Ireland Adventure Re-Cap

This is exactly how we felt about Ireland

This was one of the best, if not THE best, vacations we've ever had. It was, quite honestly, planned at what some might say was the last moment. As in, 3 or 4 weeks before we left we began seriously planning. We tossed the idea back and forth for a few months but then we decided to just go ahead and do it, and I'm glad we did.

Renting the campervan from Bunk Campers was a brilliant idea, so thanks, John! I've said this before: the van we rented was just the right size. Having a toilet at our disposal was exactly what we needed. The bed was so very comfortable that I had no trouble going to sleep from the beginning and I didn't wake up with my back hurting. 

Robert did a great job driving with the gear shift on his left side and driving on the left side of the road. He was already used to driving on the right side of the van, but it had been some years since he had driven a manual for any length of time. He only ground the gears twice and never stalled the engine. The round-abouts were no problem at all; I think we only had to stop at a couple during the whole trip. In fact, he found that driving on the left side of the road and all of the round-abouts were easier than driving in the US, partly due to the courteousness of the Irish drivers.

The prices of everything seemed to be comparable to or less than what we would pay in the US, especially once we left Dublin. Diesel was, as you might imagine, expensive, but we only had to fill up 3 times and spent less than $400. The campervan seemed to be relatively fuel-efficient. 

Favorites of the Trip

My favorite part of the trip was steering away from most of the tourist traps, going "off the beaten path", meeting the Irish people, and taking our cues from them. I never thought I would enjoy not planning a trip! Yes, I know by doing this we missed some things but that just means I need to go back and do it again. I think my favorite place was the Beara Peninsula. It's hard to say for sure, but just the beauty of that area of the country stole my heart.

One of Robert's favorite parts of the trip was being able to see our British friends in Dublin before we picked up the van. Another favorite was visiting Ross Castle in Killarney and walking back through the park back into town. Seeing the Irish Red Deer and getting a view of St. Mary's as we walked into town was very special. Ladies View (in the Killarney National Forest) was his favorite scenery. The real surprising part to him was how genuinely friendly the Irish people are. He had heard about the friendliness but to experience in person was something!

The Big Question

Now for the big question: Would we do it again? Most definitely! We're already talking about renting from Bunk Campers again and traveling through Northern Ireland and the northern part of the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, or Southern England.

Next time, I will plan out our dinners and breakfasts to make sure we didn't waste so much time in the grocery store. I don't think I will even plan where to go next time; we should just go where the road takes us and where locals suggest we go.

Our biggest piece of advice is to just do it. Go while you can, before you get too old. Even if you have to put everything on a credit card and pay it off later, do it. The memories we have from this trip will last for the rest of our lives.

Sláinte!

Beara Peninsula

 

After a day in Killarney, we drove through Killarney National Park to get to Hungry Hill Lodge and Campsite. The views along the way were spectacular although some of the roads were a little nerve-racking for Robert.

Turners Tunnels on the County Cork line

Ladies' View

We planned to take this day to rest and do laundry. When we arrived, Jamie came out to greet us. She checked us in and showed us around. At that point, she said there would be one other couple in the campground but a young brother & sister from Germany ended up spending the night as well. 

The campground is set against a mountain so it was perfect and made us feel at home.

There is a store within walking distance. It had what we needed for the night but we had to go into Castletownbere for "real" groceries. 

The campground has laundry facilities, free electricity, free Wi-Fi, and free showers. When we were there Daniel was in the process of fixing one of the sets of showers so there wasn't a separate shower/bathroom for each gender. There was a shower and toilet marked for guys and one for the ladies. The showers were hot and had plenty of pressure. Also on site is a kitchen. Let me just say that I love how every campground we went to had camp kitchens! I don't understand why we don't have them in the US. It just doesn't make sense.

Camp Kitchen

Unisex (for now) bathroom

The showers were a little narrow. Robert said he felt too cramped but I had no problem.

Laundry facility

Jamie and Daniel did everything to make us feel welcome and at home. Daniel's dog came out to meet us after we told him that we were dog lovers. He makes sure the dog is in the fence when campers come. 

I had a little trouble with the dryer while doing laundry: my clothes weren't getting dry. It turns out that it was on the wrong setting and I didn't know I could change it. Jamie was kind enough to give me some of my money back. 

