Day 27 – Limerick to Waterford

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We awoke to another grey and wet day. Our first stop was King John’s Castle built in the 13th Century on the orders of King John, a much despised English monarch, so much so that only one likeness of him (a statue) still remains in a church somewhere in England. We had the Castle to ourselves due as much to the weather as to our arriving at opening time.

We then walked over to the historic St Mary’s Cathederal, but were unable to see inside due to services underway, so decided to head south to County Cork and Blarney Castle.

Blarney Castle sits high on a rock above the surrounding countryside. The climb to the top of the castle is tough through very tight spiral stone staircases, but the view from the top is worth the climb. At the top there is the famous Blarney stone, said to give you the gift of the gab if you can kiss it. The exercise to do this requires some contortion, however there are now hand holds to assist, and the obligatory tourist photo setup to capture the moment.

After travelling so far, and climbing to the top, I had to do the deed and follow in the path of many famous people, including politicians, actors, and other famous people. I expected it to be a more difficult task than it was. I was left with a craving for Guinness and to talk like with an Irish accent, although I have been drinking Guinness since I arrived. :-)

We explored the lovely gardens for a short time and then proceeded to the City or Cork. This old City of narrow streets was a little disappointing to us. We enjoyed a nice lunch and had a brief look around, before heading to Waterford, our overnight stop.

The drive to Waterford was an adventure in itself as the SatNav decided it wanted to get confused along the way and kept trying to take us off the main path. Eventually we ignored it and stayed on the N25 highway until we reached the city.

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