Fun & Frolics on the Emerald Isle

5.30 on the 5th August sees us rising, reluctantly at first, from our warm bed. Until after a cup of tea, a shower and a few last minute packing details we are ready to leave for Heathrow airport. Destination the “Gourmet capital of Ireland” Kinsale, county Cork.
We meet with Liz & Ray at bag drop and head straight for the Champagne bar where we feast for breakfast on smoked salmon & scrambled eggs accompanied by of course Champagne. Well it’s never too early for champagne!
After a short flight (1hr) we land at Cork airport and pick up our hire car a Nissan Quashqai (Nice). V excited at driving this, Ray & I are nominated drivers although we are not expecting to do a lot of driving around. We start our weekend by visiting Cobh where the Titanic picked up it’s last passengers and where the survivors from the Lusitiania were brought to. If you have been luck enough to visit Ellis Island in New York, well this town is the starting point of that journey for most of the Irish immigrants that left Ireland at that time. It is a very nice town and we have a stroll around, the weather is overcast and breezy but still reasonably warm. We then head to Blarney in anticipation of kissing the Blarney stone. I have done this before but must have been misguided on which stone to kiss! We later hear that they have moved the stone due to health & safety regulations. We are quite disappointed as we cannot get to see the Castle from the outside of the grounds and it is expensive to get in, so we settle for going to the pub instead.
After a pint and a sandwich we head towards Kinsale where we check into the Trident Hotel. It is right on the harbour and we have nice rooms with a view over looking the harbour and into the town. We stretch our legs with a quick guided tour courtesy of Liz & Ray, this is their 3rd trip in just over a year, so they are well versed in what goes on where. First dining experience is Fishy Fishy, guess what we eat? The best sign of a good fish restaurant is that it does not smell of fish well this one certainly didn’t. A glass of sparkly pink stuff gets us in the mood and soon we are feasting on the freshest fish around. Hake, Haddock, Monkfish are the order of the day and all are super. This was washed down by an excellent and very cold New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
Everywhere you go you are served the local soda bread. This is quite different from the soda bread I am used to. It is in the shape of a loaf tin, not round, and it brown not white. Man Friday wins the prize for me for the best soda bread of the weekend.

Cobh

Charles Fort

Old Head

We fall into bed at goodness knows what time & have a good sleep. Saturday morning is grey and wet. After an Irish breakfast (Well Ian had the full works) we go to Old Head. This is the place where the Luisitania was sunk. There are some cliffs here & I am hopeful of catching sight of something different, perhaps a Guillemot or Razorbill. But nothing doing really, lots of Gulls and Cormorants. The sun comes out & we manage to get a few photographs taken but it is short lived so we go back into Kinsale.
There is so much to do in & around the town. There are 2 old forts which are of great historical interest; you can do a harbour cruise and a choice of escorted town walks or a variety of walks on your own. Sitting watching the boats, seals, birds and general goings on are a favourite of us all. In case of bad weather there are lots of shops, 20 pubs, and umpteen places to eat. An extremely well manned information centre is stocked full of places to go & things to do. There is a wildlife view point just down the road in Kinsale Marsh so we spend a while down there & spot some Curlew and Black Tailed Godwits.

Pubs & Houses

The people in Kinsale are the nicest, kindest and friendliest people you will find anywhere. There is always a warm welcome where ever you go and enquires of where you have been, come from & are going to. Advice of what you may have missed or need to go back for is always welcome and given freely.
The streets of Kinsale are mainly small & wind though the town, they are packed with pretty houses interesting shops & wall to wall pubs. You can walk up & down the same street many times and still see a shop or pub or poster that you have previously missed, and that is nothing to do with the drink!
One thing that I will say both Ian & I were astounded at how expensive everything was. I am sure that you could eat a lot cheaper than we did but most restaurants seemed to be pitched about the same price range. You need to book in advance in most of the restaurants and some of them 4-6 weeks ahead. Check your budget before you go! It’s not for the feint hearted!!
We hired a car but you can get a bus from the airport directly into Kinsale & return. It takes about ½ an hour. The same bus goes to Cork so if you fancy some time there it is easy to get to. You would be hard pushed to get bored just in Kinsale in 3-4 days.

More Food

Saturday night sees us eating in Jola’s, a very atmospheric restaurant, which reminds Ian & I of a place we ate in when visiting South Africa. We had an enjoyable meal, Jola & her husband are Polish and there are some Polish dishes on the menu, Ian & Ray struggled to finish a rich stuffed beef dish. Whilst Liz & I did our best with chicken stuffed with parmesan and wrapped in Parma ham. Served with a delicious red pepper sauce. We all declined desserts!
Despite not over doing on the wine front I managed to develop a fit of the giggles, which was something to do with Ray & a horse! It’s one of those things that you had to be there to see the funny side of it so not further explanations here. However the giggles spread to the rest of us & I was still laughing when eventually after a nightcap or 2, some musical accompaniment courtesy of Les Dawson and more hysteria, we went to bed having all turned into pumpkins!

A Trip down memory lane

Sunday morning brings heavy rain so the rest of the party indulge me in a trip down memory lane. We get in the Quashqai & drive about 2hrs down to a small place called Crookhaven. We had a family holiday here when I was about 10 or so. The place has not changed a great deal; the pub is still there plus a few extra houses and amenities. It is very pretty & the small sands just as you come into the village are just the same, the sea is so clear you can see right down to the sandy bottom. I could not recognise the house we stayed in, much to my disappointment. The sun had come out so we enjoyed a quick beer before the long trek home. Stopping in Skibbereen for a coffee and quick stroll about.
The roadsides are lined with flowers. Bright orange Crocosmia (Montbretia), dark red Fuchsias, fragrant Meadowsweet and a plant with dark purple flower spike’s. The show was so grand several times we thought we were looking at the edge of a garden but they were all wild and very beautiful. It brought back memories of previous holidays. I have been here 3 times no make that 4 now.
Sunday Night we eat in Man Fridays in Scilly. This is a restaurant slightly out of the main town but walk able. As it was once again lashing with rain we grab a cab, but do manage to walk home! The sea is so calm it is almost like glass and the town is beautifully mirrored in it. The things you see when you don’t have a camera. We ate very well here; quite large portions though so felt rather stuffed at the end and were glad of the walk home. Ian had a beautiful fillet steak and the rest of us had rack of lamb. We all had starters and puds, although one of us managed a sticky toffee pudding! I don’t know how and it wasn’t Ian or me! No nightcaps tonight & in bed by 10.30 – Good Job!

Early morning start

Monday morning. Ian decided that as the sun was shining he was going to take some early morning shots of the harbour so got out of bed at 6.30. Having been awakened by him going, I decide I cannot miss out so reluctantly get out of bed & go outside (I did get dressed first) only to find Ian coming back as the sun had gone in. Wide awake I spend half an hour trying to get a mirror shot of a Heron, I failed dismally! Results were pretty rubbish when I reviewed them at home.

Back at the hotel, has Ian finished the packing? No! He went back to bed. Narrowly missing being strangled by locking himself in the bathroom, until I have calmed down, he emerges freshly showered and ready for his brekkie. Typical.

View From Charles Fort Over Kinsale

Monday sees us doing the town walk, a beer in the oldest pub and the harbour cruise. We top off the weekend with fish n’ chips in Fishy Fishy and some Sauv B. Pack the car and drive the long way round to the airport, stopping off to admire the view from Charles fort.

I think we were all quite exhausted but have had a fabulous time. There was considerable moaning from those of us that had to go to work the next day.
Now where is my City break brochure?