Trip Report

Last Wednesday, 29th March 2006, I took myself off to Dublin for my first solo trip anywhere. I'd been there twice before with friends, and knew the main city sights, how to get from the airport to the city centre, where the hotel was etc, but I was more than a bit nervous about going abroad alone.

I had to be at Gatwick Airport for a 4:30am check-in, and my taxi was booked for 3:30am. The driver was actually a couple of minutes early, and came to the door to see if I had luggage, which I didn't. I travel as light as possible, and had only my Disneyland tote bag. I had been nervous about the taxi ride, as I always feel uncomfortable in taxis, but the driver was very chatty and friendly. I discovered that he knew Daniel, and we discussed my previous trips abroad, working for Waitrose, and how I'd previously worked for the taxi firm he drives for. Before I knew it it was 4am and I was in the airport. I headed to McDonalds for the traditional holiday breakfast of a Sausage and Egg McMuffin meal, but by 4:15 had eaten that and still had until 5am before I could check-in, or so I thought. I had started to check-in online the previous evening, and had had an error, so didn't think it had worked, but I suddenly noticed the self check-in kiosks were operational from 4am, so thought I'd see if I could complete the process there (thus not having to deal with a real live person!).

I found that all I had to do was insert my debit card, answer two questions about my baggage, and confirm my seat, then my boarding pass was printed and I was done. I still had until 5am before Travelex opened and I could collect my pre-ordered currency, so I went outside to kill some time and get some fresh air. There was a constant stream of people being dropped off by coaches, taxis and private cars, so I just people-watched for a while, then at 5am went and collected my euros. I'd thought I was being clever by ordering an odd 5euro for the airport bus to Dublin city centre, knowing the ticket machine takes a 5euro note, but Travelex gave me 5 one euro coins! Next was security, where I breezed through without being stopped for a pat-down search like last time, or having to take my shoes off. By 5:10am I was airside, and browsed a few shops like WHSmith, Boots etc, before positioning myself in a very comfy leather tub chair until my flight was ready to board at around 6.10am. Boarding was straightforward and we taxied out to the runway at 6:25, spot on time. It was a smooth flight, though I still felt pretty rough, and was glad to exit Dublin Airport at 8am, and hop straight on the Airlink bus to O'Connell Street, where I got off and headed straight for The Earl.

The Earl is a wonderful little bakery in Earl Street, with a cafe at the rear, and a fryup from there really hits the spot for the hungry traveller! It was 9am by now, and I had had my first breakfast in the middle of the night at 4am, so I was definitely ready for something substantial to sustain me through the first part of the day's travels. Toast and butter, sausage, bacon, egg, tomato, mushrooms, and a cup of tea to wash it down was the order of the day. By 9:15am I was on the move again, to Tara Street DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) station, where I purchased an all day 'Rambler' ticket, which allowed me to travel the DART system as much as liked for only €7. Bargain!

My first stop on the DART was Howth (rhymes with 'both'), which is a lovely little fishing village a few miles northeast of Dublin, at the top end of Dublin Bay. It's very peaceful, and not too touristy, though like myself, a few tourists have heard about it or been there exploring before, and loved it, so there are always a few sightseers around. There is one small gift shop, a few pubs, and a couple of very highly recommended fish restaurants, but mainly, village lifecentres around the harbour and fishing industry. There is a ruined abbey there, and a famous walk around Howth Head, which I wanted to explore, so I started out along Balscadden Road when I left the DART station, and headed past the harbour on my left. I soon spotted the abbey ruins high above me, and explored a couple of the steep side roads before I found the way into the abbey.

Originally founded by Dublin's Viking King Sitric in 1042, the abbey ruins that we see now date from around the 1500's. It is possible to get the key, to see the double tomb of Lord and Lady Howth, but I just spent a few minutes wandering around the grounds and admiring the views. It was so peaceful there, with nothing but the sound of birdsong, and I just enjoyed the solitude and beautiful views over the harbour below.It was the kind of morning I love, with a clear blue sky, sunshine, and warming up nicely by then ... I could easily have stayed there all day, but there was more of the village to explore. A few more photos, and I left the abbey, vowing to come back next time I'm there in decent weather.

I made my way down the side street that I had wandered up to find the abbey, intending to head back down to Balscadden Road and go towards the cliff walk, when I spotted a gate with a path leading off from it. It didn't look private, and as it headed uphill, I thought it might take me towards more great views ... I was right! It actually led to one of the Martello Towers.


This Martello Tower has now been turned into "Ye Olde Hurdy-Gurdy Museum" and is a museum to all thingse radio. Not my thing, but as it stands in the middle of a field on top of a cliff, and I was the only living soul around, I spent ten minutes or so walking the perimeter of the area and looking out over the harbour and the village again. One interesting thing I noticed was that I was now in a position to look down over the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey, and was able to get a differerent view of where I had just been from this position. I'm normally not at all comfortable in isolated places, but I really enjoyed being there with no-one else around, just soaking in the peace and quiet of such a beautiful place. I really think that if I ever came into money I would move to Howth ... and I never thought I'd ever even contemplate leaving here! But seriously, look at these views? Aren't they stunning?

























