It's a soft morning & I will have a little time before we get moving today -- the Mrs. was up late watching a movie last night. So, a little trip reporting.

The weather pattern has been showers in the AM, with a bit of blustery wind and some clearing in the afternoon. Evenings have been settled, nice for getting out for a stroll. The morning we arrived was much the same as today, heavily overcast, and an enveloping mist on the ground. A warming cup is a must, first thing. The border crossing at Shannon was the easiest I can ever remember. We were asked if we'd been here before -- the agent could tell that we had with a quick glance at our passports -- given a welcome & ushered through. We weren't given landing cards to fill out on the plane, no forms to fill out in the security area, either.

I needed a cup of tea, so we went up the escalators after collecting luggage to the Estuary -- oops, now the Limestone Cafe. The brew was good, but not the loose leaf of before. It served the purpose, though. After finishing our tea, we had a chat with the gent at the Sceptre desk, who called the number 7 van, which took us to the Dan Dooley office across from the terminal. We were given an upgrade from the economy car we'd reserved. I was afraid we would get a Nissan Micra -- instead, we drove off in a Peugeot 308 diesel, which has a roomy boot space under the hatch, and a reasonably torquey engine. We immediately named it Roar -- enounced in a flat, ennui-soaked way -- because of the Peugeot badge, which, to us, looks like a sleepwalking lion. It rained nearly all the way on the drive to Kenmare, but traffic was very light. Was grateful for that, because I went to the wrong lane at the Limerick tunnel & and had to back up to get to the attended booth, since we hadn't enough coins. We did follow the advice received here & avoided the N71 between Killarney & Kenmare on our first day, instead taking the N22 bypass toward Cork to the east. The R569 turn to the south is well marked. Quite a good road & fun to drive at a brisk pace. We made good time, reaching Kenmare in 3 hours, including a stop in Abbeyfeale to pick up a 9.99 phone at the Tesco. I did not need to call Kathleen, our landlady, for directions, because of the wonders of Google maps street view which helped me pinpoint the place during trip planning. Good thing, because the phone was not charged when we bought it. "So you've arrived already?!" she said as we pulled up -- she was in the doorway, seeing off the departing family. So we had. 26 Market Street, the Old Dressmaker's Cottage.

More to come.

-- Edited by Mac_T on Thursday 8th of May 2014 02:46:36 AM

I look forward to more updates we fly into Shannon in less than three weeks and will spend our second week in Kenmare. Our first week is still not set so I'm watching the forum for suggestions.

Jeff

Don't forget to take a look at the Druid's Circle (signposted near the tourist office). How are you enjoying your cottage?

Kenmare is a great little town...and such friendly people. 

Glad you made it out to Josie's. Bet you thought you would never get there on that little road! 

The Autobahn the road to Josie's is not, but not bad compared to some others on the Beara and, say, Valentia Island. Jeff, there is quite a lot of scaffolding at the Rock. We thought it was quite impressive nevertheless. We watched the 20 minute film & explored on our own, though there are guided tours available. It was a long day to see it from Kenmare, but we combined it with a side trip to Blarney town & a bit of roaming through the Tipperary countryside.

Mac

Are you using a GPS or a map?

Jeff