Accidental Tourists

Of all the Newcastle's in the world... this is one of them!

Irish Pub of the Week #3 - The Sail Inn, Clogherhead, County Louth

Silent Valley is an appropriate name. You can almost hear the silence.
(please click on any of these photos for a larger version)

Photo Link: <Best Of Ireland photos>

It's really great to go to places within an hour of home (in Ireland), that are so bloody brilliant, so diverse. It's weird enough that we can actually see the Mourne Mountains (on a good day), from the main window of our apartment, and had never been there. The Mourne Mountains, and the little town of Newcastle where the mountains meet the sea. Newcastle, with it's Victorian Terrace seafront, amusement arcades and good cafes couldn't be any more different than Annagassan. They even use a different currency... But it's only an hour away. I guess we used to explore our "backyard" in Brisbane too, but when you live somewhere, you think you know your own region so you spend your weekends at home, or doing something else. So Ireland is just made for exploring. Every day I can drive down a new country lane I've never been on before, or see a different Norman ruin or ancient church. Last week, I discovered 2 country pubs less than 10 minutes from Annagassan. This week, vast fields of yellow flowers emerged in the Spring temperatures. So this weekend, we found new sights and tastes in a region just north of where we live - the Mourne Mountains. The weather can vary of course. It was quite warm today. The clouds rolled in over the hills and rain threatened, but never really happened. We went for a 3km walk at the Tollymore Forest Park (far too easy, we should have done longer). We had a great lunch at the Seasalt Cafe in Newcastle (notes from Lonely Planet Ireland). We took a loop walk around the Silent Valley Reservoir. Silent it was too, apart from the distant bleating of sheep in lush fields. Thankfully, the reservoirs here look a lot healthier than poor old Wivenhoe. So we drove home to Annagassan, sat down in our loungeroom, and gazed at the Mourne Mountains again!