15 km was enough walking for the day, we did the #8 bus into town and the #5 bus to our accommodation. Another successful, but tiring, day.
Our first destination was the ancient Knock burying ground, where I believe my great great great O’Neill grandparents are buried....I have a copy of the headstone details, but wanted to get a photo of the stone, if it is in good condition. To get there we took a bus most of the way, then walked along the A55 highway (risking our lives to cross the road), before walking down a short street to the gates of the cemetery. But when we got to the cemetery gates, we found them securely locked (who has ever heard of a cemetery closed on Saturday?)....strike one! Peering through the bars of the gate, it was obvious that the cemetery is not maintained, and if we had got in, we would have been lucky to find the stone, let alone read it.
 |
| Knock Cemetery |
 |
| Belfast from Church Road |
So off we went again, walking down a major road with a sidewalk, and then onto a narrow road with no sidewalk. It was so narrow that cars could barely pass one another, and each time one went past we were forced into the blackberry bushes to avoid being run down. But eventually we came to that other Knockbreda cemetery and began searching for the grave of Alexander Findlay. We worked our way around the church and had almost gone right around, when we found the headstone (it was hard to miss, being about 8 feet square), which was lucky, because we then noticed that this cemetery had another HUGE section beyond the wall, which would have taken hours to search through.
 |
| Headstone of Alexander Findlay |
Google Maps gave us two choices - take #7 bus into the centre of the city and then #8 bus to Malone, or take #6 bus further out of town, and then walk for 27 minutes. You can guess which option we chose. The #6 bus was delayed 15 minutes, but it came eventually and dropped us at the Belvoir Forrest Park. From here we walked on narrow lanes and public footpaths, across the Lagan canal and Lagan River and onto New Forge Lane. The farm was around the area where New Forge Lane met Malone Road and Balmoral Avenue, and was 14 acres in size. The map indicated that the farm was about twice as deep as it was wide, and my calculator told me that 14 acres is 610,000 square feet, so it would have been about 1100 ft deep with a street frontage of about 550 feet (200 paces give or take a bit), with trees along the street frontage.
This area today is comprised of several very large and very fancy looking houses, hidden behind high walls and high gates. I would not mind owning those 14 acres today. After pacing out the likely stretch of street, I was able to confirm exactly where the farm would have been, and I hoped that maybe the old farm house had been kept as an implement shed or the like, but alas, despite jumping up to peek over walls and gates, there was no sign of it. But here we were, walking in an area that my ancestors walked 250 years ago....priceless!
 |
| Location of Cosgrave Farm |
Belfast, Co. Antrim (2019-09-25 to 2019-09-27)
We have now been in Belfast for three days, and I have only now found time to put pen to paper (figuratively speaking).
Our accommodation is on a fairly quiet street, but we are only a few hundred feet from a bus stop, for a direct bus into town, and a bit further away from a large Tesco grocery store. We have every thing that we need, and can make our own meals, for the first time in three weeks.
On Wednesday morning we took the bus into town, and got off at Donegall Square. This is where City Hall is located and the tourist information office. Right where we got off the bus was a Tim Horton’s Cafe....we almost thought that we were back in Canada.
After picking up a few brochures, and Marlene buying some funky socks, we wandered the streets, looking at shops, and getting our bearings, before eating our sandwiches sitting on a bench in a busy pedestrian mall.
In the afternoon, after 50 years of researching family history, I did something that I have never done before....I paid for a consultation with a local expert. My appointment was at 1 pm at the Ulster Historical Foundation, and to my surprise, my “expert” was the organization’s research director, Dr. William Roulston. Our time together was certainly worthwhile, with William providing me with some additional sources to investigate, beyond what I had already planned, and even a couple of new data points in the lives of my Belfast ancestors. There is nothing like local knowledge!
Later in the afternoon we wandered into the Titanic Quarter, a docklands area which has been repurposed as a tourist destination, with a lot of focus on the ship Titanic, which was built here in Belfast. I guess that it brings in the tourists, but why be so proud of a ship that sank on its maiden voyage :-). The building which houses the Titanic Visitor Experience is designed to look like the hull of several ships, and the white colour is intended to look like ice (see photo below). Also in the photo below is the Harland and Wolff crane “Samson” which along with its counterpart “Goliath”, dominate the Belfast skyline, and are used in shipbuilding.
Looking back across the River Lagan towards the city, you can see the contrast of the old and new buildings.
I spent Thursday and Friday at the Public Record Office Of Northern Ireland (PRONI), doing what I like best....researching family history. I pored over (of perhaps pawed over) many old records, some dating back to the mid1700s, and came away with a ton of new information, and a few corrections to information that I already had. It makes the visit to Belfast worthwhile.
