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How camping in Ireland is different to South Africa

July 7, 2017 by Meg 3 Comments

So what are the differences between camping in Ireland versus camping in South Africa?Rob and I recently were lucky enough to be invited to our first camping trip in Ireland. Our new friends invited us to tag along for their 40th Birthday celebration. As with most campers we have met – these guys love camping. But more than a love for camping, they are avid campers. What makes them so over qualified for camping is that they are mountaineers! They all met at university – and were part of the moutaineering club back in the day. So you could say that we were safely in the hands of experts in Ireland.

Rob and I have always enjoyed the odd camping excursion. Back in South Africa, we enjoyed going camping with a few regular camping friends. In fact our first ever camping trip together was in the Pilanesberg. I tried looking through my pictures of that first camping trip, and realised the only pictures I snapped were of the animals we saw on our game drive (shame, tough life back in Africa – score one for South African camping!). For context, and for the purpose of showing the differences between South Africa and Ireland camping, I found this image via Google of the campsite in Pilanesberg:

pilanesberg-camp-site-bakga-South Africa

Image Source: Findtripinfo

So we like camping, and back home we had been slowly building up all the necessary camping equipment. Something Rob taught me very early on, the trick with enjoying camping is going away with the right gear. If you are kitted out enough – it makes the experience much more enjoyable. And he was right, even with our first experience getting off to a shaky start (we arrived at the campsite, at night, and had to pitch a tent that we were not familiar with – in the dark!), I have loved all our camping trips together. What makes it so much fun is that I get to plan and organise to a point, but once we are all set up – then its pure relaxing, you can really step away from the hustle and bustle, and just be at one with the great outdoors (I realise this sounds super cheesy, but it is true).

The differences between camping in Ireland vs South Africa? Read this post! Click To Tweet

The only major stumbling block to camping in Ireland was that we brought over absolutely none of our camping gear. Although we didn’t sell it with everything else we got rid over back home. All our camping gear is inconveniently sitting in storage, all the way back in South Africa. But Ruth and John were determined to have us join them. They arranged between the extra gear they owned, and all their mountaineering friends, and rallied to find us a tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags – all the camping essentials. They even gave us a lift to the campsite and back home after. If that wasn’t enough, they fed us too. We were treated to the five star Irish camping experience, perhaps you could even call it glamping since someone helped us put up the tent when we arrived. So camping in Ireland definitely is way better than home (score ten for Ireland – thanks John, Ruth and friends!)

A little info on where we stayed:

We camped at a spot just outside of Tipperary, on the way to Limerick, called Ballinacourty House. It was an absolutely stunning location, with a beautiful view of the Galtee Mountains. Also close to a great biking park where the guys went off to mountain bike the one afternoon. It cost us 9 euro a night to pitch a tent, per person (excluding electricity). Camping in Ireland might be the way we explore more of this beautiful country, because under a tenner for a night is a huge cost saving in my books! Plus, this particular camping spot allows you to bring dogs! John and Ruth’s neighbours have the coolest giant schnauzer called Harper who got to come camping with all of us. On the camping grounds there is a walled garden with beautiful flowers, I took a million pictures of all the beautiful flowers – I definitely think it is a spot I would love to take Rob’s parents to, I know they would love it there!

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

Ballinacourty House. Camp site. Camping in Ireland. Galtee Moutains in the distance. Campsite is near Tipperary, on the way to Limerick

Our campsite (our tent was on the right)

Ballinacoutry House & Garden, Tipperary, Ireland. Camping, Campsite. Galtee Mountains.

The walled garden

giant schnauzer. dog. pet. Ireland

Harper! This picture really doesn’t show how big she is.

So what are the differences between camping in Ireland versus camping in South Africa?

  1. Pitching a tent in Ireland is a whole lot easier. (and that is not because someone did it for us). The ground is so soft that the pegs just sink into the ground – in South Africa one of the key camping essentials is a big hammer to hammer the pegs into the dry, arid ground.Caamping in Ireland. Ballinacourty Campsite, Tipperary
  2. Not every camp spot has their own BBQ facilities. Every campsite in South Africa has braai (BBQ) facilities next to every tent! In Ireland, you have to bring your own, or in some cases, there are communal facilities that you share with the other campers.
  3. Recycling depots. I love that all throughout Ireland there are facilities you can use that help you to recycle. It is not so big back home, and I have never seen collection points for plastic, bottles and general waste all separated at an actual campsite until we were in Ireland.
  4. Plan for all weather types in one day. In Ireland it can honestly be all four seasons in one hour. On our camping trip we had a bit of everything. It was cold at night (I did not pack enough warm clothes!), was misty in the mornings, and then it cleared up and was such a beautiful sunny day (I even got sun-burnt on my feet, because it was the first time wearing sandals in Ireland!). So bring sunblock, plus a thick coat. It is kind of weird that even though it rained, it didn’t ruin the camping experience. Back in South Africa, if you went camping and it started to rain, you would probably pack up and go home early. But I will say the rain here in Ireland is not like back home. It is more of a light drizzle, and you hardly experience thunderstorms, so it is not all together too bad.
  5. Midgies versus Miggies – it is important that you know the difference. In South Africa we have these pesty bugs that fly around in a group, just annoying you. They will fly into your face, and just generally buzz about. Those are called Miggies. Midgies are something we have only encountered in Ireland. These little buggers are lethal. They are like a cruel mix of a mosquito and a red ant. When they attack, you know it. But they are very tricky to really spot, they look like miggies, but they bite, so that means they are far the worst. We tried several midgie sprays, plus wore thick layers and covered up – and still got attacked.

