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This month's newsletter is littered with landscapes and seascapes from photos taken on our travels this Autumn. This year for us has primarily been about travelling, and since the boating holiday in Croatia in August, we've been up to The Lakes another three times, had a few days back in Spain, and for the first time seen South West Ireland, whose scenery we found to be absolutely stunning, helped by glorious Autumnal weather. In fact we only arrived back yesterday and so whilst it's all still fresh in my mind, I've decided to put 'pen to paper', or should that be 'fingers to keyboard'?!
The photo above was taken from the terrace at Sharrow, looking across the lake to The Old Church hotel, with the mountain range of Helvelyn in the background.
I was up early and climbing Hallin Fell to get the shot of the lake below in that photo top right, as the sun broke over the ridge of Barton Fell. Pooley Bridge at the top end of Ullswater was still shrouded in mist. Returning from Cumbria, we attended the Southampton Boat Show as guests of Sunseeker, who had a really impressive display of boats on their stand and in the water. Their flagship is currently the stunning 108' Predator, capable of speeds in excess of 40 knots despite it's 100 tonne weight and sheer size. Virtually all the boats in their comprehensive range were there to see. As always we were very well received by Robert, Barbara and their team and met up with friends too. It was a great day out and as usual whetted our appetite to return to the water some way or other. Come to think of it we DID a couple of weeks later in Spain, in the form of a lilo purchased from Benidorm for the princely sum of 3 euros! It lasted all of 5 minutes as Dennis cast me out on the Mediterranean sea, sinking his sharp nails into the airbed as he pushed, and consequently watched me go down with the deflating lilo unceremoniously. Anyhow, here are the photos of some more substantial superyachts.
The flybridge boat above, the Sunseeker Manhattan 82 is similar to the yacht we were invited on in Croatia recently, cruising the islands offshore from the Dalmation coast. Barely a week after visiting The Lakes we were up there once again as we invited Mum for lunch at Sharrow Bay to celebrate her birthday. Although an ambitious choice of venue for a day trip considering the mileage, we were already enjoying the gardens by noon where I took the pictures of Mum, below.
No lesser a culinary affair than the comprehensive evening meal, we were well and truly pleasantly stuffed by mid afternoon as new clients were arriving for the famous Sharrow High Tea. During the first week of October, and with temperatures still in the high 90's in Spain, we arranged an impromtu visit back to The Costa Blanca for the third time this year, repeating the well rehearsed itinerary of flying from Luton to Alicante, booking a suite at the Altea Hills Hotel, and dining at Harry's Las Ruinas each evening. We topped up our tans on the beach each day where the sea was still very pleasant for swimming in or watching the bubbles from a sinking lilo as the case may be! (It never happens to a German!) I haven't any photos to include as they would probably have been similar to those in the May newsletter. On our return there we always readily fall back into the Spanish way of life of living and eating outdoors, playing by the water and generally leading a sybaritic lifestyle! Why did we ever leave?!! Last week Stratstones of Mayfair staged the launch of the new model Aston Martin V8 Vantage at the Kensington Royal Gardens Hotel, displaying three of the cars inside whilst the DB9, Volante and Vanquish graced the entrance outside. Though we've viewed the car on a couple of previous occasions at the factory and at the Shelsley Walsh hill climb last August, we were keen to attend and meet up with the team, hopefully getting a delivery date for ours. It looks like December before the Grigio silver Vantage with black and red leather interior is delivered to the house, and it's already getting rave reviews in the car magazines. WE can't wait to get our hands on it! I'm not sure how the trip to Ireland came about. I was just looking through the timetable of flights from Birmingham airport on the computer this week (as one obviously does during these long dark evenings!) and found that a couple of airlines fly daily to Cork in Southern Ireland. Aware of a few good 'Relais & Chateaux' Country House Hotels along the coast to Cork, I made some enquiries regarding availability, and, lo and behold, a day later we were up at the crack of dawn heading up the M42 for the hop over to The Emerald Isle. We resisted the offer of a £1 per flight by BMI Baby, as it departed at some unearthly hour, instead choosing Aer Arran which dropped us in at Cork late morning. After rejecting a battered and scratched Vauxhall Corsa with a slipping clutch from Avis (we only got 100 yards down the road in it!) we were provided with a new Renault Modus for the one and a half hour drive across country to Kenmare and our chosen hotel, The Sheen Falls Lodge. Bypassing the town of Cork on the N22 we were soon trundling along at a relaxed speed through the green and open countryside. Each sleepy village en-route appeared to be excessively well blessed with pubs, whose landlord was invariably an 'O'Sullivan'. We later learnt that this is THE surname of County Cork. The scenery appeared very similar to Scotland as we entered the more mountainous county of Kerry, travelling through the National Park of the Iveragh and Beara peninsular down to the coastal village of Kenmare. The surrounding countryside was absolutely beautiful. The impressive mountain ranges were reflected in the mirror calm sea estuary of the Kenmare river, alive with wildlife. The trees in the valley were just turning Autumn gold, the distant hills of heather were bathed in afternoon sunlight and the rivers flowed rapidly from the previous day's heavy rain. Wild red fushias grew in abundance along the hedgerows, even on the open moorland and down towards the open Atlantic, thriving in the mild climate of S.W. Ireland. The pretty village of Kenmare had it's own generous number of traditional Irish pubs and restaurants, lining the whole length of Henry Street, one of the three main roads forming the town. We drove out and over the suspension bridge to our hotel that overlooked the Sheen waterfalls, river and estuary. Built only 15 years ago, it is regarded as the premier Irish hotel, and a popular choice with the substantial number of American visitors that this area attracts.
