London, South of England & Ireland Trip Report

There are not many restaurant reviews included in my trip report. I am not a Foodie so don’t really care where I eat as long as the café/pub/restaurant is clean, staff is pleasant and food reviews are decent. Just like home, simple food is my preference. I do not want a long, drawn out meal when I’m alone, but neither do I want to be rushed or stuck in a corner because I’m dining solo.

I usually don’t plan meals ahead. I eat when I’m hungry. I’ve become a little picky with age, or maybe I always was and just didn’t have to eat “weird” foods. I should mention that I packed several Cliff bars for an emergency snack. I planned to go to grocery stores to restock snack bars, but only found chocolate with this and chocolate with that and I’m allergic to chocolate.

London:
Sightseeing & Entertainment: Trip Day 2, I wanted to visit the Wallace Collection since I researched my 2022 trip to London and France. I finally made it on arrival day. It displays all my interests: 16th to 18th century furniture, artifacts and art. I walked through museums slowly to look at everything. After two hours, jetlag hit. I had to save the second floor for another visit. See Bloomberg Connects app for a tour guide.

Trip Day 3, I got outside early to walk to the Household Cavalry Museum. I always add a few horsey experiences. I found the museum disappointing; a couple bridles, an old saddle, a few uniforms and weapons for the King’s Life Guard’s from the past century. See Bloomberg Connects app for a tour guide.

There is Changing of the Guard three days a week. The best part was sunglasses on a police horse with sensitive eyes. Sunglasses on horses is not something I’ve seen in Arizona. The police presence was not as large as I would have predicted considering the back of No.10 Downing Street can partially be seen from the parade grounds.

From there I walked to Café in the Crypt in the basement of St Martin-in-the Field church for lunch, pie and coffee. Good food, interesting setting with old grave markers on the floor (bodies were removed over a century ago).

I then walked across the street to the National Portrait Gallery. I love history although I don’t know as much as I should. The gallery does a very good job with layout and signing to show history from the Tudor reign to current kings, queens and extended family, dukes, earls and mistresses.

Last stop for the day was Evensong at Westminster Abbey. I’m not religious but enjoyed the choir and music. However, I should have booked the verger tour for the Abbey’s history, more in line with my interests.

Trip Day 4, Today I started at the Sir John Soane Museum. Judging for the lack of crowds, it’s underappreciated. The house and its intact furnishings are as Sir Soane left them. The museum is his eclectic wall-to-wall, floor to multi story ceiling collections of Egyptian and Roman artifacts, books and architecture drawings. See Bloomberg Connects app for a tour guide.

After a poke bowl lunch, I walked to the British Museum, arriving earlier than my ticket time. No wait, got right in. After three hours of viewing exhibits in the crowded overly-warm museum, I was ready to move on. Giordanna, my Eating London food tour guide recommended reading Ghosts of the British Museum by Noah Angell. I just bought the book from Amazon since I didn’t find a copy while in England.

My original plan was to go to the British Library but decided on dinner and an early night instead. It’s starting to sound like I need another trip to London to see what I’ve missed during three visits.

Trip Day 5, Met the Rabbie’s Oxford & Cotswold Day Tour at Victoria Station. By now I’m getting comfortable taking the tube or bus wherever I need to go. Our guide Peter was new to Rabbie’s but an experience bus drive. He was informative, commenting on the areas as he drove. The tour included time in Oxford, its oldness appealed to me. Next stop was Burford, a market town for shopping and lunch with an old cemetery to explore. Then Bibury which is considered the “most beautiful village” in England, picturesque 18th century houses, but it’s very tiny.

Trip Day 6, The day started at the Kings Gallery for the Edwardians Age of Elegance exhibit. This was the first ticket I booked and, as I was planning the trip, I started to have second thoughts. I’m so glad I went. Victorian and Edwardian eras are my favorite. The exhibit highlighted King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra and included their coronation robes and gown, besides the usual portraits and early photographs.

Today was a busy day. Next stop was Eating London’s Heart of the City Tour. Eating Europe tours never disappoint; this was my seventh. Giordanna was an excellent guide, knew her London City history and wove it into the restaurants we stopped at. The family of four who also signed up for the tour cancelled so this became a thoroughly enjoyable private restaurant and history tour.

Tonight was Theater Night. Before leaving home while watching the Tony Awards I decided to see Operation Mincemeat. My review is mixed: The play is fun because it’s a musical comedy based on a true World War 2 spy story acted by a five person ensemble. It is fast paced action and tender ballads. However, many song lyrics were difficult to understand because the music is fast and overly loud. I thought it was my old ears until I heard the 20-ish year old women behind me say the same. The red strobe lights added little and were annoying.

Trip Day 7, I met the Rabbie’s bus at Victoria Bus Station for the Cambridge and Medieval England Day Tour. This is a new tour for Rabbie’s. Our guide Dominic was informative once we arrived at the town and villages, he was not as talkative during the drive. First stop was Thaxted a medieval village with timber framed houses and a restored windmill. Then on to Cambridge for a wander and lunch. Lastly was Saffron Walden, a 16th Century wool and saffron market town. We arrived too late for the Saturday Market and no time to explore the museums. My review to Rabbies was change the order of the towns.