I have to say that we love camping – whether it is in Ireland or in South Africa. It is great to be outside, and away from the city. It was just the kind of mini-break we needed. A huge thanks to our new friends, John and Ruth, for making such a big effort to make our very first camping trip in Ireland a memorable one. We know that there will be more camping trips in our future, and we hope that one day, we can pay it forward and help someone out just like they helped us.

Do you like camping? Where is your favourite place to camp?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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So what are the differences between camping in Ireland versus camping in South Africa?

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Filed Under: Irishlife, Travels Tagged With: camping, discover ireland, expat life, ireland, irish travel, irishlife, travel, travel tips, travelling, vacation ideas

Six reasons to visit South Africa (excluding Cape Town)

April 6, 2017 by Meg 34 Comments

Travel to South Africa, here are 6 reasons why you need to get there!Sea, Mountains, Outdoors, Food, Wine - South Africa has it all!6 reasons to visit South Africa - and |Cape Town is not one of them!

Six reasons to visit South Africa

Since living in Ireland, the small talk when meeting new people often leads to a conversation about whether they have visited my home country, South Africa. 7 of 10 people will say they have been to Cape Town, for the other 3, they have been fortunate to explore Kruger National Park.

It always kinda annoys me that everyone heads to Cape Town without really looking at everything South Africa can offer a tourist. Truthfully, there is so much more! South Africa really has it all: mountains, beaches, good food, the best weather and the people are by far the friendliest! We proud Saffa’s love being super modest about how awesome South Africa is, but truthfully, our country is our best kept secret! Maybe we don’t talk about it enough because we like to keep it all to ourselves?

So I thought I would let you in a few of my FAVE places in South Africa, and why you need to make a detour (or Sho’t Left as we Saffa’s would say) and try visit these places. Yes of course by all means go and see Table Mountain, but open your mind and expand your horizons that South Africa has a lot more to offer you.

Mountain Views:

Thendele Drakensberg

Keen for a bit of outdoor adventure, some hiking and hitting the trails? Then you need to visit the Drakensberg. The pic above is from a place called Thendele which has great views of the Amphitheatre . My most favourite place in the Drakensberg is Injusiti. It will always hold a special place in my heart because that is where Rob proposed to me. If you are looking for a limited cell phone reception, great hiking trails, splendid views and stories around the campfire. You need to visit the ‘berg, as we locals like to call it.

injisuthi drakensberg

Outdoor adventure:

Blyde River Canyon

Another one of our fave holidays was actually last year, when we went to Blyder River Canyon, Bourke’s Potholes, God’s Window, The Pinnacle, The Three Rondavels, and Pilgrim’s Rest. All these stop-off sights have the varying terrain, with endless views. It has the perfect spots for panoramic 360 shots to make your friends back home jealous.

Bourke's Potholes

Looking for cheap thrills:

karkloof canopy tours

Bit of a daredevil? Like to live life to the full? You could head to Bloukrans Bridge to bungy jump (you will not find me there). You could also head to the midlands in KZN and do the Karkloof Canopy Tours, which admittedly, was super fun even though I had my eyes closed for most of it. Rob’s sister and hubby have jumped off the Soweto cooling towers (see pic below), I have bravely run past them (what? 21km is a tough run!).

Soweto Towers

You will find adventure of all types all over South Africa, just please don’t be that person who goes shark cage diving. Similar to riding elephants, or feeding lions, it makes my skin crawl that we humans like to taunt animals for pleasure – don’t. just don’t.