While I was at PRONI, Marlene visited the Titanic Centre and also did a historical walking tour of the city. On the tour she learned about the Albert Memorial clock, which has been discovered to be leaning to one side. So the locals say that now they have both the time and the inclination.
But now it is the weekend, PRONI is closed, and Marlene is getting antsy, so I guess some walking is on the agenda....perhaps walking around a few cemeteries.
Our accommodation is on a fairly quiet street, but we are only a few hundred feet from a bus stop, for a direct bus into town, and a bit further away from a large Tesco grocery store. We have every thing that we need, and can make our own meals, for the first time in three weeks.
On Wednesday morning we took the bus into town, and got off at Donegall Square. This is where City Hall is located and the tourist information office. Right where we got off the bus was a Tim Horton’s Cafe....we almost thought that we were back in Canada.
 |
| Tim Hortons |
In the afternoon, after 50 years of researching family history, I did something that I have never done before....I paid for a consultation with a local expert. My appointment was at 1 pm at the Ulster Historical Foundation, and to my surprise, my “expert” was the organization’s research director, Dr. William Roulston. Our time together was certainly worthwhile, with William providing me with some additional sources to investigate, beyond what I had already planned, and even a couple of new data points in the lives of my Belfast ancestors. There is nothing like local knowledge!
Later in the afternoon we wandered into the Titanic Quarter, a docklands area which has been repurposed as a tourist destination, with a lot of focus on the ship Titanic, which was built here in Belfast. I guess that it brings in the tourists, but why be so proud of a ship that sank on its maiden voyage :-). The building which houses the Titanic Visitor Experience is designed to look like the hull of several ships, and the white colour is intended to look like ice (see photo below). Also in the photo below is the Harland and Wolff crane “Samson” which along with its counterpart “Goliath”, dominate the Belfast skyline, and are used in shipbuilding.
 |
| Titanic Center and Samson |
 |
| The Old And The New |
 |
| Jim at PRONI |
 |
| Albert Memorial |
Tuesday 24 September 2019
Laragh to Belfast, Co. Antrim (2019-09-24)
Today it was time to leave the Wicklow Mountains and head to Belfast in North Ireland. We were up early for a 6:45 am breakfast, and our taxi arrived on the dot of 8 am to get us to Rathdrum station for our train trip back to Dublin, and onward to Belfast.
All I can say is that everything went exactly according to plan, the trains were not crowded, and we arrived in Belfast on schedule at 1:30 pm.
We had pre-purchased 7-day transit passes for Belfast, so on arrival at Lanyon Place station we asked Google Maps how to get to our accommodation, and we were soon across the road at the correct bus stop, and in another 2 minutes we were on the bus (grateful that the transit passes did not have any issues).
Our accommodation is a 2-bedroom semi-detached house, about 3 km from the centre of Belfast. It feels strange to have the whole place to ourselves, and it will probably feel even stranger tomorrow morning when my “Full Irish” breakfast does not get served. But I am sure that I will adapt and survive.
We went out for a walk this afternoon, to check out the neighbourhood and to buy some groceries, and just had to buy some date wheatens (scones) at one of several bakeries we passed.
So tonight I can relax with a cup of tea (decaf) and a scone, while finalizing our plans for the next few days, and watching the aftermath of the UK Supreme Court decision over the prorogation of parliament. Luxury!
All I can say is that everything went exactly according to plan, the trains were not crowded, and we arrived in Belfast on schedule at 1:30 pm.
We had pre-purchased 7-day transit passes for Belfast, so on arrival at Lanyon Place station we asked Google Maps how to get to our accommodation, and we were soon across the road at the correct bus stop, and in another 2 minutes we were on the bus (grateful that the transit passes did not have any issues).
Our accommodation is a 2-bedroom semi-detached house, about 3 km from the centre of Belfast. It feels strange to have the whole place to ourselves, and it will probably feel even stranger tomorrow morning when my “Full Irish” breakfast does not get served. But I am sure that I will adapt and survive.
We went out for a walk this afternoon, to check out the neighbourhood and to buy some groceries, and just had to buy some date wheatens (scones) at one of several bakeries we passed.
So tonight I can relax with a cup of tea (decaf) and a scone, while finalizing our plans for the next few days, and watching the aftermath of the UK Supreme Court decision over the prorogation of parliament. Luxury!
Monday 23 September 2019
Laragh, Co. Wicklow (2019-09-23)
The weather forecast for our last day in Laragh was for rain, starting around 10 am and continuing all day. But Marlene had not yet walked any of the Wicklow Way, so had to get that off the list first.
