September 2014 – UK & Eire

The Burren & Dingle Town

October 11, 2017September 30, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Our drive from Galway to the Dingle Peninsula goes through the center of the ‘the Burren’ and to the Cliffs of Moher. It’s a beautiful day and the scenery is indescribable. We took a ferry from Kilimer to cross the Shannon River estuary – saved about 3 hours of road time! The car in front of us on the ferry contained an English couple (Cheshire) who stayed at the same B&B as us in Spiddal. The drive to and through Tralee was nice, then on to the ‘high road’ from Camp to Inch. Awesome.

We stopped in Anascaul for a ‘Crean’s Lager’ at the famous South Pole Inn, once owned by Tom Crean, the famous Antarctic Explorer. Our stay in Dingle Town is at O’Neal’s B&B overlooking the villages’ high street. Dingle is a fun village to walk with a beautiful ocean and high-country views.

Dinner at Doyles just down from our lodging was excellent (recommended by a couple who drive up from Dublin a few times a year to dine there). Pubs, pubs, pubs.

Galway & Moran’s Oyster Cottage

October 11, 2017September 29, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Along the route to Spiddal is the ‘Celtic Crystal’ visitor center and factory, it was recommended by our hostess, Vera. The owner, Mary, opened in 1972 and faced competition from the ‘big’ houses, Waterford and 2 others. Now, she is the only one still making hand blown, hand cut crystal in Ireland. We are the only visitors and are treated to a personal tour by the owner with demo by one of the carvers. The company is famous for incorporating Celtic designs and Gaelic motifs into their ornate Irish crystal. We wind up buying a little bud vase whose design commemorates the famine. Very appropriate, as that is why Mary’s family came to America.

Onward to Galway. After a brief walking tour, the rains came – big time! We ended up missing most of the city.

Lunch is along the bay at ‘The Weir’, Kilcolgan, where Moran’s Oyster Cottage and Pub is located. Moran’s is a world-famous Seafood restaurant with a traditional thatched cottage that dates back over 250 years. Wild salmon, Galway flat oysters, crab claws – doesn’t get much better.

Donegal to Spiddal

October 11, 2017September 28, 2014 by Smith & Smith

The drive from Donegal to Spiddal was very pleasant. In Westport, County Mayo we had a brief stop but most of the shops were closed – Sunday morning. Thankfully, Matt Malloy’s pub is open so we have a quick pint. The pub is owned by the flutist from the Chieftains and is well known. Leenane is along the route and looks like it’d be a nice place to spend some time (maybe next trip!).

We stopped for a picnic at Klylemore Abbey in Connemara. To avoid a long highway route, we ‘bushwhack’ our way through the rugged and beautiful Connemara back country to our lodging at the bay-side Armor Inn in Spiddal. Spiddal is a Gaeltacht (they speak Gaelic) village on the shore of Galway Bay in County Galway, about 12 miles west of Galway city. Our hostess at the B&B has a massive garden of rare plants, flowers, and trees.

Dinner was at ‘Tigh Giblin’, a restaurant in the heart of the village. Good choice – the food (Connewara lamb for me) was great and we had a lovely table at which to enjoy a few sessions of traditional music.

Antrim Coast

October 11, 2017September 27, 2014 by Smith & Smith

We covered a lot of ground today.

We started by heading north from Belfast towards the Antrim Coast. It took some work to locate the ‘Dark Hedges’, made famous by the Game of Thrones series. Very remote (and super cool). The northern coastline is striking. We stopped at the Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge (Dick walked it, I did not) and then on to the Giant’s Causeway. Incredible. Lots and lots of tourists at the Causeway – most with Chinese accents. We have a long drive along the coast to Portrush (looks nice), then (London) Derry. We had hoped to take a tour of the Belleek Pottery factory but arrived late. Mary picked up a nice, very well-packaged pottery basket.

Finally, we crossed the border into the Republic of Ireland and Donegal Town. While dining at the nearby Castle Bar, we met a Canadian gentleman from Toronto doing a cycle tour of both Ireland & Northern Ireland. Interesting discussion! At his suggestion we topped off the night with a walk to the Reel Inn where a trad band was playing.