Trip Day 8 part 1, I said good-bye to Mike at the B&B and took the tube to St Pancras to catch the train to Canterbury. I was so proud of myself for managing public transportation for the whole week. The RS South of England tour starts tomorrow.

Hotel: 122 Great Titchfield St B&B, a warehouse converted to a house and then to the B&B in Fitzrovia. All rooms are en-suite. My room was the smallest at the back of the house overlooking rooftops, but for one person it was fine. There is no elevator but the two flights of stairs were easy to climb. Typically English, there’s no A/C. London had a heat wave while I was there, 85° is far from hot but the 55% humidity was way more than I’m used to. Give me “dry heat” any day. With the window open and the fan fanning, the room was cool enough to comfortably sleep.

The breakfast Mike served was pure joy. Choice of foods and the fresh fruit bowl was a treat. I stayed six nights. Payment is usually by PayPal, but since I don’t use PayPal, Mike agreed with cash at check-in. I bought £ from BAC before leaving home so I won’t have to deal with ATMs when jetlagged or exceed the bank’s daily limit. Thank you Cyn on the forum for the referral. For anyone looking for a budget hotel, away from daily hustle and bustle but easy access to sights, I recommend this B&B, website is https://bb-london.co.uk/

Food: There are many restaurants close to B&B Titchfield. I had a long list of restaurants to try but as with many best laid plans didn’t go to any. My first dinner was at Abla Great Portland St, Middle East food and good Falafel. There’s a pub two doors down from Abla which was disappointing, microwaved fish with frozen French fries. Hard cider helps any food taste better. Pret A Manger became my go-to food stop, quick, easy and consistently adequate. St. Mary Le Bow Church has a table service restaurant in the basement. I didn’t eat there because it was the meeting stop for the food tour. I looked around on the way to the loo and was sorry I wouldn’t be back in the area to try their food.

Canterbury Pre-Tour:
Sightseeing: Trip Day 8 part 2, I didn’t have any sightseeing planned for arrival day, which was Sunday. I needed a new pair of sun glasses and found a sports store that had closeout prices. Happy with my purchase since they fit my small face. As I was wandering around old town getting my bearings I saw the Beaney Museum. Was it a museum of beans? Or Beany Babies? It was like stepping back into my childhood when the local museum had a bit of everything: taxidermy, artifacts, swords, art, household memorabilia and toys. The collection began as a community library donated by James Beaney. It’s well worth an hour visit.

Trip Day 9, A visit to St Augustine’s Abby ruins started my morning sightseeing. The church/monastery began in 500AD and has been in ruins since Henry VIII’s destruction of monasteries and churches. It is well-signed to understand the layout and history. There is a small museum for artifacts.

Afterwards I got a little lost but found the punt boat dock. A punt boat tour was planned during the South of England tour. I discovered a used book store and had to buy a 100 year old child’s book “Donald the Daring” for my husband Don. By then it was time to meander back to the hotel to meet the tour group.

Hotel: I spend one night pre-tour at the tour hotel Canterbury Cathedral Lodge. Fantastic location on the plaza within the confines of Canterbury Cathedral. Modernized, lovely en-suite room, elevator but no air conditioning. As mentioned, I’m use to warm but not humid; the room was uncomfortable until close to 10pm each night when the night air could seep in. The room had three windows that overlooked the courtyard. The windows only opened 3 inches which did not allow much airflow. Our guide, Roy, said the first time he stayed at the Lodge, he thought the windows should open more. Thinking they were stuck, he pushed hard against one and broke the safety stop. The rooms had table fans. The reception and meeting areas has circulating vented air to help cool the area. https://www.canterburycathedrallodge.org/

Food: The Old Weavers House was my choice for dinner. The timber framed building is from 15th century with 16th & 20th century add-ons. After reading others’ England trip reports, I had to try beef Sunday Roast since it was Sunday. I enjoyed dinner on the vine covered patio alongside the Stour River.

RS South of England Tour:
General Impressions: Of the five Rick Steves tours I’ve taken, this tour rates top of the list. All have been good for content and guides, a couple tours were exceptional all-around. But this South of England tour was special. Not because of the itinerary. Not because of the guide. But because of tour mates. Everyone was friendly and inclusive. As a solo traveler I never lacked for companions at meals or during free time, with other solos, duos or couples,
Age group ranged from mid-30’s to early-80’s. For a few this was their first RS tour; for one couple this tour was their 10th; the rest of us were in the middle.

Roy, our guide, was very good, informative about the area and sights. He is an archaeologist by training, specializing in the Bronze Age. A longtime guide, he’s been guiding Rick Steves’ tours for 35 years and is retiring at the end of this season. Living in the South of England, he knows the area. He added quick stops along the routes so we could see more of the area.

Therein lays mild criticism. During the meet and greet, he didn’t mention the “buddy system”. Tour mates explained the system to first-timers and everyone stepped in to choose buddies. His directions were not descriptive. “Meet at the seawall” means little to those who do not know the town layout.

Sightseeing: This is an overly long synopsis of what we did and saw. Some things were not on the published itinerary, add-ons for a better experience. Some things on the itinerary were skipped or days changed.
My trip report is my trip journal so it’s easier to relive my days in England and Ireland. To be honest, I did not make great notes along the way, so had to do some research to write this. I numbered the trip and tour days trying to keep them organized. Hope it’s not confusing.

