Geo: 40.4157, -3.7101Today I started out looking for Plaza Mayor, I knew they had walking tours starting from there which I wanted to get in on. However first I had to find somewhere for breakfast. As I walked around the corner to Calle Mayor I realised this was not going to be an issue. Cafes everywhere. I got a ham & cheese toastie and a coffee for €2.20. Methinks spain is going to be cheap. I also picked up a tourist guide book but I think I paid to much for it, well maybe Spain is not that cheap. I found Plaza Mayor, much easier than I expected. The map the hotel gave me is huge and the second I saw it I knew I am going to get lost in this town. However the tourist ... read more

Geo: 54.3288, -5.71664Did I mention that Downpatrick is the place that St Patrick is (allegedly) buried. You would never know it walking around the town, St Patricks Cathedral, Patrick street, Patricks square, Patricks lane, oh, and the name of the town is DownPATRICK! They really really like him here. Truthfully, I wanted to come to Down because this is where Uncle Miler was a bishop, of the Catholic variety. I thought he would have spent time at the cathedral here, but as I have now found out he was the Bishop of Down and Connor, so he may not have been here. As I walked through St PATRICKS cathedral today, there was no mention of the man. Although the cathedral was built in the late 18th/early 19th century, which is about 200 years after his time. ... read more

Geo: 54.6525, -8.11151Saturday morning I started out for Donegal in the north. I had been warned by many that it was "quite a drive." It took three hours and that was with rest stops along the way. At the start of the journey I argued with the sat nav until it did what I wanted, I was not going to waste another two hours driving in the wrong direction. Just outside of Galway I stopped at another abandoned abbey. There really are a lot of them here. Claregalway Franciscan friary was another monastery decommissioned by Henry VIII. There is something very haunting about these buildings. Like visiting the colosseum or the acropolis, they are ghostly remnants of an age past...only not as old. Unlike the colosseum and the acropolis they are still used in a small ... read more

Geo: 53.016, -9.37758So today I got up at sunrise....which is about 8 o'clock. I'm really starting to get lazy these days. But I had arranged for breakfast around 8.30 and I had to be down to the pier at 10 to catch a ferry to the Aran islands. I booked a passage onto Inis Mor (the big island) I had thought I could drive onto the ferry, but its only for people. So upon getting onto the island I was on shanks pony. However as I was walking down the pier I was approached by a jaunty driver. That sounded fine to meThe first place he took me to was Dùn Aonghasa. This is a very old ring fort up on the cliffs. The ground getting up to the fort was quite rough. Its a good ... read more

Geo: 52.267, -9.70966Today started out really well. I was up early for a change, showered dressed and packed by 8am. I went outside for a smoke and was greeted by an awesome sunrise over the mountains. Down the road I can see just a little bit of the ocean and I could see the mist rising off it. Magical! That was the good bit. After breakfast I headed toward Valentia island....and I got lost. Then I thought I figured out where I was, but I was wrong. There is a bridge to Valentia island from the mainland at Port Magee. Somehow I managed to make it to the island without crossing that bridge. Well at least not that I remember. When I do remember seeing the bridge I crossed from the island side...I think. Maybe aliens ... read more