Wild atlantic wonder at MICHAEL'S HOUSE
Following on from our stay at ‘The Cottages’ in County Meath, we continued our adventure with a road trip cross-country down to the beautiful Kells Bay in County Kerry – read on to find out more!
Killarney National Park
The drive from County Meath is around 5 hours long, which can make for some weary toddlers, so we decided to break the journey up with a stop off at the incredibly scenic Killarney National Park. After 4 hours in the car, a walk in the park was just what we all needed! A little walkway from the car park, through some trees opens up to a huge green field with Muckross House to the left, horse and carriage rides to the right and a vast lake in front. After a short leg stretch, we enquired into what the horse and carriage ride entailed. The kids were infatuated with the idea of being carted around like “King and Queen” so naturally, in fear of presenting them with disappointing news, we paid up and were on our way. The trip takes you up along the lake, following a path that leads up through the forest and to the bottom of a magnificent waterfall. The carriage trip lasts around 45 minutes and takes you to the main landmarks around Muckross House whilst the driver provides some history of the property and the national park.
Michael’s House
Feeling re-energised after our exploration of Killarney National Park we got back into the car and hit the road for the last leg of our journey. The final stint just so happened to be the most incredible. We had heard about the Ring of Kerry as a beautiful road to drive on but we were not prepared for what we were greeted with. The winding roads hug the coastline of the North Atlantic Ocean and the rolling hills create for breathtaking views and sensational driving. People say it isn’t about the destination, but the journey that takes you there… In the case of Michael’s House, it’s both!
The house is a beautiful 4 bedroom property set in the hills of Kells Bay overlooking the Dingle peninsula, it is truly stunning! It is beautifully decorated, fully equipped with everything you could need and did I mention, it has a hot tub with panoramic views of the ocean and Irish countryside? No? Well it does! The open plan living space and wood burner make for such a cosy feel, the design of the house is just perfect! We unpacked our bags, popped a bottle and got settled in for our first night.
Dolphin Watching
We always like to do our research before we take a trip. Other than the stunning landscape there is another famous activity to take part in… finding Fungie! Fungie is a famous bottlenose dolphin who lives out in the Dingle waters, known for showing off for boats who come to meet him. As soon as we heard about him, we booked onto a boat and made the journey over to Dingle. Having arrived into Dingle just in time to make the 10:30 boat booking we boarded the boat and sat eagerly awaiting our Fungie encounter whilst the Captain gave a safety brief. We booked our trip with Dingle Sea Safari, it was the most suitable for young children with a large, comfortable boat and 1 hour time slot, just enough time for us to really enjoy the fantastic experience, The boat roared into life and, despite only being about 10 feet from the dock, the kids gripped the handrail and stared wilfully into the open water expecting immediate gratification. It wasn’t long before whispers of sightings began buzzing around the boat. Phone at the ready; watching the water for any signs of life, I heard Harry cry out “look, there he is!”, and to the surprise of everyone aboard, cruising alongside the boat was a 13ft long, 250kg FUNGIE! A moment that will live with Harry forever, he proudly informs anyone and everyone that he spotted Fungie first!
Dingle
Following all the excitement we explored the quaint little town of Dingle. It has some beautiful boutique shops which we enjoyed perusing before finally setting down for lunch at ‘The Fish Box’. Disguised as a run of the mill fish and chip shop, the little gem provides incredible seafood meals that stretches much further than just cod and chips. The menu boasts seafood meals including crab claws, crispy monkfish and prawn linguine as well as the classic fish and chips. We ordered a variety of plates to share, we just couldn’t decide on one each with the menu being so incredible, and dined until the belt buckle had to be loosened! The food at The Fish Box is fantastic and definitely a top recommendation from us if you’re in Dingle.
Kells Bay Gardens
We had been given a recommendation by Michael to visit Kells Bay House and Gardens, so the following morning we decided to pay it a visit. Just a 5 minute drive up the road, Kells Bay offers a beautiful walk through the grounds with hidden dinosaur sculptures to find, and a rich history to read up on. Along the walk there is a huge collection of palm trees, a waterfall and Ireland’s longest ropewalk bridge. After our walk we took a drive to the local town, Cahersiveen for a bite to eat and to see what else this little patch of paradise in Ireland had to offer. We stopped to eat at a little bistro called Camo’s which offered delicious food and a lovely, chatty, café atmosphere.
Date Night
In the evening, we managed to sneak away from the kids for a few hours, one of the many upsides of bringing Grandma (Gaga) along on a trip is the free babysitting services! It was our first anniversary meal so we researched the best places to eat in the area. We found that two restaurants came up a lot in our searches, QC in Cahersiveen and O’Neill’s The Point in Reenard. As fate would have it, QC is closed on Mondays so we booked into The Point for our anniversary meal. We had no preconceived ideas of what to expect from O’Neills other than that the food was meant to be very good. As we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was a traditional Irish pub set close to a pier overlooking the sea, a quietly romantic setting hidden in the beautiful Irish countryside. We were seated promptly and had a drink in hand not long after. The menu is fresh fish dishes only, so if you’re not a fish fan, steer clear… If, like us, you love a fish dish, O’Neill’s offers a delicious menu, great service and a cosy Irish pub feel.
Cliffs of Moher
On our final day in Ireland, our flight home was a late one which meant we had some time to kill before our flight. With a 5 hour drive to contend with, we thought we would take the opportunity to break the journey up and take the Wild Atlantic Way up the West coast and visit the famous Cliffs of Moher. After 3 hours travelling up the country lanes of the Wild Atlantic Way and a ferry, we finally arrived. Reaching the viewing point, near O’Brien’s Tower with 2 young and weary children in tow, is no easy feat… especially if you end up having to carry one (or both) of them! However, once atop the cliff face, the views across the sea, looking out across the cliffs is sensational. The sheer vertical drop of the enormous cliffs, as if carved by a knife, is nothing short of majestic and well worth making a trip for if you’re close enough. Included in the entry price is an exhibition centre, built into the cliffs alongside some boutique shops, giving a history of the cliffs.
Our time at Michael’s house was like something out of a movie! The location is absolutely out of this world! A little out of the way so make sure to grab your wine and crisps from the local town before you set off on your scenic drive up to the house. The views, the hot tub, the stylish decor, warm welcome and cosy log burner…this house is PERFECT for your Ireland trip!
Love,
The Big Dreams Family x