Tour Day 1, The group met at Canterbury Cathedral Lodge for introductions and to get acquainted. We met at 4:30 instead of 5pm which should have been communicated better since not everyone knew to find the posted schedule. Afterwards we walked through parts of Canterbury and then to our group dinner.

Tour Day 2, We were divided into two groups to alternately tour Canterbury Cathedral with guide Catherine and stained glass window conservation with Fernando. We did not meet stone masons to learn about masonry preservation. The stain glass conservation was especially interesting. Years ago a friend taught my husband how to make stain glass windows for two of our houses and flash glass house numbers.

After a pub lunch with a tour mate at the Parrot Pub, oldest pub in town, we regrouped into four boatloads for a punt boat tour on the River Stour. Punts are flat bottom shallow water wooden boats. Instead of oars, the boats are controlled by standing oarsman with a pole, similar to a gondola in Venice. Bridges across the Stour are low so everyone ducked.

The beer tasting at the Foundry Brew Pub was rescheduled from Day 3 to Day 2, more time to relax and enjoy. Besides brewing beer, they are an award winning, small batch distiller. I’m not a beer drinker so instead of beer, I chose gin and tonic.

Tour Day 3, Today was rainy and cold, an unwelcome break from England’s heat wave. We donned our rain coats and carried on to see Dover Castle. First stop was the Secret Tunnels used during World War 2 and before for west coast protection and operations for the evacuation of Dunkirk and planning D-Day.

We were then free for lunch and to tour the castle. The castle is attached to a Roman turret. Much of its history dates from King Henry II to Tudor times.

A group of us got lost trying to find the tour bus. Along the way I slipped on the wet cobble stones and landed hard. Testing each of my joints, decided I was ok, a little sore but nothing bruised or broken. As a result I stayed on the bus during a look at the White Cliffs of Dover. The consensus was the cliffs were hidden from view by the rain and fog so I didn’t miss anything.

On the way back to Canterbury, we had an unscheduled stop at the RAF Memorial honoring the pilots and crew of the Battle of Britain with a memorial wall and replicas of planes. Bob the Squadron Dog was honored with a statue.

Tour Day 4, We’re on the road to our overnight at Alfriston. First stop was the Battle of Hastings site where William the Conqueror began his conquest of England. Battle Abbey was built on the site of the battle The original Abbey is in ruins but parts rebuilt into a manor house. The manor house made a good photo background.

Pevensey Castle is 20 miles to the southwest on the way to Beachy Head. It’s not listed in the tour itinerary but worth the short stop. The castle is partially surrounded by a moat. In the courtyard is a stack of catapult stones which look like huge cannon balls.

We had an unscheduled stop at the resort town Eastbourne to see the Victorian pier and eat ice cream. Last stop of the day was Beachy Head where we walked along the trail to view the chalk cliffs and lighthouse in the distance.

After checking in to Wingrove House in Alfrison, Roy led most of group through the town. Several of us decided to sip drinks on the patio instead. The bartender followed my recipe for a Mayan Coffee: a cup of coffee with a shot of Kahlua, a shot of rum and cream.

Tour Day 5, We headed to Portsmouth in the morning for a three hour visit to the historical shipyards. We were set free to explore. I spent all the time at the Mary Rose museum, King Henry VIII’s flag ship. The ship sank from wind catching sail during a battle, not from shelling. Wind caught the sails and tipped the ship onto its side. Centuries later it was excavated from mud with intact artifacts that display life onboard the 1500’s warship. The exhibit reminded me of Stockholm’s Vasa Museum which I saw in 1969 and never forgot. Time capsules from one day in history. I ran out of time to see Lord Nelson’s HMS Victory. Those who visited said it was interesting and liked the displays.

Then it was on to Salisbury for hotel check-in at my favorite hotel on the tour, the Rose & Crown. Roy then led us on walking tour past the cathedral into town. Several of us met for pub drinks and dinner at Ox Row Inn in the market square.

Tour Day 6, The next morning we walked the half mile to Salisbury Cathedral for a tour of it and the Chapter House’s copy of the Magna Carte, one of four originals. Our knowledgeable guide Elizabeth explained some of the unusual sights within the cathedral, like the Cope Chest, a semi-circular wooden chest which held priests’ clerical robes, the oldest working bell tower clock mechanism and how they checked the water table below the church.

The rest of the day was free time to explore the town. Across the Cathedral Close, a grass park, is museum row. A tour mate visited Mompesson House with me. I warned her that I spend a lot of time in museums so we soon parted. The Georgian house is furnished as it would have been in the 18th century. Beside the rear formal gardens is a tea house and used book store.

Next stop a few door down was Arundells, the home of former Prime Minister Edwin Heath (1970-1974). Heath restored the house and decorated it in 1960’s country-style, one room for his military mementoes and a hallway filled with original political cartoons. I didn’t know his story so the cartoons lacked content. Heath’s claim to fame was decimalizing the currency and negotiating UK’s entry into the European Union.