Our B&B host drove us out of Laragh, to a point where the Wicklow Way joined the road, and dropped us off, so that we could walk back from there. We would either walk to Glendalough, or cut off at the old Military Road, which would take us more directly back to Laragh, if the rain got out of hand. He dropped us off at 9:25 am and by 10 am it was raining (why was the forecast so accurate today, when yesterday it was rubbish?). From the road the path climbed quickly up the side of Paddock Hill, following a logging road most of the time. We had some great views through the mist, and soon came to a shelter for hikers - Brusher Gap Hut. The hut consisted of a raised platform, surrounded with walls on three sides, and a roof, but with one side open to the elements. But there was a fire pit, picnic table, cooking pans, and stored water, even a sleeping bag hanging on the wall.
We stopped only long enough for a few photos, and continued our journey, through forest and open fields, across the old Military Road (we decided not to bail out at this point) over the river, back up the next hill, until we were above the Glendalough visitors’ centre. Great views down into Glendalough (Valley of the Lakes).
The descent into the valley was quite rapid, and brought us out at the monastic ruins, from where we walked the Green Road back to Laragh. So we can now say that we have walked at least 10 km of the Wicklow Way....only 120 km to go.
After a short break, and getting into some dry clothes, we caught the local bus into Wicklow town. The ride was almost an hour in length (all for 3 euros) and we passed through several villages that we had not seen on the way to Laragh.
Once in Wicklow town, we headed to the main attraction, the Wicklow Gaol, which was opened in the 1700s and only closed in 1926. We spent 2 hours there, following the guided audio tour and reading all the story boards, until the gaol closed at 4:30 pm. We learned a lot about prison life, prison reform, transportation to the colonies, and Irish uprisings against the English rule. One visitor referred to the gates of the prison as the “gates of hell”, as once inside, your life was hell.
We then just had time for a quick look around downtown Wicklow, before catching the last bus back to Laragh.
Then it was off to Wicklow Heather for dinner (our 4th visit in 4 days), then back to the B&B to get our bags packed, as we have an early start tomorrow, back to Dublin, and then on to Belfast.
Our B&B host drove us out of Laragh, to a point where the Wicklow Way joined the road, and dropped us off, so that we could walk back from there. We would either walk to Glendalough, or cut off at the old Military Road, which would take us more directly back to Laragh, if the rain got out of hand. He dropped us off at 9:25 am and by 10 am it was raining (why was the forecast so accurate today, when yesterday it was rubbish?). From the road the path climbed quickly up the side of Paddock Hill, following a logging road most of the time. We had some great views through the mist, and soon came to a shelter for hikers - Brusher Gap Hut. The hut consisted of a raised platform, surrounded with walls on three sides, and a roof, but with one side open to the elements. But there was a fire pit, picnic table, cooking pans, and stored water, even a sleeping bag hanging on the wall.
 |
| The Green Hills of Wicklow |
 |
| Brusher Gap Hut |
 |
| Through The Woods |
 |
| Over The River |
 |
| Glendalough - Valley of the Lakes |
After a short break, and getting into some dry clothes, we caught the local bus into Wicklow town. The ride was almost an hour in length (all for 3 euros) and we passed through several villages that we had not seen on the way to Laragh.
Once in Wicklow town, we headed to the main attraction, the Wicklow Gaol, which was opened in the 1700s and only closed in 1926. We spent 2 hours there, following the guided audio tour and reading all the story boards, until the gaol closed at 4:30 pm. We learned a lot about prison life, prison reform, transportation to the colonies, and Irish uprisings against the English rule. One visitor referred to the gates of the prison as the “gates of hell”, as once inside, your life was hell.
 |
| The Gates of Hell |
Then it was off to Wicklow Heather for dinner (our 4th visit in 4 days), then back to the B&B to get our bags packed, as we have an early start tomorrow, back to Dublin, and then on to Belfast.
Sunday 22 September 2019
Laragh, Co. Wicklow (2019-09-22)
The weather forecast for today, suggested that the overnight rain would end around 9 am, with a chance of rain again around noon, but of course the forecast bore little resemblance to reality.
We would have liked to do a hill walk today, and had decided on the Spinc and Glendalough Valley trail, which is a 9 km loop, has 380 metres of elevation gain, and takes you past the ruins of an old miners’ village. But when we got outside, we could hardly see the hills for cloud, so decided instead to walk the trail as far as the miners’ village, which is 10 km return, but with only 20 metres of elevation gain, keeping us down out of the clouds.
But all of these trails begin and end at the National Park Visitor Centre, which is almost an hour’s walk from our B&B, via the Green Road, so we get tired just walking there and back. As we walked along the Green Road, we saw a pair of deer off to the side of the trail, and they hung around long enough for me to get my phone out and take a photo.
