It's hard to believe it but, we've already been in our current home for a month, and tomorrow (Saturday June 7) we will pack up our road show and head about 31/2 hours south to the charming town of Kinsale.
Before we leave however, now is a good time to show you what we've been up to while here.
The drive into the farm
The drive into the farm nearing the cottage - about 1/2 mile
Life on the farm has been a nice mixture of days spent chilling and enjoying the peace and quiet in beautiful surroundings. With nothing but the sound of the wind, the birds, and the rain drops to break the quiet, it has been a great place to stay. We could stay here a lot longer but we have places to be.
Looking for the pot of gold
The farm has a group of converted buildings that have all been finished to a high standard with a courtyard in the middle. After a year of renting, the owner decided that she did not want the fuss of dealing with lots of strangers coming and going so now she only rents to a few of us who return, She. like us, enjoy the quiet so we essentially had the place mostly to ourselves and the few workers about.
Looking from our place into the courtyard
One day we took the 30 min drive north to Bray which is about 1/2 way to Dublin. They have a nice seafront and we took the walk from one end to the other and back. A footpath of about 6 miles links Bray to Greystones to the south, but it is closed due to a landslide.
Bray Seafront
Bray Marina
Angela, the owner, has cut numerous paths thru the woods and fields for walking paths. Several miles of nice private walks exist and we took advantage of them.
View from one of the paths back towards our house
A foot bridge across a small stream on the paths
We made a couple of trips from Greystones up to Dublin on the Dart (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) train. It's a scenic route that runs right along the coast for a good part of the trip.
Our nearest bigger sized town is Greystones, which is about 5 miles north of us. Greystones is the end of the line for the Dart Commuter service from Dublin, but the intercity trains to the rest of Ireland would pass thru Greystones heading further afield.
On the Dart looking back south towards Bray
An obligatory stop when visiting Dublin is the Guiness Storeroom. Its a self-guided tour that details the history and process that goes into making the brown elixir.
The Barrel Making exhibit in the background
At the end of the tour we are rewarded with a pint at the rooftop bar that provides a 360° view of Dublin.
The reward - a cool foamy pint of Guiness!
We took the train to Dublin, then a streetcar to the Guiness factory. These modes plus the bus are all part of the local transportation system and are accessed thru a card that I purchased and loaded up with some Euros, I can use the card all over Ireland and reload it thru an app. The fares are subsidized and very inexpensive.
Our tram arrives
We took the tram back to the station and then the Dart back to Greystones. We had left the car at the free park and ride about 1/3 mile from the station.
Back at the train station
Another trip was to the Russborough House, a home from the 1700's built by the 1st Earl of Milltown.
Along the way we drove thru the Wicklow Mountains National Park. We were here in 2023 as well.
Along the way we stopped at the Lough Tay overlook to enjoy the view of Lough.
The Lough is owned by the Guiness family. Interestingly - the end of the lake to the left was the filming location of the fictional village Kattegat from the "Vikings" series.
Lough Tay
Continuing onward over the mountains to the west side, we arrived at our destination.
While Kate took the inside house tour, I took the dogs for a walk around the grounds of the walking paths.
Walking the paths
Walking the paths
Walking the paths
The house remained in family ownership till the 1930 at which point it exchanged hands a few times, eventually coming under the ownership of Sir Alfred Beit. The property was gifted to a historic foundation in the 1950's which opened it up to the public. The Beits remained in residence until the death of Lady Beit in 2005.
Dining room in the house
Drawing room in the house
Driving thru Europe is fun. Lots of small roads take you on excursions to and fro.
In Ireland there are Motorways (Like US Interstates) then below that are the "N" (National roads) which can be bigger or smaller.
Then the "R" (regional) roads which are even smaller and at times can be quite narrow but still 2 lanes,
Finally the "L" (local) roads which are usually 1 lane.
Driving the L roads really require you keep on your toes. You can come around a corner and meet an oncoming car, truck, or farm vehicle. Sometimes you'll need to back up to find a suitably wide place to pass each other. Driving these roads is a "team sport" and cooperation is the order of the day.
