Ireland I Heart You

We are back from a two week stay in Co. Clare. We stayed in a beautiful cottage in a glorious hillside location, the views were amazing. It was peaceful, quiet and amazing to look out of the window and see the wildlife. There were a couple of hares that used to visit every morning and J totally adored them. One evening we were even visited by a herd of lambs, they had a munch on the grass before wandering off – not a sight you see living in a town.

The weather was rubbish and the winds were so strong, but we still managed to do everything we wanted. The only thing we couldn’t do was spend a day on the beach – we’d all have frozen. We visited all the surrounding towns, there wasn’t many of them and there wasn’t a lot to do in any of them. My parents had warned me of this before we went, but it honestly didn’t matter to me. If I wanted an action packed, busy holiday then I wouldn’t have picked the location I did.

We visited Galway; I’d always wanted to go. I had heard it was a lovely city and it was, however it was just a city. All cities are one and the same to me if I’m honest, (apart from Dublin which I adore). A city is a city and I guess I’m not a city kind of girl, I can see cities at home.

Before we went I spent a lot of time googling and I came across Mountain View horse riding,  I fancied it straight away and somehow I managed to persuade the hubby that it would be fun. So one morning off we went, there was just the three of us on the trek with the guide and it was fantastic. We were lucky and went on a really clear day, you could see the Cliffs of Moher, Galway Bay and the Connemara Mountains. Neither of us had ever been on a horse before so I was slightly nervous but my nerves soon vanished as the trek began and the hour passed far too quickly. We even did a little trot, it kinda hurt and was definitely something that would take some practice. I’d definitely go again, but next time I’ll be in charge of the camera since A managed to let it fall out of his pocket and break it. Whoops.We did ache for a few days after but it was well worth it.

Another thing I really wanted to do and what attracted me to Co. Clare in the first place was the Cliffs of Moher, we finally managed to go two days before we left. We kept holding out and holding out for a decent enough day. We’d tried to go previously but we got out of the car and nearly got blown away, there was no way I was even prepared to take the children out of the car. Even when we did go, we left the children in the shops with my parents; it was a wise decision as there was no way we’d have been able to push the pushchair against the wind. We got blown around, whipped in the face with stones but it was well worth it, the views were breathtaking – pictures in no way do it justice and I’d tell anyone who was in the area to visit it.

We drove through the Burren – again it was breathtaking, Co. Clare is the prettiest place I’ve ever visited and I think it will take somewhere special to top the views. We went on a couple of walks and myself and A walked to the top of the hill we were staying on. Another day we visited Bunratty castle, it was a lovely day. On the grounds surrounding the castle they’d rebuilt lots of houses from that era to show the way people were living from the poorest in a one roomed house, to the rich people.

I adore Ireland, the pace of life, the accent, the scenery – everythng about the country. I’ve wanted to live their since I was a kid and the desire is even stronger now. The country cottages are all amazingly built, they are individual and gorgoues. I could definitely see myself living in one – but for now it’s just a fantasy and will probably always remain so.