Farwell to the Isle of the Little People and Fairy Folk

The Ride to Dublin

Kathleen takes us to Bantry, a small village further up the Coast where we will catch the Cork bus. The day is windy, cold and drizzling rain. The bus starts the drive at this village so leaves on time and a full passenger load. The trip only takes two hours and we then have to wait a short time at the bus depot before we meet the express bus to Dublin, back where we started 4 weeks ago.

Our last few days in Dublin will be spent with Eileen and Tom and Syd, a very friendly house dog. Comfortable after many nights in Hotels and B & Bs. 

The sights of Dublin and Powers Court Estate

The day is mild and light rain showers but I do not care as we are not walking today. We are going to be tourists today and the first stop is Dunlaoghaire the Dublin Port. Dark clouds are forming so we do not stay long. A lovely spot to wander along the pier and beach front.

We then head towards Killarney Hill, a decent climb of 153 metres and great views over Dublin, Bray Head, Wicklow Mountains and the Irish Sea. The park is crossed by various walking tracks, and with its spectacular views in all directions, is a popular destination for walkers and hikers from the surrounding areas.The day is starting to warm up so we drive down to the popular coastal village of Greystones in County Wicklow. We settle for a coffee at the “Happy Pear”, a small coffee shop which originally started as a fruit shop. This is a very trendy area.

Next stop is at Powers Court Estate located in Enniskerry. It is a large country estate noted for its house and landscaped gardens, today occupying 19 hectares (47 acres). The house, originally a 13th-century castle, was extensively altered during the 18th century but a fire in 1974 left the house lying as a shell until it was renovated in 1996. The estate shows a sublime blend of formal and walled gardens, sweeping terraces, statues and ornamental lakes, secret hollows and rambling walks, pet cemeteries and Japanese gardens, the Pepperpot Tower and Dolphin Pond.

The day has turned quite warm; we head towards the magnificent garden full of roses every colour of the rainbow. So many different colours, shapes and sizes and varieties. All we can do is sit and marvel. The landscaping and design of the terraced Italian Gardens linking the house to the lake with the life sized Winged Horses watching over the lake. Why do our gardens look so bland?

One of the most interesting parts of Powerscourt Gardens is the pet’s cemetery which is the resting place of the much-loved pets of the estate families. It’s situated in a quiet part of the gardens where the striking colours of Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Roses bloom. The cemetery is believed to be the largest pets’ cemetery in any private Irish garden.

The Powerscourt horses – Boncho, Giddy and Glencree could be seen grazing along the road in the field below Triton Lake. Small ducklings playing near the water’s edge under the watchful eye of the mother duck. The Dolphin Pond with its central fountain of dolphins spouting water is another not to be missed attraction.

After walking through Tower Valley our next stop is the Japanese Garden. We reach Lord Londonderry’s stone seat, perched high above the Japanese Garden laid out over 100 years ago. Stone lanterns guide us through the winding paths of the garden, bringing us to its innermost circle where we find a Pagoda and a trickling stream under Japanese stone bridges. The upper circle provides stunning views of the Japanese Garden and the Sugar Loaf Mountain in the distance.

Hunger pains have started so a visit to the Avoca Terrace Café offering an amazing setting for us all to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee and cake. The café boasts tall windows and French doors leading out onto an expansive garden terrace with a simply breath-talking panorama of the gardens against the backdrop of Sugarloaf Mountain. The food at the Terrace Café is homemade and of excellent quality. A lovely way to end a lovely day and a lovely stay in Ireland. Powers Court Estate is the home and workplace of my husband’s family in the 1850’s before they migrated to Australia.

As the day closes we make our way back to Dublin in the afternoon peak hour traffic, another lovely home cooked meal and an early night. Tomorrow we must repack as we leave Ireland. 

We spend the day catching up with diaries and photos, packed and repacked; nothing goes back in the same spot so some must be relegated to the bin. I am sure the weight of my case will be borderline so will wear my boots on the plane, easy to get off when we reach Australian customs. An early meal and Tom drives us across to the Dublin International Airport. We are quickly checked in and through the gates and now we can spend some of the euros we have not spent. Time to sit, reflect and wait for our Emirates flight to Dubai.

Where has the last 5 weeks gone, in a few days we will be back at work and the same old routine. Time to think about where we will next walk - the bug has attached itself firmly.

We have walked 547klms through Ireland for the boys, we have returned to Ireland for Mum, we have made friendships to last a lifetime and we have raised $11300 for Cancer Queensland Research. Not a bad effort if I may say so.

We have walked Ireland for the craic.