Catching up with the cousins

Saturday 24th May 2014

Yes, another blog post by the mother

We had a very pleasant first night in the cottage and the children are all loving being settled in their own space for a while again.  As you can see, they are also very happy that there is a good supply of reading material in the cottage!

 After breakfast and a catch up homework session we headeed off to Trentham to visit the familywith a brief stop on the way to pick up some morning tea at the Denstone Hall Farm shop.  It is just as well we don't live in the area permanently as I could quite happily go and mooch about there every day.

We were met with great excitement in Trentham by Milo the dog and also by the rest of the family.  Unfortunately the youngest cousin was in bed feeling rather poorly so we didn't met him immediately.  It was great to catch up after so long and to see how much Mr 11 the cousin had grown. After lots of chatting, lunch and a couple of loads of washing through the machine (thank you Aunty L!) we headed off to take the dog for a walk while Aunty L and the youngest cousin stayed home.  We walked along beside the canal and Priscilla - Queen of the Canal - and her many siblings came out to see who was making all the noise and to check on Milo.

 We walked as far as the lock and were able to see a boat going through.  I have to say that my desire to do a canal boat trip has not diminished - although ideally it will be somewhere in France.  I can see it now...the canal boat with a bicycle on board for trips into the village for provisions...maybe next time...Here's the crew at the lock.

 We all worked up a good appetite from our walk so once we got back to the house we ordered up a feast for dinner and then the kids relaxed with a video while the adults chatted some more. As you can see we finally wore young Milo out and about the same time the youngest cousin started to perk up.  He is an absolute delight! Looking forward to lots more fun together over the next few days.

Back to England

Friday 23rd May 2014

Yet another blog post by the mother

A busy but not terribly exciting day today.  We were up early for breakfast and then off to Dublin airport to catch our Ryanair flight to Manchester.  We have been well impressed with Ryanair - nothing fancy but clean, comfortable and on time flights.

It was a very quick flight of only 45 minutes to Manchester and we arrived to a rather chilly English spring day.  Picked up another Ford Galaxy (an automatic this time) and then we headed off down the M6 towards Stoke-on-Trent.  Traffic was crawling due to road works and bank holiday weekend and school half term holiday traffic.  We stopped for some lunch at a motorway services station and at one point we could see that the traffic had come to a complete stop - eek!

Things did start to move again though and we finally made it to Uttoxeter to buy provisions at around 4pm.  Had the usual fun trawling through ASDA although this trip also included buying some clothes.  After 7 days on the road with no washing done some members of the party were in need of some additional underwear!

From Uttoxeter we drove out to Denstone and up to Peacock Cottage at Windy Arbour Farm where we were met by Dave the owner.  Peacock Cottage is a converted farm outbuilding and is one of those rare places which is actually bigger than it appeared in the photos.  There are two bedrooms and a bathroom on the ground floor, a living room/kitchen and bathroom on the second floor and then a mezzanine bedroom above that.  The boys immediately took over 'The Wren's Nest' mezzanine area as their room and the girls had the bunk beds downstairs. 

Getting to the farm itself is a very picturesque drive as you come in through a village then up a little winding lane before you drive through a wheat field to the farm house and cottages.  The garden surrounding the house and cottages is beautiful and Gill and Dave open the garden to public most years.  It is a really delightful spot and a complete contrast to being in London.  Great that the kids are getting to experience both urban and rural England.

We are all very much looking forward to catching up with the cousins tomorrow!

Kissing stones and climbing rocks

Thursday 22nd May 2014

Blog post by the mother

Our day began with great breakfast conversation with two American couples also staying at the B&B as well as the usual incredible spread of food.  The B&B hosts have all been impressed with the children's breakfast consumption.  I'm just worried that they will all come to expect the full Irish every morning once we're home again!  It really does set them up for the day though and we usually get through to about 2pm before we stop for lunch.

The lovely Anne brought out Miss 9's shoes clean and dried.  She was most taken with the girls and they were equally taken with her.  Miss 7 said it was almost like having an Irish grandmother.

I am aware that young RJ has not featured much in recent posts but please be reassured that he is safe and well and having a grand time.  He has met some Irish guide dogs and a leprechaun and has been a good cuddle substitute when everyone starts missing Rocky senior.

 



 First stop of the day was Blarney Castle.  Like Muckross house, the grounds are beautiful and it is wonderful to have the opportunity to walk through them especially with the rhododendrons in bloom.

 Everyone made it to the top of the tower and we all kissed the Blarney Stone except for Miss 9 who was not having a bar of it.  She blew a kiss in passing but that was as close as she was willing to get.  Given that she already has the gift of the gab it may have been a blessing that she didn't enhance her gift!

 The children all enjoyed exploring the castle and imagining what it would have been like to have lived in it hundreds of years ago.

 And just in case you didn't catch where it was that we went to kiss the Blarney stone ...