I really did head back down to the road along the seafront this time, and carried on up it to where I knew the cliff walk began. It's about 11km around the whole of Howth Head, and as I was neither wearing shoes for *that* much walking, or very trusting of the weather, I decided against attempting the whole walk, and just walked as far as I felt like. As I headed uphill along Balscadden Road, the houses became fewer, larger, and much more expensive, and I noticed
that everyone, without exception, smiled and spoke to me - from the lady in her back garden, to the man walking his spaniel, to the elderly man who stopped walking, took off his hat, and said what I *think* was "Good morning" ... he may well have been speaking Gaelic for all I knew, but I'm sure his intent was friendly! Here's the road I was walking along.

The views as I headed towards the start of the cliff walk were pretty similar to those I'd already seen, but from different viewpoints, and as I progressed, I could see bits of the coastline that had been hidden before. A lovely little cove which was actually a private beach for a couple of the houses, a huge rock formation with nesting seagulls on, and just gorgeous scenery in general. After I walked along here for about 15 minutes I turned back and retraced my steps, making my way to the bottom of the road and the gift shop, where I bought a few postcards. I crossed over the road so that I was on the harbour side, and walked along the East Pier as far as I could, right out to the lighthouses - one old, one new. It was incredibly windy and I had chosen to walk on the top level of the pier, so when I got to the end, and found a slope down to the lower level I took the chance of walking back to shore that way, and being sheltered by
the top level a little!

The views out to Ireland's Eye, a small,uninhabited island about 1km off the coast of Howth, were incredible. In the summer you can take a tourist boast over to the island, which is a haven for nesting sea birds like gulls, gannets, and puffins, as well as cormorants. There are often sightings of grey seals around the Howth coast, and in the harbour, though I wasn't lucky enough to spot one. I did see this little guy picking around in the pebbles though! I adore rooks, crows, magpies, the whole crow family, so I had to get a pic, as I'd never seen one on a beach before! I have noticed on all three of my trips to Ireland so far, that there seem to be an awful lot more of the whole corvidae family around than here in England. That suits me just fine, as I love them all! This one spent a good amount of time down on the shoreline, where the water met the pebbles, pecking and digging around, which I found unusual for a jackdaw, being that it was salt water.

There were a lot of other people walking along the pier, even though it didn't actually *go* anywhere! Like me though, they seemed to just be enjoying the sunshine, and the fresh sea air, and I got the impression that many of them were locals who probably do that walk most days. There were several elderly people walking alone, a young mum with her baby in a pram, and a middle-aged couple who overtook me, reached the lighthouses at the end ages before me, and passed me on their way back! Some pics from my blustery walk along the pier....


I was tiring somewhat by now, and started to head back towards the DART station, and Dublin. when I decided that I wouldn't get off at Tara Street, as I may as well make the most of my Rambler ticket. I stayed on the DART train to the very end of the line, at Greystones, and we passed through some spectacular coastal scenery, which I would love to see more of in the future. Unfortunately, my plans to get off at Greystones and explore the town a little were changed when I realised that I felt *really* low blood sugary, and shaky. I didn't know where anywhere was to get food in Greystones, so I decided the best thing was to get back on the train I'd left less than three minutes before, and go back to Dublin to eat, then 'do' Trinity College and the Book of Kells that afternoon. I'd eaten breakfast at 9am, and it was now after 2pm, but as I'd been up nearly 12 hours at this point I think my body was expecting an evening meal! Back to Tara Street, then I walked to McDonalds (there's a theme in these three days!) and had lunch, before heading back across to the Southside of the city, and down to College Green, where the main entrance to Trinity College is.


As you can see, by now (mid afternoon) the weather was not so good. Noticeably colder, with grey skies, I knew the rain was coming, and hurried to get a few photos of the lovely old Trinity College buildings. Despite the university being founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, the current buildings date from the 1700's and are beautiful. After an exterior shot of the main facade, I made my way through the main door and into the cobbled courtyards, then across to the Old Library, where the gift shop is, and where the Long Room and Treasury, which houses the Book of Kells are.

I paid my 8euro fee, and walked through into the Book of Kells exhibition, which starts with huge panels showing details from the manuscript, and a video presentation, as well as the history of the Book of Kells, and the other manuscripts that are largely unknown, such as the Books of Durrow and Armagh. Eventually I found myself in an even darker room, and there, under glass, was the Book of Kells. It's smaller than I imagined, but the craftsmanship that the monks put into it is nothing short of breathtaking, considering it was made in the 9th century, and they had only coloured minerals to get the colours from.

Leaving the Treasury, I made my way up the stairs to the Long Room, which houses thousands of the books in the Trinity library. It's 65m long, and although it was originally only one level, the roof had to be raised to accomodate a vaulted ceiling and second level of books. It's stunning ... though visitors can only really walk down the centre of the room, and no photographs may be taken, even non-flash. I went back to the gift shop, where I bought a suncatcher crystal and some postcards, and left the campus, making my way to Tesco for a few essentials.

I stocked up on things like Diet Coke, fruit and cereal bars, as well as something I could have for dinner in my room that evening, as I knew I was way too tired to consider going out of the hotel to eat, once I'd arrived there and checked in! As I left the Jervis centre, where Tesco is located, the heavens opened, and I had to make use of the umbrella I had taken with me. It took about 15 minutes to get to the hotel, and another 5 to check in. I was given room 144, which is a large and airy room, and was right next door to the one Maryke and Clare had last time we were there. With a double bed, and a single, there was plenty of room to spread out, and I basically crashed for a while before eating dinner and watching TV for the evening. I had a bath and was asleep by 10pm, and that ended Day 1 ...