I'm not sure what type of bird that is that stood patiently each day by the waterfalls searching for fish in the top right photo above. Dennis insisted that it was a penguin,(!) I thought it was some sort of stalk and someone else suggested it could be a kingfisher. Whatever, this area was a twitcher's paradise with the estuary before us alive with birdlife scouring the recently exposed mudbanks of the low tide.
This corner of Ireland consists of several giant fingers of mountainous land that reach out in to the Atlantic ocean. The whole area is justifiably one large national park consisting principally of the peninsulas of Dingle, Iveragh and Beara. Kenmare sits at the head of it's bay and is also the gateway to two famous coastal drives, namely the Kerry Ring and Beara Ring, whose routes meander along the fjord-like coastline, taking in the dramatic mountain and seascapes. The following morning we opted for the drive around the Beara Ring having already made a start on the Kerry route the afternoon before. The country lanes were quiet and every corner turned opened up another breathtaking view. We were extremely fortunate to have hit on the start of a beautiful Autumn spell of weather with anti-cyclone conditions, enhancing the turning colours of the trees, reflected in the oily calm waters of the sea loughs. The R571 was to be the one and only road on our 60 mile journey around the Beara peninsula, taking us through ancient woodland, suddenly opening up to expose the rocky coastline, the lanes lined with wild hedges of fushia and the occasional pretty cottage. We trundled along in our quirky Modus car at 20 m.p.h. stopping regularly for the many photo opportunities. The narrow lanes followed the contours of every inlet and bay and occasionally the resident pet dog of a local's crofter's cottage would run out to greet us. Though already 20 miles from the shops of Kenmare, a traditional pub advertising their Guiness or Murphy's Irish stout was never far away. As we approached a turning for The Healy Pass we noticed a sign for 'Dereen Garden' advertising that it was this day open to the public. We went in to explore and found a private house sitting amidst a beautiful mature garden in the most outstanding of location of the shore of the bay. Putting our euros into the honesty box and picking up a guide, we set off around the grounds, reading up on the history of 'Derreen'. It briefly goes like this. Derreen came into the ownership of the Fitzmaurice family through Sir William Petty, Physician to Oliver Cromwell, in 1657. Petty's heiress daughter married Lord Kerry whose family later became Lansdowne. Until 1856 the house was let to the heirs of the local O'Sullivan clan. The fifth Marquess of Lansdowne succeeded in 1866 and made the house his Summer home, and embarked on an ambitious plan of planting, creating what is today a luxuriant woodland and garden. In 1950 his grand daughter, Lady Mersey further enhanced the grounds, creating walks through the woodland and today the property is in the hands of her grandson, Charlie Bigham. We strolled along the shoreline looking out for seals and otters, with the only sound being the call of the cormorants, oyster catchers, curlews and guillimots. Beneath towering pines, ferns from Australia and Tasmania gave a sub-tropical feeling beneath the canopy of trees. As we returned to the car an elderly Irish man was sitting quietly in the tranquillity of the morning. We didn't know if it was Charlie Bigham himself, but he recommended that we take a drive up to the top of Healy Pass to appreciate the panorama. We turned at Lauragh to climb the Slieve Misk Mountains. Pretty cottages advertising bed & breakfast randomly bordered the winding road. Slabs of smooth igneous rock jutted out of the moorland, yet still the colourful fuschia bushes insisted on existing besides the hardy gorse. The view just got better and better with the crystal clear lake below encompassed by grand mountains stretching down to Kenmare Bay in the far distance.
We took the photos above from the summit but decided to return back down rather than carry on over the other side so as not to miss out on the coastal run around the westerly tip of Beara Peninsula.