Tour Day 7, We had an early start to reach Stonehenge before the crowds began arriving. From the visitor center, buses take visitors to and from the monuments. Roy was the perfect guide because of his knowledge of the Bronze Age. Stonehenge is huge and impressive, but my first impression was that it isn’t as large as I expected. It’s an illusion because the stones are seen from a distance for their protection. You can’t walk up to them to see how massive they are. We left wondering how Stonehenge was built. At the visitor center, there is a mock-up village of low, stick huts to show how Bronze Age people lived.

We stopped in Abbotsbury for Cream Tea, clotted cream and jam on scones. Some clotted cream has the texture of and tastes like butter, but this was creamy like thick top cream. Delicious!

Afterwards we headed to the Jurassic Coast. We stopped a seaside resort town to stretch our legs walking on the dunes and beach. From watching “Escape to the Country” episodes (TV show) which include the Jurassic Coast I expected the entire coast to be cliffs with fossils. No fossils or shells, but I picked up a small sea-tumbled granite rock as a souvenir.

Last stop was our hotel for two nights, The Three Crown. (See review below)

Tour Day 8, Today was spent in Dartmoor National Park moors. Wild Dartmoor ponies roam the moors in small bands. I was thrilled when a tour mate was able to catch them galloping away on a short video.

Main stop today was Merrivale, a Bronze Age settlement with stone circles and ritual sights that look like road markers. They are short like tombstones instead of massive like Stonehenge.

On the way to Warren House Inn for a group Ploughman’s lunch, bread, cheese and meats, we stopped at Postbridge to see a medieval “clapper” bridge, a narrow stone bridge over a small river over which pack ponies carried tin from the mines.

Last stop before returning to Chagford for free time and group Happy Hour, was the church at Dartmoor Prison in Princeton. The cemetery has grave markers with initials, not names, of US prisoners of war from the War of 1812.

Tour Day 9, Tintagel was on my must see list. Although the King Arthur reference is fable not fact, the windswept stone ruins were interesting, built later than King Arthur supposedly lived. The modern foot bridge to the island had unusual on-edge slate paving tiles. See Bloomberg Connects app for a tour guide.

On the drive to our Cornwall hotel, we stopped at Port Isaac, known for the exteriors for BBC’s Doc Martin’s Portween. As a fan of Doc Martin, it was easy to identify the buildings and exteriors used in the series. The seagulls were vicious, grabbing a sausage roll out of the hand of one tour mate and swooping over another tour mate’s back to grab his mint chocolate chip ice cream from the cone.

After checking into St. Michael’s Resort in Falmouth, we drove to a pub for a group fish-and-chip dinner. After dinner we were entertained by an a cappella ensemble of nine men, singing Cornish folk songs to explain Cornish history and way of life.

Tour Day 10, Today was a free day in Falmouth. A morning walking tour led us to the wharf and shopping area. One of the day’s choices was to take the ferry across the bay to St Mawes. I chose to have a quiet day, wandering through the tourist shops along the quay.

I stopped at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. After the visit to the Mary Rose, I had high hopes for this museum. I found it was disappointing but other tour mates enjoyed it. Two small rooms had artifacts and history of ships in the region. There is a large room displaying old row and motorized boats, but since many are hanging from the ceiling, close-up viewing was impossible. The basement displayed two rooms of surfing history and memorabilia, starting with a 1920’s ”coffin” surf board made from a coffin lid.

Tour Day 11, We each made a pasty for our lunch at Portreath Bakery owned by Marion Symonds. For those with special diets, pasties were pre-made for them. A pasty is a hand pie filled with beef, potato, turnip and onion. If done right, the filling does not leak out of the crust. These were originally miner food. Miners held the pie by the thick crimped edge because their hands were dirty.

We carried our lunch sacks to St. Michael’s Mount, an island castle and formal garden. We had to arrive in time for the low tide so we could walk along the beach and over the causeway to the island. We had several hours to eat our packed pasty and explore the castle and gardens. The stairs up the castle reminded me I am no longer young and agile. They were built from cobble stone, rocks and boulders, sections with and without handrails. This castle has furniture and artifacts so I was glad I met the stair challenge. The balcony overlooked the formal garden below.

The hike down wasn’t easy. I was watching a darling little girl bound down the stairs wishing for that kind of energy, didn’t pay attention to where I stepped, caught my foot between the cobblestones and handrail, and fell. The only part bruised was my dignity. The girl’s father helped me up and made sure I got down the hill safely; very nice but unnecessary. As the tide came in walking off the island was impossible. Boats shuttled visitors back to shore.

Tour Day 12, It’s our last full tour day. After a four hour bus trip, with a lunch and potty break, we arrived at our final hotel in Bath, Henrietta House. After checking in, Roy led those who wanted to go on a walking tour of the city. Some opted out to go to the Roman baths. I chose the walking tour because I wanted to learn the stories behind the old houses. It was then time to regroup and walk to our farewell dinner and say good-bye to my new friends.

Tour Day 13, Tour was over at breakfast. After visiting No 1 Royal Crescent it was time to walk to the bus station to head to Ireland via Heathrow and the rest of my trip.

Hotels: To alleviate concerns about sharing a bathroom or a bathroom down the hall, all hotels had en-suite bathrooms. Some of the hotels were very old inns or converted buildings without air conditioning or elevators, a couple were newer purpose-built hotels without air conditioning but with or without elevators.