Jamie also gave us a couple of recommendations on what to do during our day in the Beara Peninsula. We looked into taking a ferry over to Bere Island but then decided to just stay in Castletownbere. It appeared to be a really small town with not much to do, but after talking to Adrienne in MacCarthy's Pub, we found plenty to see. We drove out to Kilcatherine's Church to see a medieval church built on the ruins of a 7th-century monastery. The church itself is from the 11th or 12th century. The views were incredible.

Beautiful final resting place

View looking from Kilcatherine Church

Kilcatherine Church

We also found the ruins of Dunboy Castle, although we didn't know it at the time. It wasn't well-marked and we thought it was something else!

Dunboy Castle was destroyed in 1602 during the Seige of Dunboy

Ruins of Dunboy Castle

You can see the shape of a star of the fortress

When we were in town we came across a parking lot that had signs allowing campervans to stay there overnight. That would have been a perfect place to stay if we were looking for someplace like that. We were hoping to find someplace like that in Wexford but didn't. 

What's the verdict on staying at Hungry Hill again? You betcha. I loved the property it's on. There's also a lodge, tent camping areas, and "glamping" opportunities. Just about perfect!

Hungry Hill Lodge and Campsite

Camping in Killarney, County Kerry Ireland

This is going to be a weird post because I have zero pictures from the campground where we stayed for 2 nights in Killarney. I chose Fossa Caravan and Camping Park because 1) it was open (we were there during the "low season" (off-season), and 2) it was close to Killarney. Right before we left for Ireland I found a campground on the Dingle Peninsula that was open. I could have canceled, but unless someone else reserved the site, we would have to pay for it. I decided not to chance it. 

We had a "grass pitch" site and it was a little wet. Not terribly wet, but slightly wet. Instead of each individual site having its own power outlet, there was a "communal" one with about 6-8 outlets. That meant it was necessary to have a long cord. The people across from us laid their cord across the road, and it wasn't one that could be driven over. (Not the best choice on his part) The place was packed, but it was really quiet. We only saw a handful of people the 2 nights we were there. On-site is a hostel and mobile homes (although we didn't see these). A pub/restaurant is close enough to walk. Our first impression was less than stellar. It just looked like a trailer park, actually, which is why I don't have any pictures. 

Those were the negatives. The positives:  The spot we had was level, and we were told we could just pull in horizontally instead of vertically like everyone else did. The facilities to empty the toilet cassette and gray water were very easy to get to and the 1 to empty the cassette was very clean. The showers were excellent, even though the 1 I was in the first day had a loose shower head and the next day I couldn't control the temperature in the other one I tried. They were extremely clean and they were free. (Always a plus!) There were 6 total showers in one building and on the other side of the area where we were there were 2 more that were handicap accessible. That building also had toilets. The side of the area where we were had toilets in the back of the office building, as well as a kitchen and laundry that could be used. Did I say how quiet it was, even though it was crowded? It almost felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

I mentioned the restaurant/pub within walking distance. The night we arrived we walked over. Robert called ahead and was told that the kitchen was just about to close (like, within minutes of him calling) but that if we came right over we could order something. The walk was a little more than we thought it was going to be, but the food and Guinness were good. 

There is a restaurant on site that has an incredible breakfast for a very reasonable price. It isn't associated with the campground and it closes at 5:00 pm, but you won't want to miss the breakfast!

We wouldn't mind staying at this campground again, although it wouldn't be my first choice. I would prefer someplace a little more like a campground, but it was a good spot for being close to Killarney. There is a bus stop right across the street from the office, but we found it was faster to take a cab.  Derry, the owner, is another HUGE reason we'd stay there again. He went out of his way to call us cabs and to let us know what was in the area that we should see during the 1 day that we had there. Robert left his smartwatch in the shower stall and didn't realize it until the next day when we were 2 hours away. Derry sent it to our house in the USA and said it wasn't necessary to reimburse him (although Robert did). 

This was a weird post, not the usual kind I write. I regret that we don't have pictures. 

Follow along with more recaps and pictures on my personal blog: Life in a Small Town. (The link will take you to a list of the Ireland posts.)