Dennis is sitting at 'land's end' above, with the open Atlantic in the far distance. Heading due west, next landfall is America. The lanes on the headland became even narrower and the pace slower, until we entered Castletownbere, a prominent fishing port, lined with colourful terraces and the ubiquitous ale houses. We were now following the southern coast of Bantry Bay with it's many inlets and islands, heading towards Ballylickey where we hoped to find another Relais & Chateaux hotel for a welcome cup of tea. Leaving the peninsula at Glengarif, suddenly we were aware of being back on the 'mainland' as the roads widened and the traffic and general pace of life almost seemed 'busy' in comparison to the tranquillity of the Beara Ring. We were soon sitting in comfortable armchairs overlooking Bantry Bay in the drawing room of the Georgian Mansion called Ballylickey House Hotel. The road back to Kenmare took us through the Gougane Barra Forest Park, another mountain pass taking us quickly from sea level to nearly 2,000 ft, through tunnels and across vast open moorland and forest. As many of the roads in the area, there was much evidence of widening and improving, all thanks to E.E.C. aid and contributions. We descended to Sheen Falls Lodge as the sun was dropping, and walking around the hotel grounds I couldn't resist taking yet more shots of the surrounding scenery.
Having dined in at the hotel on the previous evening, we wanted to try a local restaurant in Kenmare to sample the fresh fish for dinner. We were recommended either 'Packie's' or 'The Horseshoe' by the lady at Ballylickey House, and so reserved a table at 'Packies'. By 7 p.m. it was already filling up and it was a pleasant surprise not to have to ask for a non-smoking table, as smoking is banned throughout all public places in Ireland. The local Irish girls serving us were really delightful, and the food was excellent. Service was quick and attentive and within the hour we were moving on down Henry Street in search of 'The Horseshoe' to sample a pint of creamy Guiness ale followed by some very smooth Irish whiskey. The barman back at Sheen Falls had recommended 'Midleton Very Rare', but at 170 euros a shot, perhaps it's just as well that it is 'very rare'! Instead we chose a 'Bushmills' at a couple of euros. The saving paid for a full bottle of the said ' Midleton Very Rare' the following day at the duty free in the airport! Sitting here at home on a dark gloomy evening it's difficult to believe that it was only yesterday morning that we woke up to the most glorious day. Without a breath of wind and heavy dew on the lawns as the sun lifted the light mist hanging over the bay, over breakfast we watched the penguin/stork/kingfisher still patiently waiting for that elusive salmon to leap from the Sheen falls in to it's beak. With most of the day to fill before the afternoon flight back to Birmingham, we decided to head North across the Iveragh Peninsula, driving part of the Kerry Ring, before heading over to Kilarney and finally Cork. Maybe it was the extraordinarily beautiful morning, but we found the scenery to be even more impressive than the previous day as we ascended the pass of Peakeen Mountain. With the Slieve Misk mountains reflecting in the Kenmare bay behind us, ahead lay a string of freshwater lakes descending down the mountain fringed valley to Lough Leane and the town of Kilarney. With the purple rock mountains of the Macgillycuddy Reeks high on our left, and Knockbrack towering over 2,000 ft above us, the meandering road followed the route of the fast flowing river, leading us through ancient woodland down to the upper lake of Kilarney. We made several stops on our journey down just to take in the views and take photos. As we approached the greenery of the lowland valley of Muckross, a sign at the entrance to an impressive tree-lined driveway was inviting visitors to 'Muckross House'. We pulled in to discover a beautiful old ivy clad mansion surrounded by manicured gardens on the edge of the lake. Drivers with buggy and horses were offering rides around the parkland. The hot morning sun was burning the dew off the lawns as we ambled around the grounds. These final eight photos capture the beauty of the day.
Already midday, it was time to think about heading back to the airport on this, our introduction to Ireland. Perhaps the wonderful Autumn helped us to view the place through rose coloured glasses, but we have to say we really fell in love with the country and will for sure return, with the intention of travelling right up the Atlantic coast through the counties of Limerick and Galway from Kerry, next time around. If only we could call on some of that 'luck of the Irish' and ask for similarly good weather again. We've been warned about how it can rain! We found there to be many similarities of South West Ireland to the dramatic open landscapes of New Zealand's South Island, and so why travel half way around the world in search of wide open spaces when we have them next door across the Irish Sea?!! Well, that completes our news once more. I doubt if there will be much to write about before Christmas. Today's most exciting event was the fitting of new brushes on the leaf sweeper courtesy of the tractor engineer who was knocking on the door at 8.a.m.! Best wishes to everyone, Colin & Dennis. |
