ZigZag Wanderer

Thursday 2nd October 2025

I guess, as we’re getting quite close to the right-hand bottom corner now, and just about to start the final leg northwards, this could well be the last (Irish) blog of the trip. There is, however, a short Welsh section to come, so we’ll see how it pans out.

The day started with very blustery, although dry, conditions. However, the wind was very much more noticeable from our elevated park-up than on the beach below, which was pleasant enough.

We’d been threatened, by the Met Office, with heavy rain from 10am, but it remained dry until we moved on at around 1pm. Indeed, there was no rain until 2pm while we had lunch parked at Kilmore Quay, and even that was quite light.

Sat there, overlooking the harbour, it was plain to see that Ireland still has a substantial fishing industry, with much of the fleet being in, and more arriving as we ate. There’s further evidence in the local outlets and packing plant too.

Kilmore Quay is a very pleasant place, with several cafés and restaurants, and many thatched cottages around the village. The Grounds Bakery, where we obtained bread, cakes, and coffee for lunch (alongside a very nice chowder bought the day before and heated in the van) is also a servery with a few outside tables, and we can certainly recommend a visit. Lovely fresh-baked produce and coffee.

We moved on, following lunch, through the increasingly poor weather, parking up for the night on the northern outskirts of Rosslare, just round the corner on the northwards leg, facing the Irish Sea instead of the Celtic Sea. It’s not the most scenic spot, but it has toilets, and a water tap, and it’s only a few steps from another nice beach, so no complaints here. However – didn’t it rain? Bucketed down all evening and night. Bah.

Friday 3rd October 2025

It was still raining, pretty hard too, so we just did the obvious thing and ate overstuffed bacon sarnies!

We’d already booked a couple of nights on a campsite (the second of the trip) so we could shelter a bit from the incoming storm – winds of 60+ mph forecast. However, when we got there we found the site is pretty exposed, so there was little respite. Thankfully, though, by about 5pm it was easing off a little and the sun put in an appearance.

Looking towards Wexford from the campsite

The site is pretty good, too. It’s attached to the town’s swimming pool/gym complex, and has decent, very clean facilites, and all pitches are large and hard-standing, each having a tap and 12A outlet. Recommended.

Apart from the still-strong wind, it was actually quite pleasant, and far from cold. That’s been a feature of the trip really; even when the weather has been particularly foul, it’s rarely been cold. I did debate, before the trip started, whether I should pack an extra CampingGaz 907 to run the blown-air heating, but we have hardly used it. Indeed, with no heat at all last night, the van was at a too-warm 24.5 degrees at bedtime. Ridiculous for early October.

And then the sun went down

The above pics were taken in the direction of Wexford town, which is just across Wexford Bridge, over the River Slaney, from here in Ferrybank Camping. Hopefully the weather will show a little clemency tomorrow and we’ll take a walk over there.

Saturday 4th October 2025

A rather rough night, that.

The wind certainly howls in over the bay here, and I had to remove the screen cover, which was identifying as more of a kite than anything. Still, the sun was shining even if the van was rocking. It was forecast to moderate a bit as the day progressed so we left it until midday to brave the very long and very exposed bridge, but it was still wild enough to blow yer ‘at orf (so mine went in me skyrocket).

Wexford’s a pleasant, compact county town – and pretty busy on a Saturday. We walked along the quay, alongside the railway tracks and the trawlers, and on into the well-stocked centre.

All in all, it’d be a very acceptable first/last stop for anyone using the ferries at Rosslare, just down the road.

Sunday 5th October 2025

That awful wind has dropped right away. It’s still breezy, with the occasional gust, but what a relief. The sun is out, it’s fairly warm. All’s well.

Across the bay. Rosslare beyond the headland, right, and sun centre-stage.

It was kick-out day, so we filled with water, dumped rubbish, and generally fannied around until nearly midday when we hit the road north towards our next county, Wicklow, and Arklow harbour.

