The Canary Island Dragon Trees, Dracaena draco, are native to the islands as well parts of Africa and the Azores. They are strange and beautiful things. The biggest and oldest living “drago” as the locals call them, is about 300 years old and can be found in northwest Tenerife. SEE The dragon trees grow slowly and often stand […]
day trip
Santa Cruz, La Palma
Spanish speaking places can be confusing geographically in that there are many different places with the same names. There’s Las Palmas, and then there’s La Palma. There’s Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and then there’s Santa Cruz de la Palma. Just to be clear, the latter is the capital city of the island of […]
Roque de los Muchachos, La Palma
While the highest point of Spain is Mount Teide, the highest point of the island of La Palma is this strange rock formation that looks like three dudes, called Roque de los Muchachos. There’s a parking area there and a few short, beautiful walks to look out points. It’s also part of many a hiking route. […]
Rocky Bay
In good weather, Rocky Bay can get busy. People might bring those little disposable barbecues with them, beach towels decorate the space and small children work away with a spade in the sand while the brave ones hop in the waves with their hands up. When the tide is low, there is more beach to go round […]
The Old Head
One of my most favourite places ever, has to be The Old Head of Kinsale. Right on the end of the peninsula is a golf course that’s just for members, and a good-looking one it must be too, but I just go for the views. Here are a few photos from winter and a few from […]
Coumduala Loop, Nire Valley
In the Nire Valley, Waterford, there are four different hikes you can do through valleys, over mountains and to lakes. We thought it would be a good idea to do the Coumduala Loop in the rainy season. It was cold, and there was a lot of bogginess to get through, but the scenery was rewarding and it […]
A walk at Ballinspittle
This little town is a great place to stop over at if you’re on the way south to the Old Head of Kinsale or Garrettstown Beach. Just south of the town is a place where you can pull over and enjoy a walk through forests and gorse (in season).
Kilkenny Cathedral
Called St. Canice Cathedral to some, this limestone church was also known by the fancy name of the Diocese of Ossory. The round tower next to it, dates back to the ninth century and with tickets, you can climb to the top for a good view of Kilkenny (there’s only one other round tower in Ireland that takes […]
Red Barn Beach
It was midday when we stopped over at Red Barn Beach near Youghal, but it almost looked like dawn. The brooding clouds diffused the light really nicely and the colours and reflections were muted and gentle. It was a really good day to have my camera with me. There’s so much space on this beach […]
Kilkenny City
Situated on and around the Nore River is the quaint city of Kilkenny (it’s a small city, but not a town). It’s two hours north-east of Cork on the M8 and coming from Dublin, it’s just 100km away. The main attraction is surely the castle, but there are plenty of other attractions in and around the […]