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The Day we Toured West Cork

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 A day tour seemed like a good solution to fit in some more Cork scenery in our last few days here. We selected one that covered Bantry and Clonakilty, both places that had been recommended to us, but it would have had to be one or the other if we were relying on public transport.   The trusty Brian collected us at 8am and dropped us at the designated meeting point in St Patrick’s Quay. We were very early, as is our habit, but the Cronin’s tour bus arrived at 8:45 and the 13 passengers quickly boarded. It was looking like a pleasant day weather-wise.  Our first stop was the tranquil Gougane Barra, site of an Oratory and  Church originally established by St Finnbar.  The beautiful spot, ringed by the Shehy Mountains, is also the source of the River Lee which runs into the sea at Cork City. It was easy to see why the saint chose this peaceful place to establish a place of worship and monastery.  Situated on the Wild Atlantic Way, we had a brief time to explor...
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The Day we Went to Kinsale

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 The days are running out and there seem to be too many trips that are just too far away to fit into the time we have left.  Today we decided to go to Kinsale, a comfortable 35 minute commuter coach ride from the City Hall stop in Cork.  Unsure what we would find to do there, but acting on advice from others, we stepped off the bus at 10:15 and went straight to the tourist information (via the small Farmer’s Market in the town car park). Here we were presented with a number of things which would easily fill in the time in this pretty coastal town.  We began with a 75 minute guided walking tour with the most knowledgeable and engaging guide I believe we have had anywhere during the course of our Irish travels. We learnt a great deal about the events of the past that shaped Kinsale, and present day life there.  Following the tour, we walked (again on the advice of the tourist information consultant), to the dock where the harbour cruise boat was disgorging its pas...
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The Day we Went to Bishopstown

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Finally, we have some warm weather. The current temperature at 5 pm is 25 and the expected high today was 27. The Irish are all melting!   We decided to stay local today and set out on a walking treasure hunt after breakfast. This took us from our accommodation on the now familiar route, down Lee Road, over Wellington Bridge and along the other side of the River Lee as far as Lee Fields.  Here is where the treasure hunt began as we turned onto the Curraheen River Walk with 5 archeological points of interest, remnants of the old Bishopstown Estate to be discovered. A total distance of 4.75 km in addition to the 2 kms we had already walked to reach the start.  As soon as we turned onto the path, away from the busy main road, we walked into a peaceful, leafy canopy bordered by a narrow Curraheen river which looked more like a man made canal in parts.  Reaching the point where there was some work being done to cut up and remove a very large fallen tree, we discovered fro...
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