Arklow harbour and river

We’d contemplated staying the night here, by the river, but on parking and taking a walk through town, it just didn’t feel right. Arklow has to be one of the most run-down and neglected, if not utterly depressing places we’ve visited – certainly in Ireland. Shop after business closed, and many buildings along the High Street without even roofs (and trees growing out of them!).

Just one example. ‘Arklow Open for Business’. I think not

Even allowing for the fact that it was a Sunday afternoon, there really didn’t appear to be anything stirring in or around this particular incipient-corpse, and it really didn’t feel ‘right’ so we moved on.

M spotted what looked a likely candidate on Park 4 Night, a few kilometres north, and so it transpired. It’s just a small parking area next to a cut-through onto the dune-backed Brittas beach.

And lovely it is too. Her Lacyship had a rare old time running free on beach and dunes, and we enjoyed a pleasant walk as well.

Looking south…

…and artily westwards

Monday 6th October 2025

What a glorious morning to wake up to. Clear blue, wonderfully warm, and still. It’s typical isn’t it? Home in just a couple of days!

Lacy got two walks on the beach, and eventually we tore ourselves away as we wanted to visit Wicklow, before positioning ourselves on Tuesday for the run to Dublin and the ferry on Wednesday.

We’d almost made it there too, when we came across a road accident/collision forcing a detour. Hope they were OK.

The detour was minor and we were soon checking out a couple of potential park-ups. Neither were ideal, but one was far better than the other, so we chose that. Damn, though. It cost us 50 cents for the day 😉

Capstan Full Strength

Wicklow is pleasant enough to wander around. It’s another fishing port, but immeasurably nicer than Arklow.

We had a quick lunch on the High Street, and then walked round to the far side of the harbour for a great view of the boats and the Wicklow mountains to the north.

Meandering back, we crossed the river via the old arched circa 1690 road bridge, and again via the pedestrian bridge (a somewhat later 1940s vintage) a little upstream, finally settling at what is purported to be Eire’s most easterly pub (we seem to be hitting all the compass points!), The Brass Fox, for cold pints of alchy-free draught Guinness. Very good it was too, and very welcome.

Lovely day for a Guinness. Don’t ask me what the Welsh flag’s about

Then cups of tea, and Lacy’s dinnertime back at the van, just a few yards from the seafront once again. A very pleasant day, all said.

Tuesday 7th October 2025

That was a surprisingly peaceful night given how busy the area was yesterday evening.

It dawned quite dull and overcast, yet calm and not cold at all.

Needing some food for Lacy, we’d already decided on a walk round town, and a hunt for a proper breakfast – and boy did we find a proper breakfast?

There are two fried eggs hiding under that lot too, and pots of tea included.

I have to say it was the best brekky I’ve had in a long time, and really good value, and very dog-friendly in there. Well done Hanna’s Restaurant, Wicklow.

Having eaten ourselves to a standstill, and picked up Lacy’s snap, it was time to move on – this time to Dun Laoghaire, just south of Dublin. Mandi wanted a look here so she could visit the site of her great-great-grandparents’ wedding, and also view the harbour wall which he’d helped to build as a stonemason.

The church – or what’s left of it following a fire in the sixties – of St Michael’s is an imposing and impressive one, and I obviously couldn’t fail to note the parallels with my own St Michael’s Cathedral in Coventry.

John McDonnell and Frances Moore lived in nearby Blackrock, but moved to England during the potato famine, with their daughter Elizabeth, who sadly saw out her days in the workhouse in Liverpool.

A small but interesting fact is that Frances is also an ancestor of the late, great blues guitarist Gary Moore, who I can happily say I once saw play live on the same bill as BB King, on Blues Boy’s Farewell European tour.

We drove on through Blackrock itself, and then west away from Dublin towards our next (final on the Irish leg) park-up by the canal near Robertstown, Co. Kildare, passing the famous Mondello Park race track on the way, then crossing the Liffey on a single-lane stone bridge near Caragh.

It started raining a little before we arrived, and then continued raining quite a lot for quite a while!

A couple of location shots – post rain – at the park-up, to finish. These were both taken at 7.45pm in opposite directions along the canal. It was quite dark, and therefore they had to be enhanced somewhat. Apologies for the quality.