Around the Isles (part 2)

By David Gourley

This is the second part of David's account of a driving holiday that took him to all the component countries of the British Isles. Read part 1 here.

Taking our car by ferry was a new experience for us.  Given that they drive on the wrong side of the road, we have never driven on the Continent. We disembarked in Larne, an unlovely town where sectarian graffiti was in evidence.  We hit the road up the Antrim coast.  A good thing about this road is that one very quickly loses sight of Larne!  More positively, we were at the start of one of the most beautiful coastal drives, not just in the British Isles but in Europe.  We were staying at the somewhat idiosyncratic Ballygally Castle hotel.  Most guests stay in the large modern wing but there is an old castle complete with haunted room, now just an attraction and not used to accommodate anyone. 

There was time for us to do a drive up one of the Antrim Glens, finishing in Ballymena.  It was fairly easy at this time, when the Golden Jubilee was being celebrated, to tell which towns are nationalist and which are unionist, by whether or not they’d put up bunting.  In Ballymena, which is in Ian Paisley’s constituency, there was a lot of bunting!  Smaller Northern Irish towns like this, on either side of the religious divide, are often quite pleasant, rather old-fashioned places.  In Ballymena we wanted to buy a map of the island of Ireland, having realized our map of the entire British Islands, was not adequate.  I wondered whether, in this citadel of unionism, one would dare ask!  But in the town’s old-fashioned bookstore we acquired one with no trouble.  Something that was also becoming evident was that people in Northern Ireland, again regardless of religious divide and despite the many years of the Troubles, tend to be very friendly.  On a scale of friendliness across Europe I might put Northern Ireland at the opposite end to Croatia, a country we have just visited, where poker faces seem to be the order of the day. 

Back at our hotel we were served a gargantuan dinner.  For Cathy it was far too much and it was almost so for me, albeit my appetite would hardly be described as delicate.  Next evening Cathy tried to obviate a repeat of this experience by ordering an “8 oz” steak but their idea of “8 oz” and ours are not the same so she still had too much for her liking.  The next day we drove over to County Fermanagh, in the western part of the Province, almost as long a drive as one can do within its borders.  We noticed en route signs to “Londonderry” with the “London” crossed out: Nationalists of course know it simply as “Derry”.  To avoid offending anyone, radio and TV staff have taken to calling it “Derry stroke Londonderry”, earning it the sobriquet “Stroke City”.  Back home, I tried out on a Northern Irish friend my theory that one can tell the religion of someone from Northern Ireland by what they call the province’s second city.  “That’s nonsense”, he snapped, “I’m a Protestant and I call it Derry”.  We weren’t going there so didn’t have to call it anything. 

Our drive took us through Omagh and on to Enniskillen, where we had lunch.  Both these town maybe tried a bit harder than most to stay out of the Troubles, yet both were afflicted by appalling IRA bombings.  No doubt the scars are there still but for the visitor they are handsome towns and the person driving through Omagh might remember it for its complicated road system.  We then had a drive along Lough Erne, a quiet corner of the Province that attracted visitors, particularly anglers, even during the height of the Troubles.  We came back via a different route which took us through the Sperrin Mountains.

The next day we moved on to Belfast but first drove north, along the coastal road, to visit County Antrim’s top two attractions.  The first was the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, which does feel rather precarious as one walks across.  This is not there just for the tourist; its purpose is functional and it has been there for hundreds of years.  The other was, as might be guessed, the Giant’s Causeway, a remarkable coastal formation.  Legend has it that the same giant who created the Causeway, simultaneously created Lough Neagh, the large lake in the middle of Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man, by taking a huge chunk of the mainland and hurling it into the Irish sea.  Maybe there’s some truth in this - they are roughly the same size!

