DESTINATION IRELAND
AUTUMN 22 10
Like most of us , I ’ d assume , I ’ m not a big fan of the word ‘ staycation ’. It will forever evoke connotations of the recent , but hopefully not future , lockdowns , when all we could focus on was finally getting away somewhere - anywhere - in Ireland to break the humdrum existence we had to endure . Besides , no one in Ireland ever goes on ‘ vacation ’ anyway . To us , it will always be ‘ the holliers ’.
But the idea of a staycation very much appeals to me , especially if you can combine it with one of our freak sunny spells , which admittedly can often be as elusive as trying to catch smoke with a fishing net .
You can always narrow your chances of catching some decent weather by heading to Ireland ’ s ‘ sunny south east ’, and a new company aims to encourage people to do just that while also enjoying and discovering the folklore , legends and rugged scenery on show .
Celtic Routes are urging people to discover the similarities between six counties - three in the east Ireland and three in West Wales . The concept behind it is based on discovering the shared heritage and ancient legends of these almost mirror-like areas , divided only by narrowest strip of the Irish Sea .
While it ’ s a joy to discover the unique ‘ Celtic spirit ’ on our doorstep , your holliers is still your holliers - so there ’ s plenty of luxury accommodation , superb dining and more leisure activities than you could shake a guidebook at along the way , too .
Anyone who has visited the wilds of West Wales will have been struck by the similarities to Ireland - and the east coast in particular . I had the pleasure of doing just that two years ago , but now I wanted to dig a little deeper into what Wicklow , Wexford and Waterford had to offer - perhaps the off-the-beaten-track places I had so often bypassed , or merely forgotten about .
I wasn ’ t the only browser on this particular WWW adventure , as my wife and I set off from Dublin for our first port of call - the cliff walk from Bray to Greystones .
I ’ d often nonchalantly taken this journey on the DART , occasionally admiring the stunning views while juggling with the complexities of Tetris on my phone ( yes , I ’ m kinda ‘ old school ’), but to walk it is to really appreciate it . The 7km hoof - built by railway workers in the 19th century as a means to transport materials - has to be one of the most picturesque strolls in Ireland , and if you ’ re feeling extra energetic you can take a ramble up Bray Head to take in the panoramic views of Dublin Bay and the Sugar Loaf .
I hadn ’ t done this since I was a kid , and I genuinely forgot just how awe-inspiring the vista is .