When we arrived at the trail starting point on the edge of the Upper Lake, it was not raining and the cloud had lifted a little, but we could see a lot of water gushing down the hillside at the top end of the lake, after a night of steady rain, so stuck to our plan B - walk to the ruins of the miners’ village.
The trail was well-gravelled and followed along the shoreline of the Upper Lake, mainly through forest, but towards the top it was through a boulder-strewn open area.
There is not much left of the Miner’s Village which was in use from the early 1800s until the mid-1900s, mining primarily lead, but also other elements, including silver.
We watched some intrepid hikers continue on up the valley from the ruins, but after enjoying a snack in the rain, we turned back and headed for the B&B, with a brief stop for sustenance at Anne’s Cafe in Laragh.
It rained most of the afternoon, so we read and relaxed, before heading back for a third meal at Wicklow Heather. I am amazed at the efficiency of the place - there must be 20-30 serving staff in the restaurant, and they do not appear to have assigned tables to look after, there is no assigned greeter to seat you, yet you get seated, orders are taken, drinks arrive, food arrives, etc., all very efficiently. Best of all, the food is very good!
Tomorrow we are again at the mercy of the weather, on our last day in Laragh.
We would have liked to do a hill walk today, and had decided on the Spinc and Glendalough Valley trail, which is a 9 km loop, has 380 metres of elevation gain, and takes you past the ruins of an old miners’ village. But when we got outside, we could hardly see the hills for cloud, so decided instead to walk the trail as far as the miners’ village, which is 10 km return, but with only 20 metres of elevation gain, keeping us down out of the clouds.
But all of these trails begin and end at the National Park Visitor Centre, which is almost an hour’s walk from our B&B, via the Green Road, so we get tired just walking there and back. As we walked along the Green Road, we saw a pair of deer off to the side of the trail, and they hung around long enough for me to get my phone out and take a photo.
 |
| Irish Deer |
 |
| Upper Lake |
 |
| Walk to The Miners’ Village Ruins |
 |
| Ruins of Miners’ Village |
It rained most of the afternoon, so we read and relaxed, before heading back for a third meal at Wicklow Heather. I am amazed at the efficiency of the place - there must be 20-30 serving staff in the restaurant, and they do not appear to have assigned tables to look after, there is no assigned greeter to seat you, yet you get seated, orders are taken, drinks arrive, food arrives, etc., all very efficiently. Best of all, the food is very good!
Tomorrow we are again at the mercy of the weather, on our last day in Laragh.
Saturday 21 September 2019
Laragh, Co. Wicklow (2019-09-21)
Laragh is just up the road from the 12th century monastic ruins at Glendalough, the Wicklow Mountains National Park, and the long distance Wicklow Way walking path, which is what attracted us to the area. The bonus for today is that my cousins Mary and Nora are driving down from Tipperary to have lunch with us.
We only had a couple of hours after breakfast to explore, so with directions from Clare, our B&B host, we walked over the Derrybawn bridge (built around 1700) onto the Green Road (non-public road through the woods) which took us up the valley to the Glendalough Visitors Centre, where I parted with 50 cents to get a copy of the map of the walking trails in the area. There is no shortage of trails and we will have no trouble filling our 3 days here.
 |
| Derrybawn Bridge |
 |
| Marlene on The Green Road |
Armed with the map, we walked around the monastic site ruins, and then back along the Green Road to our B&B, with a short stop at a Woollen Mills outlet store.
 |
| Round Tower - Glendalough |
We were not back at the B&B for more than 15 minutes when Mary and Nora arrived, so back we went to Wicklow Heather for another great meal, and more conversation than we have had in the past week. But all too soon it was time for the cousins to head home, so we said our goodbyes and with one eye on the weather, set off on another walk.
 |
| Us with my Irish Cousins |
This time we followed the orange loop path in a clockwise direction, which meant 700 ft. of elevation gain at the beginning of the walk, with a return on the Green Road. The path took us along a ridge higher up the valley wall, so we had good views of the ruins and the upper lake from the path, while walking mainly in woods....very different from Anglesey.
 |
| Upper Lake - Glendalough |
Light rain started when we were about to descend to the upper lake, but we did not get completely soaked, although it rained steadily for the balance of our walk. On the way down we passed the Poulanass Waterfall, before rejoining the Green Road for the return to the B&B.
 |
| Poulanass Waterfall |
We finished the day having walked almost 19 km with over 1000 ft. of elevation gain, so not too bad on a day that was intended mainly for visiting.
