travel

Visiting County Cork in Ireland for the first time

January 25, 2018 by Meg 5 Comments

We finally made it to Cork! I say finally because my first ever Irish friend (who I met when I au paired in the USA) lives in Cork. She has come to visit us in Dublin, and well let’s just say, it took us over a year to reciprocate by going down to visit her. Shocking, I know. We finally booked a little leave and took a Friday off so that we could travel down and explore a bit of Cork and what it has to offer. We quickly found out that 3 days is in no way enough time to fully explore all that Cork has to offer – there is just so many ways you can go about seeing this county!

How to get there:

We took the goBus from Dublin to Cork. It is a 3 hour bus drive down to Cork at only EUR28 return. You could take the train which is only 30 minutes quicker for almost double the price.
The bus leaves from Dublin City Bus Stations (Busarus) and drops you off in the city center in Cork, at Parnell Place.

Where did we stay:

I found a great deal for a bed and breakfast option in Blarney, at the Muskerry Arms. There are busses going from Cork City to Blarney every hour. Blarney is a small town, the main stop is right outside the hotel.

How did we get around:

We took busses between Cork city and Blarney; it is quite handy that if you have a leapcard – you can use this on public transport in Cork!
We also had my dear friend who lifted us around while we were there – Thanks, Amy!

DAY 1 – FRIDAY

We decided to go down early in the morning on Friday, instead of after work. This was purely from a cost point of view, there didn’t seem much point in travelling down the night before just to sleep there. So we got up early and arrived in Cork at around 11am.

Cork city is quite unique in that the center of the town is effectively an island. The River Lee runs through it. the main city center is on this island and you probably wouldn’t notice it if you didn’t have an husband who is obsessed with reading maps like mine is.

Source: John the Map

From the bus drop off we walked down Oliver Plunkett Street – which is a main high street in Cork, lots of shops etc. It is also the name of one of Rob’s High School friend’s so we felt we had to see it for him. 🙂

We then made our way to white street car park which is known for its various street art. I have to say that by this time it was properly raining in Cork and I may have not given the art as much of a solid look and more a quick ‘walk-by’ because I was wet and cold. Regardless, it is worth a look.

Because it started pouring down with rain, we cut the street art viewing short and walked to the English Market to find some warmth and some much needed lunch. The English Market is a must stop for any foodie, or anyone interested in finding some food. We went to the restaurant on the top floor that sits above with a view of the market below called Farmgate. we just grabbed a light lunch and coffee although there is a more fancy menu and seating area on the other side.

The great thing about the rain in Ireland is that it doesn’t often stay for too long, so straight after lunch we were able to continue our walking tour of Cork. We walked down the Grand Parade towards the national monument, over the river towards Saint Finn Barre’s Cathedral.

This cathedral is absolutely breathtaking. It towers above you, almost making it hard to get a good pic! we walked around the cathedral and found a small labyrinth around the back, which I promptly walked – ofcourse.

While exploring the cathedral grounds, I caught a glimpse of street art that was bright and colourful down the alley behind the cathedral, so happy I found it, really such a rad art piece.

After Saint Finn Barre’s we tried to go across town to the Butter Museum (yes friends, there is such a thing!) but it was closed – pro tip from our mistake: check the opening times of museums and tourist spots over winter: they are often closed or have shorter opening times! Since we were fairly close to the bus stop to Blarney, we decided to go out and check in.

We spent the evening at the Muskerry Arms, not only was it a comfy bed – but there is a lively bar and restaurant too. The great thing about this spot is when you want to go to bed – you don’t hear the pub at all from the bed room! Which I was super impressed and relieved to find out.

DAY 2 – SATURDAY

On Saturday, straight after breakfast we walked over to Blarney Castle and Gardens. It was great that we were able to get to the castle early, before all the bus tours arrived. It also left us pretty much the whole day to really explore Blarney Castle and Gardens. I wrote a whole post about our experience about kissing the blarney stone, and all the wonderful things you can see here.