Black Taxi

October 10, 2017September 26, 2014 by Smith & Smith

We took a Black Taxi Tour of the areas known for the ‘Troubles’ which focused on the murals each side of the conflict painted on houses.

Fascinating, disturbing, sad. Mary said it well – there’s remains a 4-mile fence and only a few gates between the zones and they still close every night. There’s a long way to go before healing is done.

Our driver, Gerry, clearly sympathizes with the Republican side. And, he’s about the right age. Hmm…

Belfast

October 10, 2017September 26, 2014 by Smith & Smith

The walk from our B&B into town is long, but pleasant through a series of well-tended neighborhoods and shops along the street. There’s a quilt shop along the route & Mary locates some material for her ‘travel’ quilt.

St George’s Market is the last surviving Victorian covered market in Belfast. It is located on May Street, close to the River Lagan and the Waterfront Hall. It’s huge, is open daily, and has everything from food stalls, to artwork & antiques.

While in town, we also visited the striking City Chambers and stopped for a pint at the Crown Pub. Magnificent interior.

Ferry to Belfast

October 10, 2017September 25, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Off to Northern Ireland!

The drive from Glasgow to the ferry terminal in Troon is a short one and our crossing of the Irish Sea to Larne (just north of Belfast) is pleasant. Our B&B in Belfast is the ‘Ravenstall Guest House’. It is quite nice and Olive, our hostess, is helpful with suggestions for dining and sightseeing. We headed into the city and visited the ‘Titanic Belfast’ museum and memorial. The ship was built in the Belfast shipyards. We walked from our B&B to dinner at the Errigle Inn.

Glasgow Walkabout

October 10, 2017September 24, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Our last full day in Glasgow & Scotland. We hopped on one of the tour buses to get an overview of the city. Reminiscent of Pittsburgh in many ways – not the best of reputations, but very enjoyable with a cool vibe.

Lots of tourist stuff today – Tenement House, the Glasgow Cathedral, and Paisley Abbey. Unfortunately, Mackintosh’s masterpiece at the Glasgow School of Art is closed due to a tragic fire. Hopefully a restoration is possible. Quite by accident, we locate Glasgows’ first microbrewery, Drygate who’s head brewer is a woman. Mary was able to acquire some local material for a future quilting project. Through the center of town is a pedestrian street with a great street market. While on our walk, Mary spots Mackintoshs famous ‘Willow Tea Room’ so we stop in for a look. Quite interesting.

Dinner at the ‘Two Fat Ladies’ seafood restaurant in the West End. They advertise themselves as ‘seriously fishy’!

Glasgow, West End

October 10, 2017September 23, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Today is ‘West End & Mackintosh‘ day. The Kelvingrove Art Museum has a special exhibit on the architect. The museum also has a very large pipe organ which we were fortunate enough to hear played. Just around the corner from the museum is Glasgow University which also has a series of exhibits on Mackintosh, including a reconstruction of his house in the city.

A few pubs are in the area including a Brew Dog bar and the classic ‘Three Judges’ – a ‘must do’ in the CAMRA book. We dined close by at the Pelican Restaurant – more great seafood.

Loch Fyne

October 10, 2017September 22, 2014 by Smith & Smith

Kareen, our hostess at Lios Mhore, is a hoot. She has a dog, cat, and chickens on the property and the ruling hierarchy is not what you’d expect: chickens rule and keep the cat in line, cat is in 2^nd place and terrorizes the dog, who just stays out of the way! Kareen apologizes for using ‘yesterday’s’ egg for our breakfast.

We have a nice drive to Glasgow up through the Glencoe highlands and along a lovely, small river. We stopped along Loch Fyne at Loch Fyne Oysters for lunch. Oysters were first with a sampler of smoked salmon. Then over to Fyne Ayles, Dick allows himself one beer, but consoles himself with purchase of a shirt, tasting glasses and a couple of bottles for later. ‘Hill House’, a Rennie Mackintosh architectural masterpiece, is located on the way into Glasgow in Helensburgh and makes for a nice stop.

Our lodging in Glasgow, the Alamo Guest House, is across from Kelvingrove Park and Glasgow University in Glasgow’s West End. The building is a nicely restored 1880 Victorian home. The host, Steve, is a whiskey connoisseur, but is also quite knowledgeable with regard to Glasgow’s craft beer scene.