The end of October 2023 found us parked up at the Blasket Island Pier for the night. It was lovely, falling asleep to the sound of the sea against the shore. In the morning we walked across the cliff top , and skirted the village of Donquin, circling back round to the van. It was a bright day, but windy, gifting us incredible waves crashing against the shore, and leaping into the sky.
We found an abandoned house on the cliff top. I am not surprised it is now abandoned, as it is close to the edge, and must get so battered by the wind and the rain. However, it was a stunning location, and must have been wonderful on stormy nights, with the views of the sea and the sky and nothing between you and America. A cosy fire would have been essential!
The ground was very green – mossy and bright, not like grass, and spongy under foot. It’s hard to put into words the colours, bright green under foot, the blue sky, with white clouds and the grey sea, crashing white against the shore line.
We headed from here to Tralee and parked up underneath a windmill for the night, before heading to Limerick Aire and an opportunity to top up with power and water.
The aire is no longer there, which is a shame, as it was lovely, and the hosts were so welcoming. We hadn’t been parked up long, when the owners son knocked on the door, inviting us to a barbeque. I declined, only because I am anxious about eating from a barbeque, unless I know the people cooking really well. It is too easy for gluten free cross contamination to ruin the rest of the evening and the following day. Neil went along, and I joined them for drinks. We met some really lovely people, especially Lisa and Oliver from @ourvantasticfamily and their 3 children (who have recently become 4 – congratulations!) They are a lovely family, who spend nearly every weekend in their van, giving their children the sort of life most of us only dream of. They are always outside, meeting new people, and exploring new places, both in Ireland and on the continent. It was so lovely to see. With a bonfire and the rugby world cup final via a projector, it was a very sociable evening.
In the morning we made the most of the campsite, with a leisurely shower, tidying the van and then heading back to Tralee and the Wild Atlantic Way. By evening we were parked up on the seafront again – a peaceful night in our happy place.
We had now moved beyond the rugged and wild cliffs along the south west coast, and onto beautiful, long, sandy beaches. Fenit beach was the first. It went on for miles, and the sky was so blue, we could have been in the Caribbean, (apart from the very Irish temperatures.)
We collected shells and sea glass and I’m sure Neil moaned about the sand in the van. Neil constantly moans about the sand in the van, which is a waste of time, as our plan is to travel the coastline of the UK and Ireland – a lot of beaches and a lot of sand.
We chanced upon Ardfert Cathedral. It is a ruin, but huge, and lovely to wander round.
From here we headed to Ballybunion , another long sandy beach, and another ruin, this time a castle. And then we came to Carrigafoyle Castle, another ruin, in another beautiful setting, with a rainbow reflected in the water.
The cliffs appeared again on the Loop Head, after a stop at Carrigaholt Castle: a derelict square tower, one of a large number of these towers where the village chieftains would have lived.
The weather changed and it was very windy. We stood as close as we dared to the cliff edge, with the Atlantic sea below us, and took photos of the sea stack. It seemed so close, you felt you could almost jump onto it.
From here we arrived at the Bridges of Ross. There is only one of these natural sea bridges left, the other 2 have fallen to the sea. Even knowing the remaining bridge has been there for millions of years, walking across it felt perilous, in the wind. I have to admit, I stood in the centre for a photo and then ran back to solid ground. I didn’t want to be the straw that broke the camel’s back on this occasion!
A park up in Ennistymon gave us a chance for a day in the van and wandering round town, with a break from driving. The river Inagh runs through the town, and the Falls Hotel and Spa is run on hydro power. We started off parked by the river, but did not feel comfortable, with heavy rain forecast. “Thank you” to the landlady of the pub, who pointed out it was a school holiday and suggested we move to the school bus area of the carpark. And “thank you” to Neil, who ran and moved the van, while I enjoyed a drink and my book, I’m surprised I stayed, as it was a strange little pub, with me and the landlady being the only women in there.
Next stop, County Clare – my joint favourite county, with Donegal. We visited the Michael Cusack Centre, the founder of the GAA. As the only visitors, we had a lovely tour by the curator, which was informative about the history of the game and the politics which affected it. The Michael Cusack Centre was the home of the statue of the Puca, and the home of my idea for a book for my grandchildren – Sleeping Giants: A Puca Adventure (The Puca Adventures Book 1) eBook : Abbott, Emily : Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
I loved writing this book, and planning the adventures my grandchildren could have, driving around Ireland, in granny and grandad’s campervan. The statute of the Puca was my starting point, along with places we had already visited and places we found as we continued around the coastline. The book is available on Amazon, if you want to make my day, and purchase a copy.
After the centre, we headed into the Burren National Park, and it was this that captured my heart. It is a spectacular landscape, made up of limestone rocks, with plants growing between them, and then creating a steep climb up Mullaghmore. It was like being on the moon – how I imagine the moon anyway. Desolate but beautiful.
As night was falling, we did not manage the entire walk. We planned to go back to on the way to dad’s for Christmas, but fog stopped us, so it is still on the revisit list.
Trying to fit too much in, we went to W B Yeats Tower, which was very pretty, and as we have tattoos inspired by “He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven” it felt appropriate.
The day ended with a scary drive, down some very dark and narrow Irish roads, where we parked up for the night in Pulnadrone. There was no light pollution at all – complete darkness. We felt very isolated, and very peaceful.