After our full day exploring Blarney, we stopped by the Blarney Chocolate store for some treats to enjoy with our afternoon tea. As well as a quick visit to the Blarney Woolen Mills which is basically a huge tourist shop with irish trinkets and gifts. Sorry but shopping really isn’t something I enjoy while on holiday!

In the evening, Amy drove us through Cork to see the Christmas lights, and we went to a great restaurant in Cork City – Market Lane, on Oliver Plunkett Street. Great food, healthy glass of wine and even better company. We sat in a high booth table near the bar, as it was a very busy night and they fitted us in without reservation, but I think we had the best spot in the house – it is a beautifully decorated restaurant. The food was really good too!

DAY 3 – SUNDAY

Our last day, this trip really flew by! We made our way back to the Butter Museum in the city and I have to say this quirky spot was such a treat to visit. There is alot of history with the butter trade in Ireland, and how dairy farmers expanded from milk to butter products. The interesting part for me was learning all about the marketing they had to do when they started exporting butter to other countries – the marketing nerd in me was very intrigued! It costs EUR4 to enter and you watch a short video which explains a lot of the history, then you get to wander around the museum. They have some peat bog on display too – not as big as the one at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin but still fun to visit. The best part was showing Amy, an irish gal who has lived in Cork all her life, all about the Butter Museum that has been outside her front door all this time! Another reason to explore your city, you just never know what gems the tourists will find!

We then headed out to Cobh (pronounced ‘Cove’) which is steeped in more Irish history. Cobh is also on an island in Cork City’s harbour. It is also the last port call for the Titanic in 1912. 123 passengers embarked at Cobh, and only 44 survived. Aside from the history of the Titanic, it is a quaint fishing town, with multi-coloured buildings that line the coastline. It is a cool little town to visit, the perfect day trip to end our trip to Cork.

We went to the Titanic Memorial Gardens, as well as did the Titanic Experience. I found the titanic experience to be interactive and engaging. They issue you with a name of a passenger on each of your tickets, and you go through what it must of felt like for the passengers waiting to board the Titanic, how they lived on-board, what they ate as a final meal and what they might have experienced as the ship started to sink.

At the end of the tour you get to go to a large wall and search the name of the passenger on your ticket to learn more about whether they survived or if they did not. Tickets costs EUR9.50 and the tour lasts about 45 minutes.

After that, we had lunch in Cobh before heading back to the bus to make our way back to Dublin. Cork definitely needs a bit of a longer stay, and possibly we need to consider renting a car so that we can really see a bit more. But one thing is for sure, we haven’t seen all Cork has to offer – and we will be back – but it was a great first trip to Cork nonetheless!

Total cost of the trip (for two): EUR469.00

Transport (bus down; and public transport): EUR76.00
Accommodation & Pug Sitter (two nights): EUR216.00
Food: EUR100.00
Entertainment: EUR57.00

A huge thank you to Amy, who was so generous with her time, lifted us about town and even sneakily paid for a few things too! We loved visiting you, and can’t wait to come back and explore more of your city with you.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO CORK – WHAT SHOULD WE SEE ON OUR NEXT VISIT THERE?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

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Searching for Nessie at Loch Ness: A Day Trip Out of Edinburgh

January 19, 2018 by Meg Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Scotland in winter has been on my bucket list for a long time. In December, Rob and I decided to make the dream a reality and we headed off to Edinburgh for a holiday. We didn’t have much time in Scotland, so we decided to take a bus tour out of Edinburgh to get a little taste of the Scottish Highlands. It had snowed the day before in Edinburgh, so I was really excited to the Highlands under a blanket of snow. And let me just tell you, the trip out there did not disappoint.

The bus tour offers various pick up spots around Edinburgh, we decided to go to the first pick up spot to make sure we got good seats. The meet point is along the Royal Mile, close to Saint Giles Cathedral. It was a quick bus trip and a short walk from our hotel. It is an early start, but you cover over 530 km’s in one day – so the tour really is action packed.