Example of an L road
Here is a video of driving on the R road outside of the farm gates. You need to take care coming around a corner as anything could be there including a bycycle rider.
Back at the farm, the dogs have been enjoying having lots and lots of grass to run around on.
One Sunday we went to the Hunters Hotel for a Sunday Lunch. The Hunters Hotel is an old Coaching Inn and has been run by the same family for over 200 years.
Outside the Inn they have a traditional Victorian Garden complete with a Croquet Lawn, as well as an expansive vegetable and herb garden which supplies much of the hotels in-season produce.
Hunters Hotel Gardens
Hunters Hotel Gardens
Taking the Dart back in to Dublin for a stroll around. We started with a walk along the River Liffey.
Then wound our way thru Temple Bar - a trendy section of Dublin with lots of pubs and eateries.
Temple Bar, Dublin
From Temple Bar we wound our way up Grafton St which has some of the highest retail rents in the world. In one shop that Kate visited, they had a blouse that cost over $4,000!
This store would only have one sample of every piece on display, The salespeople would size you up and go fetch your proper size while you sat sipping champagne.
Grafton St
At the end of Grafton St is St Stephen's Gate. One of the many beautiful green spaces in Dublin.
We entered thru the gate and took a nice stroll around the park.
Entry to St Stephen's
Lake in St Stephen's
After strolling the park, we walked over the the nearby Trinity College - The Harvard of Ireland.
Trinity College Dublin
We walked thru the college grounds and looped our way back to the train station for our ride back home.
Trinity College Dublin
On the scenic coastal ride home, I spotted a familiar-looking ship anchored offshore. A quick check on my marine app confirmed it was the MS Renaissance. Interestingly, it used to be called the MS Maasdam and was once part of the Holland America fleet. Over 20 years ago, we had made a winter escape and actually sailed on the Maasdam, cruising from Acapulco through the Panama Canal to Fort Lauderdale.
The last stop prior to Greystones is Bray. The station walls there are lined with a series of Mosaics that detail Irish history thru the railroads from about the mid 1800's thru the present. Originally they were paintings on the wall, but lime seepage degraded them over the years so they commissioned that they be replaced with mosaics that would endure
Back at the shack - more running for the dogs,
Angela has 5 dogs that often make a visit. That, plus farm cats, workers, and birds keep the dogs interesting in what is going on outside.
The mighty hunter - ever vigilant.
From our last trip and this - Greystones is my favorite town. Close to Dublin, this area is rural yet cosmopolitan. We came up a number of times to walk along the seafront. From the park and ride to the marina and back was a nice 3 mile walk with lots of friendly people to talk to.
Greystones South Beach
Greystones Beachfront walk
Greystones Marina
On Saturday there is a craft market along the Greystones Marina area.
Weds night we had a nice dinner at Angela, our host's, house next door.
Yesterday we took a trip down to Wicklow - about 6 miles south of here and visited the Historic Wicklow Gaol. (Pronounced "Jail")
The Gaol has been on this site for 300 years and now tells the story of the people who have been imprisoned here over the centuries.
Gaol Entryway
Thru the prison stories you learn about the periods of Irish History. From persecution and imprisonment of Catholics by the English in the 1700's to the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil war.
"newer" prison cell
Our self-guided tour took us down into the dungeon.
Down into the dungeon
The Gaol is commonly referred as one of the most haunted places in Ireland and has been featured on one of those "ghost hunter" shows on TV.
While in the Dungeon, I heard Kate let out a scream. It turned out one of the cell doors had a sign telling you to lift it to look inside and when Kate lifted the flap - this face was waiting for her... hence the scream.
"BOO!"
Looking down from the 3 level
Spiral Stairs
Our time here was a nice mix of things. We are now getting ready to take a farewell walk along the water in Greystones, then come back to start packing up in prep for our leisurely departure tomorrow.
This is a very easy place to get used to. If we ever do decide to make the move over - this would be high on my list. If not - perhaps just come for the summer. Having options is a good thing.