We had a charming guide who pointed out the northernmost part of Ireland, which can be seen from here.  Contrary to what one might assume, it is not in Northern Ireland, being in County Donegal and thus in the Republic.  The Good Friday agreement, which effectively ended the Troubles and at this time had been in place for some four years, had, she told us, given a big boost to the tourist industry in Northern Ireland.  For all too many years the very idea of a tourist industry in Northern Ireland had seemed rather ridiculous yet there is great tourist potential, not least along the Antrim Coast.  With the DUP and Sinn Fein having just agreed to form a power-sharing government – something that would have been inconceivable at the time of our visit – the prospects for a long-lasting peace have never looked better.

We now headed for Belfast.  I still had a somewhat negative view of this city, the result of the years of sectarian violence.  I’d wondered about heading straight for the South but Cathy felt that we should have a look.  We stayed at the Europa, which in the seventies had the doubtful distinction of being the most bombed hotel in Europe.  Even at the time of our visit there was unrest to the south of the city, in the Donegall Pass area.  But from our window high up a peaceful city was spread before us.  We wondered into nearby Donegal Square, in the heart of the city centre.  There was a vaguely menacing feel – but no more than in any other British city when the shops shut and the chavs take over the pedestrianized centres.  The best part of the city, which we didn’t get to, is supposed to be around the University, an area that has been likened to the trendier parts of Dublin. 

We had just one night in Belfast and next day headed south to Dublin.  We decided to take a scenic route and thus meander along the coast.  We thought that en route we would take a look at Stormont, the seat of Governemnt.  We got directions from our hotel and reckoned we were in the right area when we passed shops that took their name from it.  However, we then found ourselves in a rather rundown area whereas Stormont, I knew, is in a leafy district on the outskirts of the city.  Graffiti artists informed us that “Ulster will never be part of Eire” (though actually part of it is, since only six of its nine counties were hived off into Northern Ireland at time of partition).  It occurred to us we had taken a wrong turning.  We stopped the car and spoke to a soldier, who turned out to be from our home county of Surrey.  He advised us to turn round there and then.  We were in “loyalist” East Belfast but heading straight for the troubled Catholic enclave of Short Strand, scene of recent riots which had been triggered by, of all things, someone putting up bunting to celebrate the golden jubilee.

Now back on the right road, we found Stormont and were allowed by the guards to drive up its impressive drive and have a look from the outside – there was no question of being able to go in.  Rather provocatively, it might be thought, a statue of Sir Edward Carson still stands outside.  He was the politician who masterminded the separation of the Six Counties from the rest of Ireland and this makes him something of a hero for Unionists, and rather the opposite for Nationalists.  Maybe the miserable weather had something to do with it, but the part of Northern Ireland we now drove through, on the way to the border, didn’t appeal to us in the same way as areas previously visited.  We had a brief stop in the resort of Newcastle, which looked rather grim. 

We crossed the border to the south of Newry.  This is one of the most contentious borders in Europe and is of course the UK’s only land frontier.  Yet we only realized that we’d crossed it when we noticed that our ‘A’ road had become an ‘N’ road!  This rather unpretty area is not really the best of introductions to the Republic Ireland.  First town was Dundalk, also unpretty and noted during the Troubles as a hotbed of IRA activity.  Drogheda, the next town going south, seemed rather more pleasant.

Finding our hotel in Dublin was challenging.  We’d decided to treat ourselves and stay in the historic Shelburne, a five-star establishment.  It’s located in St Stephen’s Green, in the fashionable south of the city, and road signs were confusing – I’ve read somewhere they are deliberately so, to discourage motorists.  We managed to find the hotel but there was nowhere to stop so we got swept up in the traffic, to get lost once more before finally finding it again and being able to stop long enough for one of their staff to take possession and put it in a nearby car park. 