 After leaving Blarney we headed north and stopped at the Rock of Cashel in the early afternoon.  By this stage we had just about exhausted Miss 7's tolerance for looking at ruins but once she was made chief photographer she regained some enthusiasm. Below are a few of her photographs ending with an interior shot of the Vicar's Choral showing the roof.

From Cashel it was another couple of hours driving to get to Dublin.  We stayed the night at the Heatherview B&B in Malahide with Jim and Maura.  Once again we were given a very warm welcome and nothing was too much trouble.  We headed into Malahide Village to take a look at the beach and then to have our last pub dinner in Ireland.  After all the eating that we have done in the last week I think I may have to pay excess baggage charges at the airport - and it won't be on the luggage!



Killarney and a little Blarney

Wednesday 21st May 2014

Blog post written by the mother (trying to get us back on track after a few posting delays!)

After yet another huge breakfast provided by the lovely Mary and Sean at 'The Invicta' B&B we set off to explore Muckross (Mucros) house and gardens in the Killarney national park.  The house itself is well maintained and is apparently very interesting but we were keen to get outside and enjoy the beautiful gardens and grounds.

The rhododendrons are all in bloom at the moment and looked just gorgeous.  I felt like I had stepped into a Karl Maughan painting. 

The gardens are huge and there are many different aspects to them.  The children particularly enjoyed the rock garden and a walk through the woods beside a stream.  I am still trying to find out what these amazing triffid like plants (below) are called.  Miss 9 said that when she hid under them she felt like an ant. 

From Muckross House you can walk to the Torc waterfall or you can do as we did and get a ride in a jaunting car.  Our jarvey, Hugh, was a man of relatively few words.  He had a script that he was clearly intent on sticking to and any time we asked a question it threw him and he would have to go back and start again.  It did make for a hilarious ride and gave us a few giggles for the rest of the day.

The horse's name was Queenie and I think that the girls would have quite happily stayed and chatted to her rather than do the short walk up to the waterfall.  They did however drag themselves away and Hugh and Queenie got to have some peace and quiet for quarter of an hour while we walked up to the Torc Waterfall. 

With the heavy rain from the previous day the waterfall was in good flow and the children enjoyed trying to float sticks back down the stream.   On the ride back to Muckross House we were excited to see a wild doe down drinking at one of the lakes.  Hugh also managed to break out a wee joke when he told us that Muckross house had 52 chimneys - one for every week of the year.

After a brief stop for a drink in the tearooms and a spot of shopping for Miss 9 we headed off via Ladies View and Moll's Gap towards Blarney.  Here are a few leprechauns I caught crossing the road at Ladies View.  Miss 9 had already headed off adventuring and managed to step right into a nice little bog.  Fortunately her trainers stayed on her feet but they did come off rather the worse for wear!

 Below is the stunning view back along the lakes towards the Gap of Dunloe.

 The remainder of the day was spent driving to Blarney.  Our 'navigator lady' as we like to call her, seems to take great delight in sending us via the 'scenic route' whenever we ask for directions so the father had to over-ride her on a number of occasions.  If he hadn't, I suspect we would have been driving for an awful lot longer! 

We arrived at Blarneyvale B&B to a very warm welcome from Anne.  When I asked if I could use her laundry to give Miss 9's boggy shoes a wash she wouldn't hear of it and whisked them away to clean them herself.  Bless!  After a brief stop at the Blarney Woolen Mills so the father could add to his sock collection and Mr 14 and Miss 7 could try out the hats, we headed off to the local pub for another mammoth meal before heading back to the B&B and bed.

Cliffs and crossings

Tuesday 20th May 2014

Blog post by Mr 14


On the 20th we left the Bayview B and B and drove to the cliffs of Loop Head. Below you can see us standing in front of the Bayview B and B.

 We were driving for quite some time so we listened to some of the music we had put on my I-pod before leaving. We arrived at the cliffs and walked along making sure not to get too close to  the edge.

 On the cliffs was situated a rather large lighthouse and a large number of flowers called sea pinks. They covered the cliff like carpet.

 As we walked along Miss 9 nearly stomped on a furry caterpillar which Mum took some pictures of.

 We then drove for a while longer until we reached Killimer and the car ferry. The sun was shining and the water was flat so we had a relatively calm crossing.

 Here you can see the family on the ferry.

 When we arrived on the other side we drove for a bit up to the Gap of Dunloe in Killarney national park. We stopped off at the pub called Kate Kearney's cottage. We had dinner and watched an Irish dancing performance which the girls were particularly mesmerised by.

 Here you can see us standing outside said cottage.

We then drove to the B and B Invicta and settled down to sleep.

The Burren

Monday 19th May

Blog post by Mr 11

Today we woke up pretty early and had a big breakfast at Fallons B and B. Maura was really nice and kept offering us more toast and juice every time we ran out. Then we left and drove through a really big valley that goes straight through the Burren Mountains. We went to a really cool abbey called Corcomroe with massive windows and a great view of the Burren.    

