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!
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.
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