Midlife Roadtrip around the West of Ireland – The Verdict

What a surprise my midlife roadtrip turned out to be! I travelled alone and have never enjoyed a holiday so much. Despite some drizzly, grey days the west of Ireland proved full of surprises. The roads were surprisingly good – much better than I had anticipated – and sat nav meant I didn’t get lost or stressed while driving. I enjoyed the freedom of walking in ancient woodlands and across open pastures. I saw a museum or two and circumnavigated the mountains of Connemara. I visited gardens of many varieties – ancient, neglected, walled, celtic, modern and witnessed  tumultous rhodedendron cascading down Kerry mountain sides. I hugged some elderly oaks, took a ride in a jaunting cart and managed to get my “I’m on a boat” badge from @foursquare. Ivisited the grave of William Butler Yeats and the childhood haunts of Lady Gregory although it was still too early in the year for the Wild Swans at Coole. I sampled the hospitality of some really good hotels, taking advantage of the fact that recession here in Ireland means there are fantastic deals to be had – particularly worth of mention are Currarevagh House in Connemara and the Muckross Park Hotel in Killarney. I enjoyed a treatment here and there and plenty of thalassotherapy in a variety of spa pools. I visited the zoo at Fota, the Marian Shrine at Knock, the Lusitania memorial at Cobh, enjoyed a stroll through the grounds of Ashford Castle and admired the quaint and wonderful little village of Cong, County Mayo. The daily drives varied from an hour and a half to about three hours on the longest day. Will I do it again? Certainly, and soon. Would I do anything different? Bring a voice recorder because the sheer volume of sights and experiences was too much to record in a notebook or on the laptop at the end of each day. Where can you find out about deals? I used the bookassist.com website to book some of my hotels (discounts on most rooms).