Canterbury See my review of Canterbury Cathedral Lodge in my independent travels.
Alfriston We stayed one night at Wingrove House. Group dinner was the best organized of any we ate. We chose from the limited menu a few days before arrival. At dinner we each had name cards with what we chose to put on the table. No confusion about who ordered what.
Salisbury My favorite hotel was the Rose & Crown. The original building is very old, from the 1300’s, but has been added on to and modernized over the years. My room was in the timber-built original building. In the corridor to the room is a glassed covered display of the original wattle and daub construction. Original doors are wall decorations.
Chagford (Dartmoor) The Three Crowns hotel ticked off the boxes for old and quirky. But the food service, not the food, was horrid. Extremely slow. After waiting 50 minutes for my scrambled egg, I woofed down the smoked salmon and rushed back to my room to grab my day pack and rain coat be on time for the bus. When I mentioned this to Roy, he said this is known problem with the hotel.
Falmouth St. Michael’s Resort was a new hotel for the tour. Apparently the usual hotel was not available due to renovation. It has all the resort amenities but no restaurants nearby except those attached to the resort. The main town is a ¾ mile hike, fine for sightseeing and free time but not convenient for dinner.
Bath Henrietta House is a mixed review. It is walking distance to major sights and the bus station. They must be very proud of their air conditioning. My room on the main floor had freezing A/C set at 20c/68f, not adjustable. Other rooms had non-working a/c and stuffy rooms.

Food: I started my trip report saying I’m not a foodie. During the tour, with few exceptions, I can’t tell you where we ate or what we ate. My go-to food was Fish and Chips or Shepherd’s Pie or an occasional salad.

The restaurants I remember that were not included in the group meals:
Canterbury The Parrots Pub, the oldest pub in town, timber framed. Good hamburgers and hard cider but, because of the heat wave, was hot and stuffy. For dinner the day I fell, I ate a hotel room picnic, chicken salad from Pho Canterbury.
Salisbury The Giggling Squid, very good Thai food which was a nice break from heavier traditional English food.
Chagford Ring O’Bells pub and inn is next door to The Three Crown, very good traditional pub food, ate Shepherd’s Pie.

Bath & Heathrow Post-Tour:
Bath Morning Sightseeing: Trip Day 21, After the final breakfast of the South of England tour in Bath, I did a little shopping and visited one more museum. #1 Royal Crescent Museum satisfied my love of antique furniture and furnishings. The 250 year old Georgian house is the largest and first built of the homes on the Royal Crescent. See Bloomberg Connects app for a tour guide.

Hotel: I took National Express bus direct from Bath to Heathrow Terminal 2 for an overnight stay at Hilton Garden Inn before flying to Dublin. It is a short walk from the National Express bus stop into Terminal 2, up the elevator to the 2nd floor parking garage, across the parking garage to the Hilton Garden Inn reception. Signs were easy to follow. Although much more than I usually pay for a hotel, the Hilton was worth the convenience cost for one night. Then it was on to Ireland early the next morning.
https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/rooms/?ctyhocn=LHRHEGI&arrivalDate=2025-08-07&departureDate=2025-08-08&room1NumAdults=1&displayCurrency=GBP
I booked the bus in advance. https://www.nationalexpress.com/en/airports/heathrow

Food: To make life easy, I ate dinner at Hilton Garden Inn, salad and wine, nothing exceptional. It was too late to explore Windsor.

Killarney:
Sightseeing & Entertainment: Trip Day 22, It was a long travel day between the Air Lingus flight to Dublin and the FlightLink bus to Killarney. I checked into the Gardens Guest House and ate dinner at a nearby hotel. I had a pile of hand wash to do. Previous two days were one-night hotel stays so not enough clothes drying time. As mentioned in my packing report, I allow two days drying time for laundry to be sure everything is dry. Most of my clothes dry overnight but weather makes a difference especially for socks and leggings which require day and a half or two days.

Trip Day 23, Today was a busy, horsey day. After a slow start to the morning, taxi picked me up at 10am from the three mile drive to Killarney Riding Stables. I booked an hour trail ride through Killarney National Park in advance. I hadn’t ridden in a year and my balance isn’t as good as it used to be. My horse was kind and well-trained. It didn’t take long for my “riding memory” to return. The stable was clean and the trail guides were safety conscious. We saw several herds of Irish Red Deer which are indigenous and protected breed. If anyone is looking for something different to do in Killarney, I recommend the stables regardless of the riders’ experience. https://killarneyridingstables.com/

Back in central Killarney, I stopped at Aran Knits and other souvenir shops before eating lunch at Kitty O’Se’s. Then it was time for opening day of the July Killarney Horse Race Meet. When I booked my trip I didn’t know about the race meet so was excited to attend the races. It’s a mile walk from the Guest House to the track. I chose the general entry seats; just couldn’t justify paying four times the cost for the hospitality suite. In the rain and wind, I can’t say that was a great decision but I didn’t feel disappointed when I left after three races. The concrete steps used as bleachers in the grandstand made the cold worse.