Conwy, Wales to Laragh, Co. Wicklow, Ireland (2019-09-20)
Our faithful friend Eurwyn from Anglesey Walking Holidays arrived at 7 am to drive us to Holyhead, where we caught the 8:55 Stena Line ferry back to Dublin. Eurwyn had us at the ferry before the boarding process started, so we were among the first to board the ferry.
The crossing to Dublin was uneventful, and we passed the time reading and sending a few emails.
Once off the ferry, we (along with about 100 other people, or so it seemed) caught the express bus downtown, alighting at Connelly Station. We were immediately hit by the throngs of people and the noise of the city, something that we had not had to deal with on Anglesey. As we had a few hours before our train, we headed into the city to try and find a bank, dragging our suitcases behind us. By the time we returned to the railway station we were both grumpy and more than ready to get out of the city.
The train to Rathdrum was at 4:33 pm, so it was something of a commuter run, again with a lot of people. But we found seats, and settled back for the 90 minute trip to Rathdrum.
We arrived in Rathdrum a little early, but Andrew from the local taxi company arrived right on schedule at 6:15 pm and took us the final few kilometres to our destination, Laragh, in County Wicklow (population 342).
Our B&B is right in the village, two doors down from the pub, and only 100 metres from a convenience store and restaurant. What more could we ask for.
I
For dinner we decided to check out the Wicklow Heather restaurant, as we felt like a change from pub food, and we were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant was huge, very busy, and the food came within minutes of us ordering - Irish stew for me and a hot vegetable salad for Marlene.
After almost 12 hours of travel, by car, ferry, bus, train and taxi, all of which went off without a hitch, we were both ready to call it a day (which is why today’s blog posting is a day late).
Tomorrow we will explore the area a little more.
The crossing to Dublin was uneventful, and we passed the time reading and sending a few emails.
Once off the ferry, we (along with about 100 other people, or so it seemed) caught the express bus downtown, alighting at Connelly Station. We were immediately hit by the throngs of people and the noise of the city, something that we had not had to deal with on Anglesey. As we had a few hours before our train, we headed into the city to try and find a bank, dragging our suitcases behind us. By the time we returned to the railway station we were both grumpy and more than ready to get out of the city.
The train to Rathdrum was at 4:33 pm, so it was something of a commuter run, again with a lot of people. But we found seats, and settled back for the 90 minute trip to Rathdrum.
We arrived in Rathdrum a little early, but Andrew from the local taxi company arrived right on schedule at 6:15 pm and took us the final few kilometres to our destination, Laragh, in County Wicklow (population 342).
Our B&B is right in the village, two doors down from the pub, and only 100 metres from a convenience store and restaurant. What more could we ask for.
I
For dinner we decided to check out the Wicklow Heather restaurant, as we felt like a change from pub food, and we were pleasantly surprised. The restaurant was huge, very busy, and the food came within minutes of us ordering - Irish stew for me and a hot vegetable salad for Marlene.
After almost 12 hours of travel, by car, ferry, bus, train and taxi, all of which went off without a hitch, we were both ready to call it a day (which is why today’s blog posting is a day late).
Tomorrow we will explore the area a little more.
Thursday 19 September 2019
Conwy (2019-09-19)
Another day, another 15 km.
It was another beautiful sunny day in Conwy today, so we set off to conquer Conway Mountain. The plan was to follow the North Wales Path up and over the mountain to the next valley and then return along the coast, following the Wales Coastal Path. We had walked it the last time we were in Conwy, so how hard could it be?
We walked the road from our B&B to the closest access point to the mountain, crossed a very green field, then started the ascent to join the North Wales Path.
The climb had some very steep sections, and a few very long drops off the side of the path, all the way down to sea level. But the views from the top were magnificent, out to the Great Orme and Llandudno Pier, and down to Conwy Castle, several hundred feet below us.
The path was well signposted so not much chance of getting lost, but every chance of a tumble if you did not watch your step. Once over the mountain, the walk was on a combination of footpath, country road, and for the last 250 metres, a sidewalk next to the busy A55 highway, until we connected with the Wales Coastal Path.
We joined the Wales Coastal Path at a service centre on the highway, where there was also a footbridge over the highway and railway track to get down to the beach. Something else we noticed was a 24 hour launderette in the parking lot of the service centre. Too bad we hadn’t brought the dirty clothes.
The walk back was alongside the highway and railway track most of the way, so it was not the most peaceful walk we have done in the past two weeks, and the sun beat down on us most of the time, so when we arrived back in Conwy, we were quite ready for a break. We stopped at a little book store / cafe on the High Street, that had a good selection of lunch choices, something for everyone from vegan to carnivore.
