After our little tour of Scotland we enjoy a days rest at Wildhill and another day in London. Anyway where off to Ireland. As we will not be returning to the UK for a few weeks, we say our goodbyes to Noreen and Swaraj and head for Euston Station by hire car. Given we have a large bag each and the cost of a rail ticket to London before 10am, it’s comparative in price.
We have booked a boat/train ticket for ยฃ36 each, a bargain. The first leg is on a Virgin Express. The boarding process is a real eye opener. You stand on the station concourse, suddenly the platform is announce and the race to platform begins along with a hundred other people. The loud speaker announces the train is leaving, it’s 20 carriages long and you have no idea which carriage to board. Anyway we are soon out of London and speeding through the English country side. Ninety minutes later we are in Crewe changing to an urban train before commencing to travel across Wales. For the next 3 hours we rubble along the coast line of north Wales. The weather is perfect, the passengers are a friendly bunch and the scenery is postcard.
The afternoon has passed and the weather has closed in as we reach Holyhead. The railway station and ferry dock adjoin and we are soon waiting to board the ferry. As we board they announce the seas as moderate and rising. We all look at each other, Dave and I think adventure, the girls think seasick.
It’s dark when we dock in Dublin, it’s a short taxi ride to The Ferryman. The kitchen has closed so we drop our bags and head of for dinner in an Italian place recommended by the Publican.
In the morning we looked out the window of our room, we realise the Ferryman is not only a classic Irish pub but it’s also in a great location. Looking straight out onto the Liffey River and a hundred metres or so from the Harp Bridge. Our morning walk takes us up the river then left up to Trinity College past Merrion Square Park and back to the Ferryman for breakfast.
Our first day is spend walking the Liffey and it’s bridges and a river cruise. The amount of development is staggering although many unfinished building seem to have little work going on. All part of the GFC which hit Ireland hard so we are told. We also notice that food, drink and accommodation etc is all fairly expensive.
We have an afternoon kip before heading of to the Temple Bar district and doing what can only be called a pub crawl. Having a drink, listening to music then moving on to the next pub and doing it again. This was the evening theme every night in Dublin so I won’t recall every pub, but I do recall listening to the best Irish music and having a great time.
We spend a morning doing a walking tour of Dublin. It was well worth the cost, our guide could talk underwater in his rich Irish accent. He had a great knowledge of the special places as we wandered from Roman ruins to famous pubs, Dublin Castle to the Guinness Brewery.
Anyway our hire car awaits and it’s time to say goodbye to the Ferryman and hit the countryside.