Trip Day 24, Before leaving home, I booked two Rabbie’s day trips from Killarney to Dingle and Killarney to the Ring of Kerry. Two weeks prior while in Canterbury, I received emails from Rabbie’s saying both trips were cancelled and they would refund the trip fees. This put me in a bind. I needed to go to Dingle to buy Dingle Crystal Christmas ornaments. One ornament was a housewarming gift for my Irish friends. I was less worried about the Ring of Kerry. Looking at other day tour companies’ itineraries, I didn’t find one which would give me enough time in Dingle. With the planning help from Killarney Tourist Information, I took the TFI bus (Transport for Ireland) to and from which worked out great. First bus to was at 9am, last bus back was at 4:45pm. Many of the same tourists were on both buses along with local passengers getting on and off at what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

First stop was Dingle Crystal. In emails to them, I informed them that I needed one ornament to carry to Dublin and three would be shipped home. I didn’t take time to visit the factory since I’ve been to a couple glass blowing and cutting factories. After wandering around a few craft shops, I stopped at the Fish Box for lunch.

It was a ½ hour wait to get seated. While waiting for their call, I walked across the street to see the Harry Clarke stained glass windows at An Diseart church. After lunch I returned to look at the upstairs chapel windows.

Trip Day 25, Early stop of the day was Killarney House. Every time I visit an old house, I expect to see art, artifacts and furniture. That was not this museum. Set in the manor house gifted to Ireland after independence, it highlights the history of Killarney National Park with displays of flora and fauna. The blooming formal gardens are beautiful.

Since Rabbie’s had cancelled the Ring of Kerry tour, I booked a Paddywagon Tour. Pay attention to your booking with them. All I’m going to say is the day did not go as planned and with persistence and insistence I was eventually refunded the missed tour cost. Feeling let down and grumpy, I had a free day in Killarney.

Anything horsey makes me happy. I walked a block to the Jaunting Cart hires. While debating with myself if that was what I wanted to do, Mikey, a third generation driver, convinced me I did want to see more of Killarney National Park and Ross Castle ruins. His Irish Cob cart horse Tyson knew his job. I tried to convince Mikey to teach me to drive, but as expected that didn’t happen. Following the road around the southern park along the lakes, we stopped at Ross Castle, ruined since Cromwell’s invasion, for a photo op.
After the carriage ride I stopped for a bowl of chowder at nearby Hannigan’s Bar, attached to the International Hotel. The day turned out good after all.

Trip Day 26, Since it was raining, the hotel called a taxi to take me to the train depot for my trip to Dublin Heuston. I didn’t want to slog luggage a mile in the rain. Three hours later I caught a cab to Trinity College.

Hotel: The four nights I booked in Killarney at the Gardens Guest House (en-suite single room) was slightly less than one night at the Hilton. Of course it wasn’t as nice, but adequate, clean and included a good breakfast. It is located down a short paved lane, quiet and walking distance to town center restaurants, shopping and the race track. There is a large expanse of lawn and flower beds which would be enjoyable in sunny weather.
https://www.thegardenskillarney.com/

Food: The guest house recommended the Kenmare pub/restaurant in Killarney Avenue Hotel for dinner. The dark wood furniture gave it an old-fashion cozy ambiance. Food was good; I ate there twice during my stay, first night and last.
Kitty O’Se’s Restaurant was excellent. Because I stopped for a late lunch, I didn’t need a reservation. I note recommended restaurants on Google Maps and this one was recommended by the Forum. The special was delicious Grilled Sea Bass.
Hannigan’s Bar had tasty fish chowder and good ambiance.
The Fish Box in Dingle was the best food (fish) that I had on the whole trip. Well worth the half hour wait to be seated for lunch. The portions of fish and vegetables were huge! I got a to-go box to take three of the four whole potatoes back to the hotel for dinner.

Dublin:
Sightseeing & Entertainment: Trip Day 26 continued, After checking in to Trinity College Summer Accommodation dorm room, I ate lunch at The Buttery café on the campus. Then it was on the General Post Office for the GPO Rebel Rising guided tour. The guide was a history student, very good at recounting 1916 Easter Uprising and the events that leading to the 1923 Civil War and finally Irish Independence.

Afterwards I walked around the neighborhood and campus to get my bearings. I ended up at O’Neill’s Pub for a Smithwick’s Shandy and dinner. I hadn’t had a shandy in over 30 years since my first trip to Ireland. Just as good as I remembered. I was too early for any music.

One thing about traveling solo, it opens up conversations with fellow diners and sightseers. At the table beside me was a US family, the husband got a doggie box for me before I could ask the waiter; very nice of him. Next group included a man with a guitar. When I asked him if he planned to play that evening, he said no. He owns the Literary pub crawl tour company that I booked for the next evening. I into him later in the week also at O’Neill’s.

Day 27, Dublin Castle was the first stop on my tourist route today. The guided tour explained not only about the castle but Ireland’s and Dublin’s history, from Viking era when the castle was first built up to current use as government state rooms. It checked off all the boxes of what I like: history, art and furniture.

Included within the Castle grounds are the Castle Gardens and Chester Beatty Collection. Inside the Beatty museum is the Silk Road Café where I sat alongside a mosaic sunflower pool to eat a snack and drink coffee. Refreshed, I climbed the stairs to the small museum. It is filled with early Chinese, Japanese and Middle East manuscripts and a few weapons and robes, an era and area I know nothing about.