 Then we went to the Burren perfumery and wandered around its gardens. The gardens were really big and had heaps of types of plants as well as little signs telling you what the plants are used for. Then we went to the Burren perfumery shop and watched a video on the plants and flowers around the Burren. Then we smelt some of the perfumes that they make. My favourite perfume was Man of Aran a unisex perfume that is made from seaweed, tree bark and apple.

 While we were driving to our next stop our tire hit a corner and got really badly popped. Luckily we parked in the driveway of a helpful man who fixed up our wheel until help arrived.

 While we were waiting for someone to come and help we went and had a bite to eat at Cassidy's Pub. While were there we met the owners dog's Kuba and Kola. Kuba's the Black one that's in the picture. Our tire was fixed up in no time and we were back on the road.

 

 Then we went to see the portal stone and walk across the pavement stones. Miss 9 fell into a hole in the pavement stones and bruised her leg really badly. The portal stone was really cool and it looked like something that monsters would come out of.

 Next we drove up the mountains to Aillwee cave and had a tour of there enormous caverns. There was an especially cool one with a massive waterfall that trickled into a cavern fifty feet deep!

 Next we drove up and saw the Gregan castle hotel and the actual Gregan Castle. Gregan mean's rocky lawn and the castle was called that because of its massive gravel patch in front of the castle. It was owned by Brian Hussey and he showed us around and showed us where they used to pour boiling oil on their enemies and other really cool stuff.

Then we drove down to Kilkee and stayed in the Bay View B and B.

Ruins and playgrounds

Sunday 18th May 2014

Blog post dictated by Miss 9

Today we had out first Irish breakfast at Alverna House B&B.  I thought that it was very tasty.  I had cocoa pops and then eggs and bacon.  After breakfast we drove to Athlone town and bought some food and drinks to have in the car.  Then we went to Clonmacnoise Abbey which was built in the 1200's so it is very, very old.  This is one of the standing crosses at Clonmacnoise.

There are a lot of old towers and ruins at the Abbey.  This is a tower that the monks used to hide in if the Abbey was being attacked. 

This is the Whispering Gate.  If you stand under it and whisper it echoes around you.  

This is a picture of us by our car.  It is a Ford Galaxy.  We can all fit in and our bags too.  The only thing is that one person has to sit in the back on a seat by the bags. 



 We had a picnic lunch and then drove to Loughrea.  We stopped at Loughrea for a break and to play on the playground.  They even had exercise machines so we all had a go.  In the olden days people used to build their own little islands in the middle of the lough and build houses on them.

One of the most interesting looking places was this street in Kinvara where there lots of different coloured shops in a long row.  We walked along this road and went to see the pier and then we went out for dinner.  We went to Keogh's bar and I had chicken goujons and chips for dinner.  It was very yummy.  We stayed the night at Fallon's B&B. 



Across the Irish Sea

Saturday 17th May 2014

Time to pack up and move on from our lovely London flat today.  It's amazing how quickly a place can start to feel familiar and like home. 

As is always the way when trying to get six people packed and out the door, some small details didn't go quite to plan.  The combination washing machine/dryer in the flat got the clothes clean but invariably left them warm and damp rather than dry.  This was fine on days when we could just hang the clothes on the airer and go out.  Today however more extreme measures were called for and Miss 7 was happy to help out with the hair dryer.

 

With our clothes dry and bags all packed we headed off to the tube station to go up to St Pancras to catch the train out to Luton.  This was the first time we had been out to Luton airport and although the journey took a wee while it was nice to be on the train going through the countryside rather than the city.  Mr 11 took the opportunity to relax and catch up on the news.  

 

We had a minor delay getting onto our flight but once we got going everything was fine.  Ryanair proved to be a much better carrier than I had anticipated - but my expectations had been pretty low!  We had amazingly clear skies on our flight to Dublin and were able to clearly see Wales and all the ferries coming and going over the Irish Sea.

 

It was a little cooler in Dublin than London - which had a 25 degree high today, apparently warmer than Ibiza! We picked up our Ford Galaxy from Europcar and headed out onto Ireland's motorways.  The Navigator app came in very handy as we navigated our way onto the ring road and then headed towards Athlone - our first stop on this leg of the trip.

 

The Navigator got us safely to Athlone and we headed for a pub recommended on Trip Advisor for dinner.  Had one of those moments where the Navigator announced that we had arrived at our destination and we couldn't see it.  We pulled into a supermarket carpark and were just about to go and ask for directions when we noticed a sign pointing to the very pub we were looking for.  In our own defence the pub has just changed hands and has been renamed so we weren't being completely unobservant!

 

Had a reasonable dinner with the highlights being that the girls were invited outside to play on a bouncy castle with a bunch of kids who had just celebrated their first holy communion.  The husband also had his first Guinness of the trip - he was a happy man!



 

Fortunately with the long days it doesn't get dark 'til almost 9pm so we were able to find the way to our B&B (Alverna House) quite easily.  The lovely Niamh met us and got us settled into two very nice rooms.  Both she and her husband Ronan were very friendly and chatty so the evening passed very quickly. Looking forward to our first full Irish breakfast tomorrow!