Our coffee break this morning was an opportunity to see the thatched cottages of Adare. (View map.) My original experience with thatching was in Chawton, Hampshire, Jane Austen’s home. Thatched cottages are very expensive to maintain. The cottages of Adare were small, with lovely flower gardens inside their stone walls. Across the road was the large stone Trinitarian Monastery church, dating from the 12 century, although what we saw was mainly restored and built in the 19 century. Inside, the polished wood gave a warm character to the stone vaulted nave. Down the road, there was a large shop, designed (it seemed) to tempt grandparents into buying
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