Then it was time to get cleaned up and repack the suitcases, ready for an early start tomorrow, back to Holyhead, ferry to Dublin, train to Rathdrum, and taxi to Laragh, in the Wicklow Mountains, our home for the next 4 nights.
It was another beautiful sunny day in Conwy today, so we set off to conquer Conway Mountain. The plan was to follow the North Wales Path up and over the mountain to the next valley and then return along the coast, following the Wales Coastal Path. We had walked it the last time we were in Conwy, so how hard could it be?
We walked the road from our B&B to the closest access point to the mountain, crossed a very green field, then started the ascent to join the North Wales Path.
 |
| Conwy Mountain From The Path |
 |
| The Great Orme and Llandudno |
 |
| Conwy From Conwy Mountain |
We joined the Wales Coastal Path at a service centre on the highway, where there was also a footbridge over the highway and railway track to get down to the beach. Something else we noticed was a 24 hour launderette in the parking lot of the service centre. Too bad we hadn’t brought the dirty clothes.
 |
| Launderette On The Highway |
 |
| The Incoming Tide |
Wednesday 18 September 2019
Conwy (2019-09-18)
It was a beautiful sunny day in Conwy, but cool out of the sun, with a high temperature of only 17 degrees.
We decided to walk over to Llandudno to check out the promenade, so we set off around 10 am. The tour buses were already rolling into Conwy, to see the UNESCO World Heritage site, but once we were over the bridge we had the path pretty much to ourselves.
By 11:30 we were in Llandudno and walked out onto the pier. It is amazing to see the row of houses seemingly going on forever around the bay. Today they are mostly either hotels or restaurants, but back in the day they would have been homes of the wealthy, with great sea views.
When you have a 4 storey high building, cleaning the windows must be a challenge, but it would be made a lot easier if you could do all the cleaning from the ground. All you need is a really long pole with a cloth on the end....
We had a light lunch, checked out the shops on the main streets, especially the book stores, and headed back to Conwy. The sun was at a much better angle for photos of the castle today. The castle was completed in 1287, and the walls are still fairly intact more than 700 years later.
After a 20 km walk today, we had a light dinner at an Italian restaurant and relaxed with an episode of Poirot on ITV3.
We decided to walk over to Llandudno to check out the promenade, so we set off around 10 am. The tour buses were already rolling into Conwy, to see the UNESCO World Heritage site, but once we were over the bridge we had the path pretty much to ourselves.
By 11:30 we were in Llandudno and walked out onto the pier. It is amazing to see the row of houses seemingly going on forever around the bay. Today they are mostly either hotels or restaurants, but back in the day they would have been homes of the wealthy, with great sea views.
 |
| Llandudno Promenade |
 |
| Window Cleaning In Llandudno |
 |
| Conwy Castle |
Tuesday 17 September 2019
Holyhead to Conwy (2019-09-17)
Didn’t we have a lovely time, the day we went to Bangor, or so went the lyrics of Fiddlers Dram’s 1979 hit song (their only hit song), and today we went to Bangor, although it wasn’t part of the plan, but I am getting ahead of myself.
With our walking tour over, there was no Eurwyn to pick up our suitcases this morning, so we dragged, pushed and struggled with our bags over kerbs, cobblestones and stairs, as we walked the kilometre or so from the Boathouse to the Holyhead railway station.
We got to the station an hour ahead of our scheduled 11:28 am departure, to find the arrival and departure board not working. But no problem, Jim the technodweeb had downloaded the Welsh Railways app before we left home, so he could check on his phone - our train to Conwy was still scheduled for 11:28 am. But as Holyhead is the end of the line, we wondered when the incoming train would arrive. No problem, look on the app for trains coming in from Conwy, and it is on time arriving at 10:37 am. The train pulled in right on time, so along with the rest of the people waiting, we boarded the train, stowed our suitcases and backpacks, and sat back to wait 45 minutes, when the doors closed, and the train left the station. So where were we going? When the conductor came through checking tickets, we asked if the train stopped at Conwy, to which he replied “no”. So I asked if it stopped anywhere before Conwy, to which he replied “Bangor”. So that was why we went to Bangor today, not to cuddle with Jack, nor to open a bottle of cider.
From the station platform, it was clear that Fiddlers Dram was talking about a different part of Bangor than what we were seeing - the train had arrived through a tunnel, left through a tunnel, and all we could see was two hillsides and a few buildings covered in scaffolding. But we had an okay time sitting at the station until “our” train arrived at 12:01.
