Back in the Emerald Isle

Much as I would have liked to travel further afield this summer (having recently completed a teaching qualification I've had over 2 months off) but my meagre funds have not allowed this (too many shoes perhaps?!), so I decided to go to Ireland for a week, staying at my family's cottage in Ardmore, in the south of Ireland. My paternal grandmother who was born not too far from Ardmore bought the cottage around 25 years ago so my family - and friends of the family - have been using it ever since.

Ardmore (in Gaelic, 'Aird Mhor', frequently seen on signs around the area) is a small village in County Waterford. To get there you've got a few options; this time I went by plane as I get seasick and if you've suffered from seasickness, you'll know how horrible it is! Believe me I get seasick sat on a stationary boat on calm water so a ferry is even worse. Anyway. If you want to get anywhere near Ardmore you can catch the ferry which takes around 4 hours, either Pembroke-Rosselaire or Fishguard-Rosselaire. However I decided to bite the bullet and catch a Ryanair flight (I would have avoided travelling by Ryanair as I have experienced their time-keeping..or lack thereof! but they were the cheapest) from London Gatwick to Cork, which was around £30 each way and an hour's flying time. From Cork it's around an hour's drive to Ardmore.

Ardmore's main attraction for tourists and holiday makers I guess is the Round Tower, dating from around the 12th century and set in a graveyard. From there you get great views of the rest of the village, the sea and the hills beyond. Apart from that there's not much to it - a few pubs, a hostel (where you can get surfing lessons etc, it's pretty good), a couple of hotels, pottery shop etc. It can be relatively busy in tourist season (July/August) but when I say busy I mean a few groups of people meandering around the village, not hoards! Recommendations for Ardmore if you happen to pass/stay there are to look in the Pottery Shop which is up the hill towards the Cliff Hotel - it's become pricier over the years but you can peruse the local pottery there, handmade crafts and more importantly, buy the delicious fudge! The Cliff Hotel nearby is a bit posh for me so I recommend just going in for a drink as you get a superb view over Ardmore. Whitehorses restaurant is also quite pricey but yummmmmmmmy food so worth a shot, definitely. There are a few sandy beaches in the area too so take your pick.

The cottage itself is thatched (as you'll see from the pictures) and is comfortable enough but I always forget how cold Ireland is compared to England (a good 5 degrees cooler at least even on a sunny day!) and the cottage has no central heating so I was glad of a thick jumper..there's also no phone and no internet so it's a chance to escape! However there are internet cafes enough in Youghal, a nearby town, if you get desperate...I didn't!

I was there for a week and just went to the old haunts that I've been going to on and off since I was born...Youghal, Dungarvan, Clonmeal etc, basically around County Cork, Waterford and Tipperary. Irish towns (the ones I've seen anyhow) tend to consist off a few clothing shops (not brand ones), a supermarket, a town hall, a few pubs and cafes, and that's it! It's ok for a break but at my age I prefer a bit more hustle and bustle so if I'd had more than a week in Ireland I would have done a day trip/couple of days up in Dublin to quicken the pace of it all. The countryside is beautiful though - I've travelled quite a bit in various parts of the world but I haven't seen landscapes quite like Ireland - especially on a sunny day...or rather a sunny part of the day! You can have loads of types of weather in one day..hail one moment, sunshine the next, a spurt of rain later...so be prepared, clothing-wise! I didn't bring any waterproof shoes (being a tad optimistic despite having been to Ireland umpteen times!) but I managed to pick up some very girly flowery wellies at a supermarket in town so I was sorted! Oh yeah I should mention Kinsale, having not gone to it before. It's very pretty with lots of little streets you can wander up with colourful houses and individual craft shops and cafes. There's also a farmers' market on Tuesdays (when I went) from 9:30am-2:30pm) which sells the usual stuff, jams, cakes, a hot chocolate stall, crepes, BBQ etc, all very tempting. It's got a marina and the tourist board offers lots of things to do, mostly being-on-the-water related!

Anyhow, so there you go. I hadn't been to southern Ireland for 5 years and would definitely go again but will try and remember to pack more wintery-type clothes as I was a bit optimistic in my packing with regards to the temperature!

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