Cantering into County Clare

 

Saturday 18 May

We bade farewell to Brookside Close (it's really called Woodhaven!) and our very cramped shared room (no cats swung) and after filling up with petrol (WHY is unleaded 10c more per litre than diesel in Eire??) headed off along the Wild Atlantic Way towards The Burren area and to Doolin Cave. Here you'll find Europe's largest stalactite (tights come down, remember?), the weight of an African elephant, in a cave only discovered by two brave young potholers wearing only gas head torches in 1952, finally opening to the public in 2006. It's quite something. Half of it is still growing, evidenced by the water continuing to drip off the end - the other half is now static but you and I will never see it crumble.

We avoided the Cliffs of Moher and the plethora of tourist coaches on the recommendation of a local, and headed on down the coast and ate a sandwich looking out at the breakers at Spanish Point. 

We swung by Kilkee for an ice cream, and then arrived at Loop Head and its lovely lighthouse and cliffs, which are apparently a match for Moher (hence giving them a miss). Very bracing, with nesting seagulls on the adjacent rock known as lovers' leap, tons of beautiful sea pinks, marsh orchids and English scurvygrass which is much nicer than it sounds.

 

Quite a long drive today - we then set off to Bunratty and our next accommodation, Turret Lodge, just down the road from Bunratty Castle and about 25 minutes from Limerick. It's nice and airy, with big rooms and on a large plot, and has a washing machine and dryer (yay!) but with some glaring omissions like tea towels, duvet covers, wooden spoons, oven gloves, power points, wifi that doesn't reach the back bedroom (mine, of course!), and a TV that yet again steadfastly refuses to comply with our demands for a working channel. And someone obviously gave them a job lot of tables as there's one in each bedroom and two in the living room.

We went straight to the shop a few minutes' walk away in order to self cater, only to find that the deli had shut and we were at the mercy of the chilled cabinet. We cobbled a dinner together rather than set out again for a meal out, and had an early night. It's quiet and countrified, making up for any shortcomings in the equipment department.