Even if you are travelling in a tour bus that looks like this:

The first stop is to Deanston Whisky Distillery, which is just past Stirling Castle. To be honest, we had never heard of Deanston before the tour but that didnt stop us from doing the tour of the distillery and sampling a few whiskys.

Rob was quick to remind me of the difference between whiskey and whisky. Only Irish whiskey is spelt with an E. Regardless of the spelling, I think I have done enough tastings to know that whiskey/whisky is not my jam. It must be an acquired taste, I am yet to enjoy drinking it. But I enjoyed the tour and looking at the cellar with all the casks.

After have a few toots by 10am, we were ready to really exploring the Scottish Highlands. Our next stop was a short photo stop within Glencoe. I have to just say that being in those mountains, with all the snow, it simply took my breath away.

After taking in the scenery, we got back into the bus and made our way through various lochs/ lakes, our main spot for the day was at Fort Augustus, to explore Loch Ness. Part of the tour was the opportunity to take a boat cruise on Loch Ness. A chance to see Nessie up close? Sure why not.

The boat cruise is an hour long, granted it was the middle of winter but you are able to stay indoors or undercover so you are still able to keep warm, whilst enjoying the view. After the boat cruise, we still had an hour left to explore the small town, we opted for walking along the lake and taking in more of the view.

Unfortunately Nessie was hiding when we were there, so we will have to go back and see if she pops up. The weather was a little chilly to be outside, but I definitely feel like visiting the lochs was a highlight of this tour.

We made a short photo stop at the Commando Memorial which is a war memorial site just outside Fort William, but to be honest I wasn’t too interested in this stop and decided to stay on the bus and keep warm.

Because it is a long day out, they do make plenty of stops for toilet breaks along the way, which is great but does make the day even longer. We arrived back in Edinburgh just after 8:30pm, over 12 hours exploring the Scottish Highlands – it was an action-packed day, and I thoroughly recommend it. As I said, the highlights for me were definitely Glencoe and Loch Ness. Over and above the tour stops – Graham our bus driver and tour guide really just made the trip for us. He was hilarious, and kept us entertained and smiling the entire day, It really seemed like he enjoyed his job, had a lot of info on hand for anyone who was interested and really just made a huge effort to make everyone enjoy the day. If you are looking for a bus tour while in Edinburgh, then might I suggest you do this one. This is not a sponsored post, I just really personally enjoyed the trip.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO SCOTLAND? DID YOU SEE NESSIE?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

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How to Travel on a Budget

January 16, 2018 by Meg 1 Comment

Rob and I love to travel, but realistically, we can’t always afford to travel as frequently as we would like to. We often opt for day-trip adventures and further exploring our city. But when we do go away, I like to make sure we don’t overspend while on holiday.

Nothing stresses me out more when you are away from home and charges are flying off your card. It puts me into a panic thinking about all the money we are spending and potentially wasting.

January is a hard month – very often you have just come back from a great holiday or break, now you are back at work and dreaming of your next holiday. Here are some of the ways we beat the January blues and travel on a tight budget. I think the biggest tip to be able to travel on a budget is to plan as much as you can before you even book the holiday in the first place.

Plan and budget what you will spend and on what – before you arrive. Before you even book your next trip, get a ballpark figure of how much the total trip will cost. I like to do this before I book the holiday – so I know if we can afford to do it properly. A great way to do your research is by checking out blog posts, and tips from locals to find cool things to do (I particularly love Pinterest for pinning ideas and doing research on new places!).

Be selective on museum/entry fees you pay. If you have done extensive research, you will quickly get a sense on whether visiting a certain place is worth spending the money or not. We try finding free events in the town we travel to. Our goal is always to do more free activities than paid for ones. Things like walks, parks, and some museums and art galleries are usually free to visit.

