Day 15: Kilkenny to Kinsale
After a delicious breakfast and comms MORE than sorted, we were not getting lost today, we headed south.
It was an overcast day, with rain threatening at any second, still the cyclists were out. We saw one cyclist in Iceland, for obvious reasons, but here, like in South Africa, it appears to be a popular pastime.
We headed into County Tipperary to our first stop, the Rock of Cashel. The rock rears above the fertile plains and the town of Cashel. This iconic place was once the seat of the Kings of Munster and St Patrick is known to have preached on the rock. The suburb Royal Chapel was built in the 12th century. It was truly an impressive place to visit.
Our next stop was the Castle of Cahir, one of the largest and best preserved castles in Ireland. It is situated on a rocky island on the River Suir. We climbed up and down super narrow rocky stairwells, into turrets, chambers and dining halls. Another impressive visit but glad I didn’t have to live there back in the day.
There are hundreds of castles, churches and ruins littering the Irish countryside. Absolute dream fixer uppers for any DIY enthusiasts.
Having done old ruins for the day we decided that, as an alternative to Blarney Castle, to travel east of Cork, and visit Cobh (pronounced cove). A beautiful drive that took us to a beautiful old town, with colourful houses and an impressive cathedral that is situated on one of the world’s largest harbours.
It was also the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic in 1912.
A very poignant visit to the Titanic Memorial Garden, it sympathetically recounts stories of passengers and crew.
We arrived in a busy Kinsale and booked into the Old Bank Townhouse, a delightful little hotel overlooking the town and yacht marina.
We walked around the town, had a late lunch, and our plans to walk down to the harbour were thwarted by the rain. So we headed back to our hotel and had an early night.
Pandas in Africa 