Gem and Jo Take Connemara

You may have noticed that we haven't been posting as regularly as we usually do, that's because we have been in Connemara where there is absolutely NO internet or phone service!! (That's two trips we've been on where we survived with no internet! Success!) 

Now a lot of you are probably wondering what the hell a Connemara is, our Irish viewers probably won't be but for those that don't know, Connemara is a beautiful town on the coast of Galway. You can see it here, on this pretty little map, it's the area in the square! 

MAP: connemara-holidays.com

We stayed in Gem's granny's mobile home, which is really cosy, and it's literally a little, tiny walk over some small sand dunes to get to the Atlantic coast! 

The first night we got there the weather was a little wild and the tide was really high, because of the Supermoon!! So the beach wasn't very accessible that night but we got this pretty picture! 

                         

The next day was a bit of a dud too, the weather was really not on our side but we donned our coats and hats and went walking along the beach while the tide was out! The good thing about this camping site is that the beach isn't too big, so with kids and dogs they can never get too far away from you, but it also the perfect size for a nice little walk to stretch your legs! 

                                     

                                 

                     

Now our third day there was absolutely glorious and we took advantage of it! We went pier diving, which we unfortunately didn't get any pictures of because you know, sand and sea do not mix well with our lovely little telephones or cameras! We even managed to squeeze in one more walk on the beach before we left for the 3+ hour journey home! These pictures really show the beauty of the Irish coasts! 

                      

                     

                      

                      

                      

Another beautiful part of this little camping site is that both the journey to and the site itself are surrounded by the most breathtaking mountains and from the camp site you can see the largest mountain in Connacht (which is a province of Ireland, kinda like a State in America)

                                       

And there's a really cute donkey called Ned who lives right beside the site!! (We found that he really likes when you feed him carrots!!) The only downfall to having Ned so close? He loves to have a little sing-song at 4 in the morning! 

Thanks for reading guys and we hoped you liked this post, we certainly enjoyed going on this adventure and we would love to hear if you guys have ever been to the west coast of Ireland, or any part of Ireland! Tell us in the comments!! 

Until Next Time, 
 

Gem and Jo take Waterford

 So last weekend we decided to hit the road and visit county Waterford. For those of you unfamiliar with Ireland, Waterford is located on the the south east coast of the Island and when we arrived we were met with beautiful sunny weather that the sunny south east is famous for. 
 After dropping our bags at the house (we were staying with some of Jo's family), we headed into the city to soak up some atmosphere. Although it was just an ordinary Saturday, the city was bustling and there was even a stage set up in the main square of the city (John Roberts square),  where a band was playing some great music. We walked around the city, did some shopping and looked at the historic  sites which Waterford is full of, (well it is the oldest city in Ireland), from Reginald's tower to the Medieval museum. 

We then headed to the book centre! This place is amazing! Don't be deceived by the outside, this place is huge on the inside (a bit like the Tardis).It used to be an old cinema. If you like books or stationary or anything in between this is the place for you. It has just about any book you could every want and a whole floor dedicated to stationary. It's a dreamland. 

The view from the cafe!

They also have a chocolate counter and a cafe which does some really good food This is where we had our lunch. The book centre is worth a trip to Waterford alone.

On Sunday We decided to hit the beach! We first went to Tramore and had a walk along the beach and then headed for a coffee in a local coffee shop.

We then headed onto Annestown beach where we had a swim (It wasn't that freezing!) and then had a picnic. 

On Monday we decided to head back into the city and we went to Geoff's Cafe bar for some food before we headed home. This place has great food and a brilliant atmosphere! 

After that we bought ice-creams and went and ate them in the near by community garden! The garden is only newly opened and is beautiful.

The garden is decorated with beautiful artwork and there is even a stage area. It was so nice and the weather was glorious!

We had such a great time! If you are thinking about heading to Waterford their annual Spraoi festival runs from 1st to the 3rd of August and the place will be vibrant with lots of music, street acts and even a parade and fireworks! check it out here

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to follow the blog!

Until next time. 

Gem and Jo Take Bray Head

So today we got up nice and early and went for a hike! We decided to climb Bray Head, which is in County Wicklow and is about 250 meters high. It's right in the middle of Bray town and on the seafront so when you get to the top the view is amazing!

While we had believed it was to be a fairly overcast day, it turned out to be very warm! Gemma was really glad she brought suncream with her! Here we are at the start of the hill!

The walk up is really nice, not too difficult and filled with beautiful scenery, we even saw lizards but they ran away before we could get any pictures! But he kinda looked like this guy:

photo: politics.ie

There is a gorgeous trail that leads all the way around the mountain and overlooks the Irish Sea, which looked incredibly inviting in the warm weather! The path was tough at times but mostly it was really pretty and filled with native plants and insects!

View from the trail!

There was a sad part to our hike though. A few weeks ago, during a bout of hot weather, we noticed that the hills visible from our house were on fire and today we realised it was Bray Head that had been burning! As we walked along the trail, most of the hillside was burnt to the ground and some was still smouldering! We were so shocked at the damage wild fires could do! If you're interested in how to prevent a wildfire or some safety tips, check out this website, they have tons of really helpful stuff! Here's a picture of one of the areas that was not too badly damaged:

With the smell of burnt plants still lingering, we walked further on and met some lovely people on the way, everyone was so friendly and there were a ton of tourists about!

Not only were the steep cliff sides beautiful but the skyline was fabulous too! And with Gemma being such a fan of clouds she took lots of photos of the sky! 

When we had finished the trek, we sat on the beach which is right in front of the car park where we had parked and enjoyed the sound of the waves! It was really nice to watch people having fun in the water in Ireland for once, it's usually freezing! 

It was a great day out and we really enjoyed getting active! If you're looking for a place to hike but aren't the most experienced, Bray Head is perfect for you! It's not too hard and doesn't take very long at all and there is no need for hiking gear unless it's been raining! Also parking is super cheap at only 30c an hour!! That's a steal! 

Why not visit Bray's website and have a look at the views for yourself here

Until next time!!