Subscribe to my newsletter.
-
Bounteous Bantry
As usual Bantry has so many gifts to offer, not least the wonderful parking spot in the hotel grounds, which were once part of the grand estate of Bantry House, which lies beside it. This means that there’s sub-tropical planting, along with woods of hazel, oak, wych-elm and willow. The sea-fed lagoon hosts the resident…
-
From Wicklow Town to Bantry Bay Via The Rock of Cashel
Wicklow Town sits on the sea, with an island in between the Leitrim River, named after the Leitrim Regiment who were stationed here in 19th Century, and the seafront, which explains the rather gracious houses lining the river. Today the seafront is full of children getting ready for sailing lessons, the quays themselves bustling with…
-
Wherein we Embark on What is Meant to be a 3 hour Walk through the Glacial Valleys of Winsome Wicklow and End up Walking for 7 Hours
The first view of the morning is the stone arched bridge at Glenmalure and the house martins swooping through the air; the first sound the rushing Avonbeg river. The plan today is to walk 7 miles from Glenmalure to Glendalough, along the Wicklow Way and Miners’ Way. Soon, we gaze down at the ruins of…
-
Rambling up Torroella de Montgrì, Cycling in L’Estartit’s Nature Reserve and Taking to the Sea
I’ve written so much about Torroella de Montgrì that I think there’s nothing else to say, but I’m proved wrong. Local families trek to the castle which squats at the top of Montgrì, the mountain in Torroella. Being Easter, everyone and their granny has taken to the rocky track. One elderly woman, complete with walking…
-
Begur – Where Catalan History, the Modern Tourist Industry and Wandering Walking Trails Meet
Begur is a typical Medieval Catalan Village, with castle ruins topping the mountain, a lookout tower just below. Alleyways of stone houses radiate down from it. A sign on a street stepping up to the castle tells of the past inhabitants being required to offer the feudal lords a cup of water on their upward…
-
L’Ametlla de Mar – Vertigo Enhancing Tracks over the Sea, Underground Poseidon Fields and a Real Fishing Town
Our first glimpse of L’Ametlla is not a postcard pretty one, the AP7 motorway and railway run against the back of the town and concrete apartments. But the minute we see Camping Nàutic we’re won over. The terraced campsite is shaded by Mediterranean pines and olives, and it looks out on a sea that deserves…
Campervan Therapy 