The Shelburne was a disappointment.  It struck us as one of those places that coast along on their reputation but are no longer that great.  We rather felt that it was our privilege to be their guest rather than vice versa.  The legendary Irish friendliness was hard to find, since nearly all the staff were unsmiling.  I was annoyed above all to find that, this being a Monday, the fine Dining Restaurant was closed; it closed on Tuesdays as well.  We’d arranged for some friends who live in Dublin to join us for a meal.  The hotel’s website had said nothing about this and they had not otherwise forewarned us.  By contrast the Europa in Belfast had written to us advising that their fine dining restaurant is closed on Sundays.  We only found out when we went to book with reception.  The young lady took the booking but we asked her to contact the restaurant so we could reserve a table.  She then revealed, as if this was a mildly interesting discovery on her part, that the restaurant was closed.

We saw a manager and were told that the closure was because of – yes! – 9/11.   There were no longer enough American tourists, apparently.  A more enterprising management might have taken the view that shutting down facilities was not the best way of attracting customers!  We got them to book a nearby restaurant though this turned out to be disappointing: it cost an arm and a leg but the service was slow and the meal indifferent. 

The next day we pressed on to our final stop, Kinsale on the southwest coast.  There was not much time to explore Dublin.  We walked up Grafton Street, visited Trinity College and saw the Book of Kells, and made our way north of the Liffey to O’Connell Street and the GPO, epicentre of the 1916 uprising.  Getting out of the city was somewhat easier than getting in, as we just had to go up to the river and then drive along the parallel road.  Before long we were in open country.  We took an indirect route, heading first to Kilkenny for our lunchtime stop. This town, perhaps the most attractive in Ireland, is a gem and we enjoyed our stroll through it, finishing at a delicatessen where we got a good takeaway lunch.  We carried on through Clonmel to Fermoy where a pedestrian walked straight out in front of us – the village nearly lost its idiot.  We by-passed the City of Cork via the Jack Lynch Tunnel, named from a former taisoeach and son of the city.

Kinsale is a town of great charm set amidst magnificent coastal scenery.  We were staying at Actons Hotel, only three-star but much better than the Shelburne.  The staff were friendly and a room change so we could get a seaview was arranged with no trouble.  Rather like Ludlow, Kinsale has acquired something of a gourmet reputation, and there was a good choice of restaurants.  But we were only there for two nights and stuck to the hotel, a choice not regretted as the meals were excellent.  The starter, which I had both times, was one of my best ever, a simple dish of wild mushrooms cooked in a spiced butter. 

The next day was spent exploring the vicinity and then the day came for the rather long drive home.  Not a fun day, especially as there was heavy rain as we headed for Rosslare and the ferry; Waterford, where we stopped for a somewhat indifferent lunch, seemed all too aptly named.  Wales, I fear, was getting short shrift compared to the other four countries visited: we were simply passing through.   So we drove non-stop through the lovely county of Pembrokeshire, which we have however stayed in on earlier occasions.  Our only stop in fact was at a motorway service station for the second indifferent meal of the day.  But overall we had had a thoroughly enjoyable trip.

First published in VISA 75 (October 2007)

Europe in 24 hours

by Rosie Jefferson

It's different; it's easy; it's not as expensive as you might expect; it's fun and it's therapeutic.

It started as a one-off event to celebrate a colleague's 50th birthday. A surprise trip, she was told she'd be picked up from home at 6.30am and to bring her passport; we also provided her with blacked out sunglasses while we checked in at the airport, the check-in staff agreeing to our request not to mention the name of the destination within her hearing.

Jan didn't find out where she was going until the pilot of the plane gave away the secret. We had researched the city in advance and knew the places that we were going to visit and the best way of getting to them. We had a plan for the day but it was relaxed and left plenty of room to stop at that interesting little café/bar we came across, to browse at a market stall, to find a good restaurant for lunch.

Eight of us went on that first excursion 6 years ago. We so enjoyed the trip that we no longer need a special occasion to celebrate but fly to somewhere in Europe for the day twice a year, usually in May and October. To date we have day tripped to Amsterdam, Bergamo, Bilbao, Budapest, Cologne, Dublin, Geneva, Madrid, Nice, Warsaw and Zurich.

