Returning to Dublin with Hikes along the Way

Tuesday, May 22, 2012--Sligo to Dublin

Our hotel which I reported as being a bit gaudy served us the best Irish breakfast we have had on the trip.  Their black and white puddings (sausages) were more tender and tasty than any others.  They had baked beans on the plate.  Everything was great.  They also had lots of extras--good granola, nice yogurt, three nice cheeses, good brown bread, fresh fruits, etc.

It's time for us to leave Ireland for Northern Ireland.  Therefore, today was a driving day to get back to Dublin so we can return the rental car tomorrow and catch the bus to Londonderry.  There was drizzle when we got up, but it had stopped by the time we left the hotel.  We had clouds most of the day, and it finally cleared off by 4:30 as we entered Dublin.

The first half of our route took us through a very beautiful part of Ireland with green hills and lots of lakes.  We called it The Lake District although we have not read anything designating it that way.

We stopped twice for hikes.  The first was in Ballinamore where we walked along an old canal.  It was a nice, bucolic stroll through the countryside with the canal on one side of us.  It was interesting to see the controls for the locks which are self-operated when a person brings a boat up or down the canal.  (The boat operators have to have a special card to insert so that just anyone [meaning Wes] can't have fun opening and closing the locks over and over again.)

Our next walk was a long loop trail through the woods and near lakes in Killeshandra.  It was 6 km (3.5 miles) long.  The best part of it was the beautiful sounds of the songbirds.  We couldn't find them in the trees, but they sure did entertain us.  There were also many wild flowers with the types of flowers changing along the trail rather than staying the same the whole way.

We arrived at our Metro Hotel Dublin Airport around 4:30 and checked in.  The neighborhood is not so great.  It is very suburban and open.  But it is just 3 minutes from the airport so that we can easily get there to return our car tomorrow before our 10:00 a.m. deadline.  We'll catch the bus to Londonderry direct from the airport at 10:20 if all goes well.