Let’s go on “Safari”:

pilanesberg

So you are keen to tick the big five off your bucket list? What better place than travelling to Africa to go on Safari. Firstly, when visiting South Africa, you can’t call it “Africa”. Africa is the whole continent, and South Africa is one of 54 countries in Africa (and it is miles away from Cameroon – totally FYI). Secondly: we don’t call it a safari, we call it a game drive. And although I will admit that I have not had the fortune to explore the Kruger – there are a ton of other game reserves that you can explore. Some of my personal faves are actually in the Eastern Cape; at the start of my honours year my class went to Lalibela for our orientation. Also while studying, I met a few friends who worked at Shamwari Game Reserve too. Another under estimated game reserve is actually the Pilanesberg, which is just a short drive out of Joburg (near to Sun City).

pilanesberg rhino

Hit the beach, bro:

coffee bay

Instead of heading to the over priced and over crowded beaches around Camps Bay (plus the water there is freezing!) My personal fave beach growing up was Cintsa: rolling dunes, vast open beaches, and back in the day – the best place to collect sea shells. More recently, we went on honeymoon to Coffee Bay, and Hole in the Wall. Not only is it affordable to visit, it has some great beaches. It truly is a slice of South Africa that is still, for the most part, untouched.

hole in the wall, south africa

Wine and dine:

knysna

You came for the wine and cheese. I hear you! If I am completely honest, you may have got me on this one – Western Cape has all the wine farms you could ever want. It really is a treat to wine farm hop along the garden route. However, two of my fave foodie towns are actually Knysna and wait for it… Johannesburg.

Joburg has a massive foodie scene. Great restaurants like: Marble, DW11-13, Licorish, Wombles, to name a few. Heck, you should even go to Thundergun, which has the best ribs in South Africa! I could go on but it is making me hungry and I am already craving a good piece of steak. I haven’t even talked up the food markets in Maboneng and Braamies. If you are looking for good food, trust me, Jozi is the place to visit. And if you do, let me know, I can send you a list of all our faves.

Marble Johannesburg

While I could go on and on about how wonderful South Africa is, I hope this post has showed you that there is more to South Africa than just visiting Cape Town and Kruger. South Africa is filled with everything you could ever want, it has deep history and great lessons on the power and resilience of it’s people. This post has actually awoken a bit of sadness as I am yet to find a place that is as good as home sounds right now.

So, when are you planning on visiting South Africa? and for the locals – where is your fave place to take tourists?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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Filed Under: Travels Tagged With: journey, south africa, travel, travel tips, travelling, travels, vacation ideas, wanderlust

10 Crazy Facts About Ireland

February 20, 2017 by Meg 3 Comments

Ten crazy facts about Ireland!

Ten crazy facts about Ireland!

facts ireland
Since moving to the Emerald Isle, I have learnt a lot about Ireland and some things I found rather crazy/weird. I thought it would be fun to share with you, all the things I now know about Ireland.

Here are a few crazy facts about Ireland:

    • Ireland is it’s own COUNTRY! Seriously, everyone seems to think we are part of the UK. Northern Ireland is part of the UK, but the Republic of Ireland, which is where we live, is separate to the UK.
    • Ireland is the only EU country where abortion is still illegal. It blows my mind. {EDIT: in May 2018 Ireland voted to repeal the 8th Amendment, paving the way to legalise abortion in some circumstances. This is a huge move in the right direction for the country, and I felt it only fair to update this post with this news}.
    • There are 26 counties in the Republic of Ireland; and 6 counties in Northern Ireland.
    • The capital of Ireland is Dublin (but don’t tell anyone from Cork that!)
    • There are a little under 4.8million people in Ireland (compared to 55 million in South Africa)
    • Phoenix Park is bigger than all the parks in London put together and twice the size of Central Park in New York.
    • Halloween is IRISH! It dates back to a Celtic harvest festival.
    • Ireland is crazy small. The furthest distance would take 8 hours to drive from the top of Ireland (Malin Head, county Donegal) to the bottom (Mizen Head, county Cork)
    • South Africa is 17 times bigger than Ireland! Literally, Ireland is smaller than one of our provinces, KwaZulu Natal – can you even imagine?!
    • There are no snakes in Ireland!

What random crazy fact do you know about the country you live in?

~ Meg ~

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Filed Under: Irishlife Tagged With: dublin, ireland, travel tips, travelling, travels, vacation ideas, wanderlust

{Travel}: Weekend Exploring Bray, Co. Wicklow

February 15, 2017 by Meg 8 Comments

So many things to do in Bray, county Wicklow. Just a short train trip from Dublin. Bray to greystones cliff walk, the oldest pizzeria, and a walk up bray's head - plus more!So many things to do in Bray, county Wicklow. Just a short train trip from Dublin. Bray to greystones cliff walk, the oldest pizzeria, and a walk up bray's head - plus more!

bray wicklow

Bray is a quiet little seaside town, it is similar to Dun Laoghaire in it’s set up. I think it relies on passing tourist trade for the most part – although it definitely is a lot bigger than I thought it was! Most people who live in Dublin will tell you to go to Bray and do the Bray to Greystones Cliffwalk (followed by a stop at the Happy Pear in Greystones). But after some further digging about what else Bray has to offer, I realised there is so much more in this town to do! It helped that we stayed the night there, so we got to fit in a lot more than most.