Food is another item that can bring the budget over. Opt for a breakfast included hotel option; if it’s a big buffet, you can then make sandwiches and grab fruit at breakfast to use for snacks throughout the day. If hotel options are still too pricey, look at self-catering places, and make meals at home. We always buy lunch from super markets instead of eating out at restaurants. If we do eat at a restaurant, we share meals or order something small. Soup and bread is a great option for keeping the food budget in check while on holiday. Try avoiding eating out at high tourist spots; and try finding local areas to eat out if you want to try the local cuisine. It is great way to explore the city from a local perspective and helps you to avoid the crowds! Another great tip on saving money on food while travelling is if you are checking in a bag, then pack some snacks from home (pro tip: we like to pack a bottle of wine if we know the place we are travelling too is expensive.

Transport costs can also rack up the cost of a holiday. Which is why we generally walk where we can – this will save you cash on transport costs, not to mention get those Fitbit steps up! If the distance is too great for walking, then look at public transport offers – most cities will offer a visitors card; or depending on how long you plan on staying or where you plan on going you could look at weekly versus daily options.

These are just a few of the ways we are able to save while we still get to see and explore new places.

HOW DO YOU TRAVEL ON A BUDGET?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

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Seeing the West Coast of Ireland in Winter

January 11, 2018 by Meg 3 Comments

The West Coast of Ireland is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world (don’t quote me on that, I may have just made that up, but it could be true!). Regardless of facts, most tourists visit the west coast during the summer months. This is because in winter it can get pretty bad weather. It is usually pretty cold and has a lot more rain over winter. Since we have never been a couple that follows the crowd, so we decided to go in winter and see for ourselves. Although some of the days we were there had pretty bad weather, the days when we had blue skies and zero rain made up for it. I decided to share the other benefits to bucking the rules and exploring the west coast of Ireland in cooler temperatures.

One of the most obvious reasons, is that there are fewer people, less crowds and it is a lot more quiet. We also went when schools were still open – which means less kids. If you are a kid-less couple looking for peace and quiet – this is the time you want to go travelling!

With cooler weather means you can drink all the wine, so you can happily find a warm pub and settle in – guilt free. This is my most favourite reason to visit in winter. Sitting by the fire, glass of red in hand, it is absolute bliss.

I do also find that with cooler weather, you can walk for longer without overheating. I love a long winter walk – and so does Jack. Not to mention that the weather looks deceptively warm in photos with that crisp blue winter sky you tend to see during the middle of the day.

You will need to be mindful that some tourist spots may be closed over winter. But the plus side is that the tourist spots at are open throughout winter will be quieter to visit. If they are open in the winter month, they might have shorter opening hours – so check their website before getting your heart set on visiting a place only to find out it is closed when you arrive.

The good spots to stay are generally available, and if you are lucky, you will pay off-peak rates to book them. We managed to find an airbnb that we loved (but it is generally booked out most of summer).

Car rentals were quite affordable during off-peak winter season. The price for the week we did our road trip versus the week after (one week before Christmas) was less than half the usual rate. So you can really keep your budget down by traveling in off-peak season.

Christmas markets are not too big in Dublin, although this past year was a lot better than our first year here so perhaps it is getting better. However, the best Irish Christmas Market we have been to, has to be the one in Galway. The lights, the rides, all the little wooden huts… It reminded me of a smaller version of Edinburgh Christmas Market. Even in the rain, the christmas market in Galway was beautiful – if you are visiting in winter, then you have to check it out!

One of the biggest learnings we have discovered through our time here in Ireland is that you can’t let the weather stop you from making plans. Don’t let the cooler months stop you from exploring this beautiful country. My favourite reason for travelling to the west coast over winter has got to be the most selfish reason of them all, it means I get to share it with fewer people.

HAVE YOU VISITED THE WEST COAST OF IRELAND? WHEN DID YOU TRAVEL THERE – SUMMER OR WINTER?

Live Simply & Travel Slow,

~Meg~

PIN THIS AND READ LATER:

Visiting County Cork in Ireland for the first time

Searching for Nessie at Loch Ness: A Day Trip Out of Edinburgh

How to Travel on a Budget

Seeing the West Coast of Ireland in Winter

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