Even when on the correct train, Conwy is a request only stop, and is16 minutes after Bangor, so as soon as we had stowed the bags, I went looking for the conductor. I walked all through the 3 carriages, and no sign of the conductor, but the tea lady told me that she would let the conductor know, “if she saw her”. The clock was ticking, and Conwy was getting closer, when I finally found the conductor, back in the first carriage. “No problem” she said, “bring your luggage up to the front door of the second carriage, as I will only open one door”. So we pushed and shoved our way through two carriages, sorry, sorry, and arrived at the appointed door, with a few minutes to spare. It seems that Conwy has a very short platform, so only one door of the train will be opposite the platform when the door opens. Who would have thought eh?
The directions to Bryn Derwen were excellent, and we soon dropped our bags off, had a cup of tea, and headed back into town, to see that all was as it had been on our last visit. The Raj was still there, and still served Dhansak, the castle was as intact as on our last visit, the smallest house in Britain was still the smallest house in Britain, but best of all there was a new cake shop.
As it was still only mid-afternoon, and Conwy was full of tourists, we decided to take a walk over to Llandudno Junction to see the new movie “Downton Abbey”. It seemed fitting to watch a British movie in a British theatre. No spoilers, but we thoroughly enjoyed the show.
The movie came out about 5:30 pm, and we walked back to Conwy amongst the rush hour traffic, to find Conwy almost deserted - the tourist buses were all gone.
So we had dinner at The Raj (we were the only customers), and enjoyed it, but it was certainly not as good as we remembered it, nor as good as the Indian meal we had in Beaumaris. Oh well, we can’t win them all.
With our walking tour over, there was no Eurwyn to pick up our suitcases this morning, so we dragged, pushed and struggled with our bags over kerbs, cobblestones and stairs, as we walked the kilometre or so from the Boathouse to the Holyhead railway station.
We got to the station an hour ahead of our scheduled 11:28 am departure, to find the arrival and departure board not working. But no problem, Jim the technodweeb had downloaded the Welsh Railways app before we left home, so he could check on his phone - our train to Conwy was still scheduled for 11:28 am. But as Holyhead is the end of the line, we wondered when the incoming train would arrive. No problem, look on the app for trains coming in from Conwy, and it is on time arriving at 10:37 am. The train pulled in right on time, so along with the rest of the people waiting, we boarded the train, stowed our suitcases and backpacks, and sat back to wait 45 minutes, when the doors closed, and the train left the station. So where were we going? When the conductor came through checking tickets, we asked if the train stopped at Conwy, to which he replied “no”. So I asked if it stopped anywhere before Conwy, to which he replied “Bangor”. So that was why we went to Bangor today, not to cuddle with Jack, nor to open a bottle of cider.
From the station platform, it was clear that Fiddlers Dram was talking about a different part of Bangor than what we were seeing - the train had arrived through a tunnel, left through a tunnel, and all we could see was two hillsides and a few buildings covered in scaffolding. But we had an okay time sitting at the station until “our” train arrived at 12:01.
Even when on the correct train, Conwy is a request only stop, and is16 minutes after Bangor, so as soon as we had stowed the bags, I went looking for the conductor. I walked all through the 3 carriages, and no sign of the conductor, but the tea lady told me that she would let the conductor know, “if she saw her”. The clock was ticking, and Conwy was getting closer, when I finally found the conductor, back in the first carriage. “No problem” she said, “bring your luggage up to the front door of the second carriage, as I will only open one door”. So we pushed and shoved our way through two carriages, sorry, sorry, and arrived at the appointed door, with a few minutes to spare. It seems that Conwy has a very short platform, so only one door of the train will be opposite the platform when the door opens. Who would have thought eh?
The directions to Bryn Derwen were excellent, and we soon dropped our bags off, had a cup of tea, and headed back into town, to see that all was as it had been on our last visit. The Raj was still there, and still served Dhansak, the castle was as intact as on our last visit, the smallest house in Britain was still the smallest house in Britain, but best of all there was a new cake shop.
 |
| Bryn Derwen Guest House |
 |
| Look At Those Meringues |
 |
| Conwy Castle |
 |
| Smallest House in Britain |
 |
| Conwy From Llandudno Junction |
The movie came out about 5:30 pm, and we walked back to Conwy amongst the rush hour traffic, to find Conwy almost deserted - the tourist buses were all gone.
So we had dinner at The Raj (we were the only customers), and enjoyed it, but it was certainly not as good as we remembered it, nor as good as the Indian meal we had in Beaumaris. Oh well, we can’t win them all.
Monday 16 September 2019
Four Mile Bridge To Holyhead (2019-09-16)
Eurwyn was in early to pick up our suitcases this morning, so we left the hotel by 9:30 am, on the final day of our 8 day semi-circumnavigation of Anglesey. It had rained overnight, but nothing in the forecast for the day ahead, for our last 12 km into Holyhead.