Since the Literary Pub Crawl doesn’t allow time for food, only self-bought drinks, I stopped for a light appetizer Italian dinner. Then I listened to street performers while waiting for the tour to begin. The lighthearted guide duo made the tour enjoyable and funny with their interpretations of Irish writers and writings. We visited five pubs and each with a story. https://www.dublinpubcrawl.com/

Day 28, Back story to the rest of my time in Dublin: Our neighbors’ Daughter married her Husband from Dublin and now lives in Dublin. We’ve known the family for 30 years and do things together. I planned to spend time with Daughter and Husband on Saturday. Turns out Mom and Dad planned their trip to Dublin as I was planning mine; their first weekend was my last. We coordinated sightseeing and a couple meals together for a very enjoyable time.

Daughter and I drove to Kildare to visit the Irish National Stud and Japanese Gardens. Daughter learned to ride on one of my old horses. The National Stud is a state owned Thoroughbred breeding farm. I had visited 30+ years ago when friends and I went on an Equitour trail ride. The stable and gardens have been improved over the years but brought back memories. An interactive how to raise and train a race horse exhibit was fun, especially with a simulated race.

Day 29, Before leaving home I bought three tickets to 14 Henrietta Street Museum. Dad wasn’t interested so Daughter joined Mom and me. The guided tour is a lesson on the establishment and growth of tenements, from a titled family’s 17-room home when built in the mid-1700s down to housing 100 people by the mid-1800s. By the 1970s one-room tenements without running water were closed and families moved to public housing. This lesser known museum is well worth the visit. https://14henriettastreet.ie/about/

I left Mom and Daughter to spend the day together and went to the National Museum of Archaeology. The reviews are accurate; this is a great museum. Most of the artifacts were discovered in Ireland: Bronze age gold & tools, Roman, Vikings jewelry & weapons, Celtic, bog men, Medieval society, early Christian to Cromwell. It’s easy to spend several hours at the museum and gift shop.

After a bit of souvenir shopping, I stopped at The Duke Pub for dinner. I was looking for good classic Irish food and friendly atmosphere to recommend for the next night’s good-bye dinner with the family. This wasn’t it, disappointing food.

Day 30, Mom wanted to see Kilmainham Goal again. They had toured it during a previous visit to Dublin. Tickets are available a month prior, sell fast and are difficult to get. She bought the tickets since I was in England when they became available. Aware of the time difference, she tried three entry times within ten minutes to schedule our tour. The Gaol is by tour only. I usually hate jail tours; the cells give me the creeps. My husband was surprised I went. The Gaol is set up as a historically important landmark and museum. Since we got a late start do to the later than desired tickets, we ate lunch afterwards in the cafeteria before taking the tram back to our respective hotels. https://www.kilmainhamgaolmuseum.ie/

Since I was flying out the next day, I returned to the dorm and started to pack, tossing unneeded paperwork and worn out shoes to lighten my loaded suitcase. I knew I would check it and have a full personal item tote for the trip home.

Day 31, Time to go home after an absolutely wonderful trip. The taxi stand is a block from Trinity College. But there were no taxis there. I’m glad I gave myself enough time to wait and hail a cab. When I hailed a cab, he wanted cash. I had almost no Euros left and I refuse to go to an ATM when he should take a credit card. I told the driver I have US$ and surprisingly he agreed. I ended up paying him €10 plus $20. At the current exchange rate it was cheaper than I would have paid with all euros.

Going through US Immigration at Dublin Airport was a huge help. Easy to follow signs to get through both immigration and security. I had a somewhat tight connection at Dulles, so less stress with that. Luggage check for United was a breeze and no delayed luggage on arrival in Phoenix.

Hotel: Sticking to my budget plan, I booked Trinity Summer Accommodations for five nights. They rent rooms in multiple dorms during the summer. It costs about half the price as a budget hotel in the center of Dublin. I chose the newest dorm, the Business School. Rooms are en-suite, set up in a five room pod with a sitting area and kitchen. Trinity College is easy walk to food and sightseeing.

I did have one problem that I’ve never had before. If you are sensitive to soaps, pay heed. The first night I woke up itching like crazy, even my scalp. The second night was so bad, I changed out of my usual sleep clothes, shorts and t-shirt, to long sleeved shirt and leggings and put another shirt over the pillow and the itching stopped. No rash, no bites, nothing looked different on my skin. I came to the conclusion that I was sensitive to whatever laundry soap they use. For shampoo, cream rinse, soap and hand laundry soap I use what I bring from home and had used them during the first three weeks of the trip. I think a silk pillow case and sleep sack will be good additions to my packing list. https://www.visittrinity.ie/stay/

Food: There is a cafeteria style restaurant on the Trinity College campus, The Buttery. Breakfast is available but not discounted. I ate one lunch and one breakfast there but was not impressed.
The Duke Pub’s food was disappointing, soggy fish and frozen chips.
O’Neill’s Pub is two blocks from Trinity. I ate there twice. First night in Dublin I ate a delicious Beef & Guinness pie. The serving was huge. I took a doggie box back to the dorm room’s kitchen for breakfast the next day. Return visit on the last night in Dublin when I ate a bowl of delicious seafood chowder.