Criteria for our trips

* Flights are from Luton - the most convenient airport for the members of the group
* Flight times must allow at least 10 hours in the city - this limits the possible destinations by distance and by number of daily flights but there's still a good choice
* Costs of flights/transfers must be less than £50 each - easily done by travelling mid-week and forward planning, booking flights when they are first released. Our best bargain was the flight to Cologne that cost us £2 each, including taxes and charges, when the airline Germanwings started. The bus transfer between airport and city cost us more, at £3 each, each way - so transport costs that day were £8 each!
* Though we share the cost evenly, one person is responsible for getting currency and holding the kitty for the day - makes paying fares, entrance fees, restaurant bills, etc. so much easier.

Airport / city transfers

There are usually frequent bus and train services between the airport and the city - or a taxi of course. Information about these transfers can be found by a search of the city or city airport's websites. We don't visit anywhere that takes longer than 30 minutes for this transfer; we have only once travelled by Ryanair.

Getting around the city

We like to walk around as this is a great way of getting to know the place, but there are times when transport is needed and there is often a pleasing way. In Amsterdam there are the canal buses, boats that travel regularly along 3 different routes, useful for getting from A to B but also to do a complete loop of a route to give another view of the city.

Many places have a little white train that trundles on a circular route stopping at popular spots; the one in Nice runs along the seafront, through the Old Town and then winds its way up along tree-lined roads to the top of the hill with its ruined castle and wonderful views over Nice, the seafront and the Marina. (The train then reverses the journey but we opted to walk down the hill through delightful, greenery-flanked, zigzag pathways and enjoy a very French lunch, sitting outside in the warm sunshine at a restaurant overlooking the seriously-large yachts moored in the Marina.)

Dublin has a bus tour (but beware hopping off at both the Guinness Storehouse museum and the Old Jameson distillery or you may not be fit for much else!) Zurich has tours in an old open-sided trolley bus.

Most city tours are hop-on/hop-off facilities that also include a commentary in several languages, so they are a good way of learning about what you are seeing. Avoid the little white train in Warsaw though - those selling the tickets speak English and the advertising board displays the information, in English, that there is a commentary. Unfortunately the commentary is only in Polish and the train goes around the outside of the old town and its passengers don't get to see much of interest. Warsaw is well worth going to for the day but I recommend seeing it on foot; you'll get a lot more from the visit.

Food and drink

We always have a late and leisurely lunch at a restaurant serving food of the country, with which we drink wine of the country. We travel to see the sights and learn something of the city, but lunch is a major part of our visit.

Where the menu is dissimilar to anything we're used to we like to try as many different dishes as possible; we share a selection of starters and, each person having chosen a different main course, a small part of this goes on everyone else's side plate for them to try too. Choosing from the menu, and the subsequent eating, can be particularly interesting when we don't understand the language . . .

Memorable moments

* Catching the bus into Cologne from the airport and noticing that half the people we saw walking along were in fancy dress. We had arrived on carnival day and the place was buzzing - live music and beer stalls in every open space, everyone in friendly festive mood.

* Catching the bus into Geneva and thinking how quiet everywhere was and how the shops appeared to be closed. We had checked, as always, that it was not a National Holiday but we hadn't known about local holidays. Geneva was closed for the day - the day we had chosen to visit! But we were still able to do most that we had planned - and there were no queues. We had a great day.

* Walking into Fraumünster Church in Zurich and seeing the stained glass by Chagall

* Walking into Matthias Church in Budapest and seeing the richly decorated interior

* The hour long cruise on the ferry out of Zurich that called at small villages around the lake: the lunch at a restaurant on an island in the river; our table was against a low open window next to the water, ducks swam by and the cool breeze flowed in, the gentle lapping of the water was so relaxing.

* Sitting in the sunshine at a table outside a hotel on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice at 10.00am, sipping coffee and watching the Mediterranean and the people sunbathing and swimming. It was October and we'd left the UK in cold and mist.