How to get to Bray: We took the DART (train) down to Bray; 34 minutes and you are there! You can also travel on a bus, that would make the trip there a little over an hour (from Dublin City).

Warning: Once we arrived in Bray, we did a HUGE amount of walking! I am sure it would have been quicker in a car but we stuck to walking (plus walking is free).

5 things you HAVE to do in Bray:

  • Promenade and ice cream: I think Bray and Dun Laoghaire might have a secret battle on who has the best ice cream. Bray also has a Teddy’s (not the original I am told!) but a ton of other shops along the promenade offer ice cream – including a Gino’s (which we have yet to try!). Grab a cone and hit the prom for a bit of a walk, I loved that there were pebbles on the beach! I have been dying to see that sort of beach here. Coming from Sunny South Africa beaches and which are filled with hot sand dunes, it is a real treat to see pebbles!

bray promenade

  • Bray’s Head: Google maps will tell you is a 1,2km walk to the Bray’s Head. But dont’t let that fool you – the walk is tough! There are no paved pathways, you are literally hiking up the hill. On the day we did it, it was wet and raining. I don’t think I would recommend to people who are not steady on their feet. It was a challenging walk up the hill, but like everything in Ireland – the view was incredibly sweet. The walk down was a bit tricky to manoeuvre, with loose ground and rock to walk over. But I definitely think the view makes it so worth it.

bray head

  • Bray to Greystones Cliffwalk: The walk is really do-able. It is on an actual path, and not at all strenuous. It is about 6km, and most people walk one direction and then take the train back – which is what we did. I think next time, I would be keen to walk there and back. Rob, ofcourse, is keen to run both ways! A popular pit stop in Greystones is The Happy Pear. It is owned by twin brothers, and it is a vegan restaurant. They even have a recipe book – and are a bit famous here in Ireland. We tried to stop here but the lines out the shop were almost down the road! Like I said, it is very popular. I would be keen to go back and visit, they have a beautiful outside area around the back which I think would be even more congested in summer!

bray cliffwalk

  • Pizza’s n Cream: Following a tip about visiting a vegan, healthy spot, why not suggest to rather stuff a large pizza in your face? (Don’t mind me, I am a fitness blogger who advocates a balanced lifestyle!) But seriously, the pizzas here are well worth a cheat meal or five. They claim that they are the oldest pizzeria in Ireland. (sidenote: I absolutely love that every irish establishment is the oldest or best or highest or longest in Ireland – they are all very good at choosing a highlight and marketing it well!) The menu selection is broad, the wine is good, and I found the prices very affordable.

bray pizza

  • Harbour Bar: or what I like to call “the inside of Rob’s head”. This place is incredible. It is filled to the brim with knick knacks and loads of nooks and crannies; all while playing great music tracks. It has several seating areas: bar; lounge, outdoor area, upstairs area – and all of them offer something different dependent on what you are looking for. We popped in for a pre-drink and chill. We sat upstairs listening to pipe music. It felt like we were at home. Downstairs there was a band playing, and a party just getting started. We will definitely be back.

bray harbour bar

  • Random bonus: And if you are a silly tourist, just looking for quirky finds, this is possible the prettiest McDonald’s I have ever eaten at (yes, we had breakfast here!).

bray mcdonalds

Would you believe that we ran out of time, and so we have to head back (and soon) to visit Bray some more, here are things that I know we need to still see:

  • Kilruddery House: We walked out to the see the house (which is owned by the Earl and Countess of Meath) but it was closed for winter and will reopen in March. There is also farm market, 9am – 3pm every Saturday. It was also closed for winter – but I am very intrigued to visit the market soon!

killruddery house

  • Dockyard No. 8: is THE spot in Bray for the best brunch. This restaurant is right next to the Harbour Bar, and is on the other side of town, away from Bray’s head which is where we were going that day. We ran out of time with only one morning to visit, but I will be back!

Have you done the Bray to Greystones Cliff walk?

~ Meg ~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram.

p.p.s. I try post varied content once or twice a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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Filed Under: Travels Tagged With: bray, cliffwalks, ireland, irishlife, travel tips, travelling, travels, vacation ideas, wanderlust, wicklow

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Hey! My name is Meg. I blog about the life I share with my hubby, Rob; our furbaby, Jack and the newest family member, our daughter Riley. In 2016, we moved to a new country, cut down on clutter, and started focusing on unlocking a simple life, filled with travel and adventure. Read my story here

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