Our walk began with a 2 km backtrack to rejoin the coastal path at Valley. From here we crossed the Stanley Embankment, which joins Holy Island to Anglesey, and is 1.2 km long.
After crossing the embankment we ventured into Penrhos Coastal Park, where the path passed through a small wood. I was excited to see a large number of headstones in one part of the park, and always being on the lookout for dead relatives, I had to investigate further. But I don’t think that I have a Sooty, Dickie or Tiggy Puss in my family tree. These are truly Welsh pet names....it was a pet cemetery.
The path then followed the contour of the coast, as Holyhead and the mountain behind became larger. The Seabourn Ovation (ultra luxury cruise ship) was in port and we watched the Dublin ferries coming and going as we walked toward the town centre. We could also see the west coast of Anglesey, which we walked down yesterday, across the bay.
After a brief stop at the railway station to pick up train tickets for our travel to Conwy tomorrow, we crossed the Celtic Bridge to the town centre, and finished our walk outside the church of St. Cybi, about 120 km from our start in Beaumaris. We were pleased to complete the walk without injury, not even a blister between us, and were very happy with the services provided by Eurwyn and Gillian at Anglesey Walking Holidays, who arranged all the accommodation, transported us and our luggage as required, and provided up to date, day-specific notes and directions, that only a local company could provide.
We then continued on to our last hotel, the Boathouse, which is on the opposite side of Holyhead, so more kilometres and substantially more elevation gain. By the time we walked into town for dinner at Simply Street (which was an excellent choice), we ended the day having walked over 20 km with 520 ft. of elevation gain. Holyhead could perhaps be called Hillyhead.
Tomorrow we are off to Conwy for our next adventure.
 |
| Anchorage Hotel, Four Mile Bridge |
After crossing the embankment we ventured into Penrhos Coastal Park, where the path passed through a small wood. I was excited to see a large number of headstones in one part of the park, and always being on the lookout for dead relatives, I had to investigate further. But I don’t think that I have a Sooty, Dickie or Tiggy Puss in my family tree. These are truly Welsh pet names....it was a pet cemetery.
 |
| Pet Cemetery |
 |
| Approaching Holyhead |
 |
| We Did It! |
 |
| The Boathouse Hotel, Holyhead |
Sunday 15 September 2019
Cemaes to Four Mile Bridge (2019-09-15)
When we woke up this morning it was raining, which did not appeal to us, but we got out the rain gear (waterproofs as they call them over here), and mentally prepared ourselves for a walk in the rain. But by the time Eurwyn dropped us off at Church Bay, the rain had stopped and we did not see rain again until we were sitting in our hotel room at Four Mile Bridge.
Our walk took us down the west side of Anglesey, and was mainly over rolling hills, with beach sections, estuary sections, and a few short road stretches. We walked over 18 km, but with only 490 ft. of elevation gain.
As we got level with Holyhead, but on the opposite side of the bay, we could see the ferries coming and going from Dublin.
At one point, our directions told us to go through a kissing gate and across a field, but when we got to the kissing gate, we found that the field was sown with corn, that was taller than us. We didn’t realize that we had to do a corn maze today.
We had a decision point a little further along the path....could we walk along the edge of an estuary, or would we have to do an on-road diversion, due to the tide. We were a half hour past height tide, and it was not a particularly high tide, so thankfully we were able to avoid the diversion.
So our walk took us along the north side of the estuary, across a bridge, and then back along the south side of the estuary. The bridge was well above the normal water height, but the approaches to the bridge were very squishy.
When we reached Valley, we left the path to Holyhead, crossed the highway and the main rail line, and walked what felt much longer than the 1.5 km stated in our directions, to the Anchorage Hotel in Four Mile Bridge. Our route took us alongside another estuary, known as the Inland Sea.
We ate dinner in the pub, and returned to our room, ready to rest our weary legs.
Tomorrow is only supposed to be a 10 km walk into Holyhead, for the last day of this part of our adventure, and the weather looks like it will cooperate once again. We seem to have good karma (most days).
Our walk took us down the west side of Anglesey, and was mainly over rolling hills, with beach sections, estuary sections, and a few short road stretches. We walked over 18 km, but with only 490 ft. of elevation gain.
 |
| The Green Fields Of Anglesey |
 |
| Ferry Approaching Holyhead |
 |
| No Corny Jokes About Marlene Please |
 |
| Divert or Not Divert, That Is The Question |
 |
| Bridge Across The Estuary |
 |
| The Inland Sea from Anchorage Hotel |
Tomorrow is only supposed to be a 10 km walk into Holyhead, for the last day of this part of our adventure, and the weather looks like it will cooperate once again. We seem to have good karma (most days).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)