* Sitting in the sunshine in the garden of a bar high above Bergamo, sipping the local wine and admiring the rooftops of the medieval hilltop old town that we'd reached by funicular. We'd risen higher still by foot to visit the castle ruins and had begun making our way down when we spotted this ideal place for a break.

Finally

One can travel light, no baggage, no hotels to book, just some cash and a camera and a map of the city - and a passport! One day gives a flavour of the place, a taster to determine whether it's worth a weekend or longer visit perhaps. Using the information available online, in books and brochures and selecting the key places to visit and things to do is all part of the fun of preparing for the day out. But once there it is wonderful to just relax and enjoy the surroundings of somewhere new, to absorb its atmosphere and offerings, to appreciate its differences from anywhere else you've been. And, at the end of the day, to take lasting memories home.

First published in VISA issue 69A (October 2006)

An Irish Jaunt

by Maxine Bates

Despite having suffered a 90 minute delay at Holyhead due to adverse weather conditions in the Irish Sea, my friend Helen and I arrived in Dun Laoghaire eager to begin our whistle stop tour of southern Ireland. We were travelling on a Stena `go as you please' holiday, but had booked our first two nights at a hotel on Talbot Street in Dublin. This proved a good choice as all the major tourist attractions were within easy walking distance.

Whilst in the city we took an informative tour of Dublin Castle, which included the state apartments, inauguration room of the President and old castle ruins. We walked along the River Liffey, crossing Halfpenny Bridge (so called because that was once the toll) and poking our noses into the Clarence Hotel owned by U2 (though you would never have guessed it had rock star connections) en route to a `liquid lunch' at St James' Gate Brewery. Better known as the Guinness Brewery, its popularity has meant that tours are no longer available of the production site. However, across the road at the Guinness Hopstore you can follow the brewing process from growing of the barley to kegging with a well presented exhibition and audio visual show and every visitor is entitled to a free pint of the black stuff in their bar. The souvenir shop mystified us as the cheaper items were locked in cabinets whilst the expensive ones were on open display!

Next stop was `Dublinia' in the old part of the city for a self guided audio tour of medieval Dublin followed by a visit to Christ Church Cathedral and up St Michael's Tower for a panoramic view of the city. Well, it would have been if it hadn't started raining! We also visited Trinity College to see the famous Book Of Kells, though we thought £2.50 to view only one page was a bit excessive. On famous O'Connell Street the souvenir shops and fast food restaurants mingled with the outstanding architecture of the Post Office and statues down the central reservation. At night there is only one place to go in Dublin - the trendy cosmopolitan Temple Bar area. There were Italian and Spanish restaurants a plenty, but we wanted traditional Irish fare, so dined on Irish stew and boxty (similar to pancake) at Gallagher's Boxty House.

Leaving Dublin we headed south through the Wicklow Mountains. En route we stopped to see Powerscourt Waterfall - the highest in Ireland - which despite the winding road to get there was worth the journey. We had a photo stop at The Meeting Of The Waters in Co.Wexford. Here the Avonmore and Avonberg rivers meet to form the Avoca river in a setting of sylvan beauty. A 5 km detour brought us to the village of Avoca where the TV programme Ballykissangel is filmed, though being Good Friday Fitzgeralds pub was closed. We were told up to 15 coaches visit Avoca during the summer months - I bet the village store couldn't believe their luck when the producers decided to film there! Onwards to Waterford we were too late for a guided tour of the crystal factory, but we did stare in wonder at the chandeliers in their shop. We spent the night in a lovely hotel in Dungarvan right on the beach and with its own leisure complex and bowling alley.

