Arriving in Ireland

Here's a question for you: 'How wide-awake might you be at 9.00am if you hadn't slept a wink the previous night?' A little below par, perhaps?

Stena Ferries, bless 'em, run a highly efficient ferry service from Fishguard (West Wales) to Rosslaire (Southern Ireland). There's only one small snag... they depart not long before midnight... 

 

 

... and deposit you on Irish soil at 4-o'clock in the morning. I suppose that we only have ourselves to blame for the fact that they would also deposit us some 160 miles from our chosen bed.

Actually, there was other small snag. According to Google Maps, those 160 miles would take just 3½ hours to drive, which would get us there for 10.30am… but the holiday cottage wouldn't be ready for us until 2.30pm. Undeterred, I hatched a brilliant plan. Eschewing the direct route, we would thread our way slowly along the southern Irish coast, taking in the sights of Waterford, Dungarvan and Youghal, and hopefully finding a quiet spot on the way for a nap. With any luck we'd then arrive at Blarney Castle around opening time to while away a few hours before setting out once more for the aforementioned holiday cottage and a comfy bed.

Taking turns at driving, we headed west as the dawn gradually broke around us. This is Dungarvan, where a leisurely stroll along the quayside did much to aid my wakefulness.

 

And here is the sun rising over Dungarvan Bay.

 

Believe me, it was a sight that compelled us to stop and simply gaze in wonder. Sadly, my photo does little to convey the beauty; taking photos into the sun inevitably results in them being over-exposed and in need of 'photoshopping'. One day I'll learn how to fiddle with those little 'f' numbers on my very cleaver smartphone. According to my elder son, one will never be an accomplished photographer until one masters the art of 'f' number fiddling.

The world was beginning to wake up as we skirted the fair city of Cork, arriving at Blarney Castle on cue, just as it opened. What happened there can be the subject of my next post.