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ExplorA8tion Ireland! 5th - 15/16th June 2016 - Completed!
Ok, so I'e been back a couple of days now but it was 03:30 on Friday morning when we finally pulled into the drive!
Angela and I had driven 2630 miles at an average speed of 32MPH and 22.1MPG door to door. First and foremost I must Thank Neil and Sean for the awesome amount of work they did planning and executing this trip. There wasn't a day went by without us seeing some stunning sights and enjoying great company and experiences. I'll do a little write up with a few photos in the next few days; but as a taster, Neil, Nick and Ann, myself and Angela spent the last night here, and someone else picked up the bulk of the tab! CtL |
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http://www.merrionhotel.com/ http://www.restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie/ View (out of focus!) from our balcony attached: |
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Great view from our hotel too Andrew ! +++
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Blinking iPad only let's me post 1 at a time lol
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I'm only jealous because I paid for mine! :o
(Though I was able to check in and shower mid-afternoon...) |
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Here's a few of ours from that last nights palatial pad
Eight foot bed and swamped in downy soft stuff. |
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We had bowls of fruit on the tables in the corridors, but our garden statues were more eclectic:
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Quite a few nice hotels in Ireland. Looks like ours was in at number 8! +++
http://www.irelandbeforeyoudie.com/t...awesome-views/ |
With the Trump resort (I still feel unclean from driving by it!) at number 3. Credibility of that list needs to be questioned. :tuttut:
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I prefer this list: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel...Luxury-g186591
Merrion at #1 of course. :cool: |
BBC2 9pm tonight - Wild Ireland
Just a little reawakening of this thread. Small 2-part (2 * 1 hour) series starts tonight about the Atlantic Cost of Ireland at 9pm to 10pm on BBC2.
I've set to record it but may manage to watch the "live" broadcast. |
Good spot - on record.
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Stephen, you should see a fair bit of what you missed. :tuttut:
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We have already made up our minds to do this again. If it's with company, even better, and with, perhaps, a couple of relaxation days
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A Little History Lesson
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Was out yesterday for a drive and took in part of the WAW that we covered in 2016. For those of us there, you may remember seeing quite a few Napoleonic Signal Towers dotted along the coast, the first one being the reconstructed one at the Old Head of Kinsale.
They were originally constructed at the start of the 19th century as a coastal defence against French invasion, and stretch all the way from Dublin port on the east coast to Malin Head on the north coast, via the south and west coasts. Their locations were chosen so that the tower before and after them was visible. Since I had the camera with me, I took a few snaps. I didn't have the wide angle one with me to get it all in one shot (and the cliff edge was rather close), so the big tower in each photo is the same one. An ingenuous bit of engineering. Points on offer if you can name where any of these ones are? http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1522604703http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1522604703 |
Whilst looking at some of the photos and videos of the annual meet, I was browsing some of the other stuff I have taken in the past, and came across this video that I put together from photos of the Wild Atlantic Way that we did in 2016. It was meant as a teaser.
https://youtu.be/IwCnLMh4P7o |
Wow brilliant! we really must get the rest of the pics and footage properly gathered and on record!
:love::D |
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Isn't it spooky that we spent hours talking about this last night (and this thread which I've not seen until now), and how I would love to do such a trip of Ireland? It's as if Sean was listening in! That's coincidence number 2. Coincidence number 1 was when Johannes and I sent each other PM's at the same time the other night (not knowing that each was writing) AND signing off the PM's to each other in virtually the same way. I think there's some glitching in the Matrix. I swear by it :D |
Sean that's brilliant and evocative. I'm missing Ireland. And Neil I'm still looking forward to seeing those videos of us performing beach ballet :)
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Anybody watching Adrian Dunbar's Coastal Ireland on Channel 5? +++
Started last night at Mizen Head (talking about how the bridge to the Signal Station Museum was rebuilt) and pretty much following our route. |
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It's a UK-registered Audi Q5, 2-litre diesel...….. :tuttut:
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Really frustrating for me as two of my 'drive to' locations to clear my head are Malin Head and Slieve League (both in county Donegal and about a 90 minute drive), and I can't get to them. Last trip was March 2020 just prior to the first lockdown. |
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How do you think I feel. I didn't only have my car travels I was out and about most weeks on one coach trip or another. How many of you have left home at 04:00, driven your car to Eastbourne, collected a coach and passengers, given them a day tour from their hotel, then driven back home. Just another day in the office. Or how about leaving home at 00:10, driven via the Chunnel and been in Hamburg by 16:00. |
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Course it does Steven. Presuming you went from home so the different mileage at each end cancels out. But that particular one was only one of three the same year and I'm not counting the Dutch weekends. Then again in years gone by I've averaged five Sorrento trips a year. |
I was a little disappointed by the show as it seems ridiculous to cover 50% of a journey like that in one episode and 50% in the second - I guess they were never really going to be able to show that much, but a big chunk of it seemed to be Adrian visiting a couple of mates of his!! :ROFL::tuttut:
But that said, at the moment I'll take any travel shows, especially ones around Ireland!! :D |
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From the map they showed in the first programme, the next one will have even less coast (except the Giants Causeway) and probably more food and drink with friends. |
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For those of us who did the 'ExplorA8tion Ireland' road trip, here's a little reminder about it that popped up in my Facebook feed. It's indirectly connected to a pub/restaurant that we visited on our travels.
Here's a snippet from the article: "A native of Annascaul in Co Kerry, Crean volunteered for Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery expedition in 1901 and for his Terra Nova expedition in 1910. During the Terra Nova expedition, Crean made an 18 hour solo journey in desperate conditions to save the life of a fellow crew member and was awarded the Albert Medal for his acts of heroism. In 1914, he joined Ernest Shackleton on the Endurance expedition and, again, he proved himself to be a much trusted crew member and someone capable of great endurance and heroism." https://www.marine.ie/Home/site-area...h-explorer-tom For those interested, check out his Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Crean_(explorer) |
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For some reason I no longer recollect I took a picture of the wine list there!
(this might appear sideways....) Beverley just checked her diary, we probably had our evening meal there. It was also "toiletgate" day..... :tuttut: |
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