Next day was bright and sunny as we continued along the coast stopping at the fishing village of Youghal (pronounced yawl) to view the harbour and clock tower which straddles the main road. Crossing into Co.Cork we visited the Jameson Heritage Centre in Midleton to discover the story of Irish whiskey, see the world's largest pot still and take a tipple. By mid afternoon we arrived in Blarney with one aim in mind - to kiss the Blarney Stone! This involves climbing up the keep, lying on your back, gripping two iron bars and extending your head backwards to kiss the awkwardly placed stone. A most bizarre and unhygienic practice, but a must on the tourist trail!

Besides the castle there are also pretty gardens with areas called `druids cave', `fairy glade' and `witches stone'. It was a short drive into the city of Cork and, after several laps of the one way system, we found Shandon Tower. Attached to the Church Of St Ann, the tower was built in 1750 and houses a chime of eight bells which visitors are allowed, and even encouraged, to ring. So, after climbing up to the parapet for views of the city, Helen and I played `Amazing Grace' and `Auld Lang Syne' for the whole of Cork to hear! Music was of course, provided! We just made it to Cork City Gaol in time for last admissions. This is a fascinating insight into 19th century prison life and visitors are allowed to walk into the cells. As dusk fell over the River Shannon we headed north west to Killarney.

Helen and I agreed the next day was the highlight of our holiday - the famous scenic drive around the Ring Of Kerry. We set off around 1 1.00 am having been told the route would take us 3-4 hours depending on photo stops. It was Easter Sunday, yet we hardly passed another vehicle! Taking the anticlockwise route we first came to Dingle Bay - home of Fungi the dolphin and location for the film Far And Away. We detoured from the N70 road to visit the Skellig Experience on Valentia Island. The Skelligs are two rocks lying eight miles out to sea and the tourist attraction tells the story of the monastery that was once built there as well as the bird life and history of the lighthouse.

 Leaving the car park we spotted a sign for the `Ring Of Valentia' and decided to follow that route. It took us down narrow winding roads (no more than mud tracks) and led us to a shrine, slate quarry and spectacular scenery with white washed cottages. We were amazed that people live in such a remote place! Returning across the bridge we rejoined the well signposted Ring Of Kerry and headed to Waterville for a stroll on the beach. Next stop was Derrynane House, the ancestral home of Daniel O'Connell - Ireland's most prominent lawyer, civil rights activist, politician and statesman.

Further on we saw a sign for Staigue Fort and decided to leave the main road once again. Despite being a listed monument, sheep roamed around the stone fort and visitors were trusted to leave their 50p admission fee in a box attached to the gate! By the time we reached Ladies View - said to be one of the most scenic views on the Ring Of Kerry - it was getting dark and we had already taken far too many photos! Nine hours after setting off we were back at our hotel exhausted, but with our minds full of wonderful scenery.

After a leisurely breakfast we drove to Tralee and found the tourist information office, where we overheard a girl telling visitors what they could do if the attractions were open! The main street was decorated with bunting, but despite being Easter Monday the town seemed very quiet. We visited the `Kerry The Kingdom' attraction comprising three sections: a multi-image audio visual presentation on Kerry's spectacular scenery, an exhibition on Kerry's history from 5,000 BC and a `time travel' ride to experience the sights and smells of an Irish medieval town. Since Blennerville Windmill - the largest working mill in Ireland - was only one mile away we stopped there for yet another audio visual show and to grind some flour. Once again it was quiet and we were the only visitors.

Leaving Tralee we stopped for lunch at Europe's most westerly McDonalds - the busiest place on our whole tour! We were hoping to spend our last evening at a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle in Co.Clare, but arrived to discover the Americans had booked every place. So, onwards to our overnight accommodation in Limerick.

We returned to Bunratty the following morning and spent a couple of hours exploring the folk park, including blacksmith's forge, farmhouses, a village street and schoolhouse, as well as the impressive castle. Seven days and 13 counties later (including Tipperary which we all know is a long way!) we were back in Dun Laoghaire for our return sailing. I'm glad we opted to take the car over instead of taking an organised tour as it enabled us to get off the beaten track and discover at least a part of the real Ireland.

First published in VISA issue 25 (summer 1997)