Ireland Part II - Doolin
- Jul 4, 2018
- 5 min read
On my last day in Dublin, I woke up bright and early, strapped my backpack on tight, and began my short walk to the bus station. Luckily for me it was only about a 20-minute walk from my AirBnB, but carrying around 40 pounds on my back really made it seem like hours! I arrived at the Bus Éireann station (http://www.buseireann.ie) and within a few minutes, I had my tickets and was ready for my scenic ride into Doolin. The bus was super comfortable and each seat had its own air vent, charging port, and tray tables which came in handy for the snacks that I like to bring on my trips for quick fuel.
There was so much to see on the bus ride and Ireland is full of beautiful castles that have been frozen in time on every corner. After a few hours on the road and a very scenic drive, we were almost at my next destination: Doolin, Ireland. The roads got narrower as Ireland’s beautiful nature started to take over at every turn. You can see that this place was especially connected and even had somewhat of a mystical feel to it.
My driver was very nice and even made sure to make a U-turn to get me to the right bus stop, which was only a couple steps from my hotel. I had chosen the Doolin Inn (https://www.doolininn.ie/) based on its location and the fact that my bus stop was literally right across the street, which made it so much easier to get around. Check-in was a breeze and everyone was very hospitable and friendly at the front desk. Breakfast was included with my stay and there was a small coffee shop/convenience store next to the front desk, which made their own Irish car bombs and conveniently sold water, beer and snacks.
The Doolin Inn was located right in the middle of this enchanting, fairytale-like town. The first thing I noticed when I looked outside was Doonagore Castle sitting atop of this winding, hilly road. This was on my list of places to visit so I was very excited to see how close it actually was to me. After I settled down at the hotel, the first thing I did was make my way to the castle. It was a steep climb up a winding road but very picturesque - it made me feel like I had gone back in time. I stood in awe of this castle and the gorgeous scenery and of course captured the moments with my camera and had taken my fair share of photographs. When I was done, I continued walking up the road to find what else I could explore. My curiosity took me right down a huge open road with no space to walk, which was probably my biggest mistake on this trip.
I had seen the sign for the Cliffs of Moher and decided to follow it. Little did I know that these signs were for vehicles and not pedestrians. After many honks and a lot of close calls on this narrow highway with cars speeding only mere inches from me, I made it to the cliffs! This was something I had always dreamed of seeing. Being here was a major bucket list accomplishment for me. I stood in awe of this marvelous natural wonder - it made me feel like a speck of dust in the wind. After getting lost in thought for a while, I decided it was time to head back home since the sun was starting to set. This turned out to be trickier than I thought as there was no Uber in the area and I would not dare to make the same walk back in the dark (there aren’t as many lights out here as in the city so it gets pretty dark).
I started to look around and noticed a long path with signs along the cliffs that seemed to lead back into town. I decided this would be my way back. It turned out to be a crazy obstacle course filled with mud, jumps that needed to be made over tiny bridges, steep declines leading to uphill walks and all sorts of twists and turns. After about a good 2-3 hours and a few more scares along the way, I made it back into town and only a block away from my hotel! I was full of mud and exhausted but it was a great adventure for my first day.
Being the adventure-seeker that I am, I ended up making a habit out of this - every morning I would wake up at sunrise and I would take these long walks on the cliffs and find little rock formations with small waterfalls that I had to jump down to see. I ended up buying an Irish book of old myths and fairytales ("Meeting The Other Crowd") to read while on my trip since it only felt right.
The next day, I had a pre-booked combo tour (www.doolin2aranferries.com) to visit Innis Oir Island (Inisheer) and to do a tour of the cliffs from the ocean. To get there, I headed down to Doolin Pier, which was luckily very easily accessible by foot. Doolin Pier gives you a beautiful view of the cliffs and town, and not to mention, a very scenic walk along the way. It also seems like a surfing hotspot, which was pretty cool to see.
The ferry ride was very short, about 20 minutes I would say. As soon as I arrived they gave us some brief instructions on what time to regroup and we were free to explore the island. This island (http://www.aranislands.ie/inis-oirr-inisheer/) makes you feel like you have been teleported back in time, just like the other parts of Ireland I had experienced.There are ruins all over this small island including one of a large ship that was stranded on the shore on its side. There are also some beautiful ancient burial sites with magnificent views of the city by the sea, a seal colony and a very gorgeous beach. There are ancient stone walls along the way with horse carriages passing by with tourists every few minutes, which gives it an out-of-this-world vibe - very pleasant and relaxing.
Before departing this island, I had to stop and try some local beer and bar food at Tigh Ted (http://discoverinisoirr.com/restaurant/tigh-ned/). This is cozy little bar had a great atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating. After I ate some local Irish food, I grabbed a beer to go and and took one more walk around before waiting for our ferry to pick us up (you can actually walk this entire island in less than two hours). Before heading home, we made a couple of stops at the Cliffs of Moher to learn about their history and see some filming locations for movies such as “Harry Potter”, “Princess Bride” and “Ryan's Daughter” to name a few - it was a great way to end the day.
The following day, I decided to take it slow since it was raining and I headed into town which again, is just picture perfect. It is filled with pubs, small places to grab souvenirs and lots of great local restaurants. My favorite and a must-visit is "The Ivy Cottage" (http://www.visitdoolin.ie/listing/the-ivy-cottage-cafe-tea-garden/) located only a few steps from my hotel. The food in this place was amazing with service to match! I found myself coming here almost every day I spent in Doolin for lunch, after downing a pint of Guinness every morning at the local pub. Needless to say, the town of Doolin was one of the most quiet, relaxing picture-perfect places I have ever been to. It's the type of place you go to reconnect with nature and yourself (since Wi-Fi was difficult to get), it was like jumping into the pages of a story book.
Finally, it was time for me to go and move on to my next adventure in Ireland. I packed up my things and headed towards my bus stop. The next stop on my journey was to Killarney to climb Carrauntoohil!
Comments