Thank you to Holly and TexasTravelMom on the Forum for the Ireland hotel recommendations; Cyn for the London B&B recommendation; Carrie for US immigration instructions at Dublin airport; and all who answered my plea for help when Rabbie’s cancelled the Killarney day tours.

I checked out the tour reviews for the actual tour that you were on. It was interesting that while you weren't completely happy with the guide, you still made lemonade out of lemons and thought the tour was worthy of 5 stars. I'm glad you were able to look past the guide and still enjoy yourself. One of your tour mates couldn't and gave 2 stars and ripped the guide. And yet another reviewer said the guide was excellent. Hmmm, so many different perspectives. I wonder if the unhappy person is one of the those perpetually unhappy people that the no grumps policy is made for?

*you must have just changed back to Horsewoofie, I read your TR while you were theotherKathy.

Thanks for sharing and so glad you enjoyed yourself.

Allan, yes, I just changed back to Horsewoofie. Getting close to 75 and having an identity crisis.

I was not unhappy with Roy. Just think he should communicate better. When you do something for years you forget that other people don’t have the same experience or reference points.

Hey, Horsewoofie, nice review! It was long but packed with some great information! I had to laugh when I read the review about The Three Crowns. I had the same problem with my meal there, but the food was excellent! And they had the best sticky toffee pudding I've ever had!

And I especially liked all the info on the tour. I've never taken one but if I do in the future, reports like this will come in handy!

I enjoyed reliving the South England tour via your review. Of the 15 tours I've taken, it rates right at the top. I think it was because I found it to be more relaxing than some of the others.
A plus when i took last spring was that there were only 13 people on the tour - and we had a full sized bus.

Liz, I agree the tour was more relaxing. In London and Ireland I walked 5 to 7 miles a day. But on the tour I averaged only 4 1/2 miles per day. I think everyone speaking English and signs in English lessened some anxiety.

Only 13 people? Sounds like my Covid era South of France tour that ended with 9. Like a private tour.

Really loved reading this super-sized TR!

I just changed back to Horsewoofie. Getting close to 75 and having an identity crisis.

LOL I'm getting close to 45 and strongly relate :-/

What a great trip report! Thank you for sharing, even when things went awry I am impressed how you rolled with it. I agree the Sir John Soane Museum is underrated - I really loved all the quirky things in that place, happened to be there at the time they rotated the paintings in the picture room which was fun.

Long but lovely trip report...thank you! And I love that you are back to being "Horsewoofie".

Thanks so much for the detailed trip report. I enjoyed it very much especially as it reminded me of my 4 week trip to Ireland and Southern England in 2023.

I enjoyed reading this. I have been to some of the places you visited and liked seeing your perspective on them. I must say I was very impressed with your stamina. I don’t think I could have kept up with your schedule for a month!! I would have needed a day at the beach doing nothing to recover.

Great trip report! I've never been on Rick Steves' tour, so it was interesting to see how it flows. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the report.

Just one observation “I ran out of time to see the replica of Lord Nelson’s HMS Victory”

HMS Victory is most definitely not a replica.

I was just coming to say this!

I ran out of time to see the replica of Lord Nelson’s HMS Victory

It’s the original ship and is well worth touring. If anyone is travelling independently to Portsmouth, give yourself a full day at the Dockyard. The Victory is superb (as is the Mary Rose, of course). But I find the Victory particularly atmospheric because you get such a good sense of life on board in the late 18th/early 19th century.

Great trip report - thank you. But wow: that tour absolutely rushes through the south and south-west.

Great trip report.

I was going to remark about HMS Victory but I was beaten to it. It's still a commissioned ship albeit not in service and currently unable to sail.

I'm surprised you didn't find any fossils. The cliffs along the Jurassic Coast are absolutely crammed full of them, mostly ammonites. We still have the football sized ammonite my youngest son stumbled upon on the beach at Seatown.

I must say I was very impressed with your stamina. I don’t think I
could have kept up with your schedule for a month!!

One benefit that I sometimes get out of these Trip Reports is what is unsaid. Can I fill my days if I'm on a trip longer than 2 weeks? What about when I get older, can I keep up the pace? I think I'm below the average age of this Forum, and many of you give me hope and perspective that I'm a long way from 'downhill' on my travel dreams.

Really enjoyed your trip report! I love how much detail you shared, especially about planning and organizing everything. The mix of the tour with your own time in London and Ireland sounds like such a fun balance - definitely gave me some ideas for my next trip

Trelawney, Golden Girl and JC, Thank you for correcting my misunderstanding of the HMS Victory. I corrected my trip report.

Thank you all for your kind words.

I'm so glad you're back to Horsewoofie again, Kathy. I prefer names I can remember, and yours has always caught my eye.

So very glad that your fall was a minor one - and one which showed the goodness of people.

Great TR - thanks

So glad you could have this experience! I've looked at this itinerary; it looks so full of delights for British literature fans.

My youngest is allergic to chocolate, too (severely so) so that caught my eye.

I enjoy travel more than my husband does, and we just had to let go caring if people think it's "not fair" that I get to travel more than he does.

Such a fun TR to read - thank you for taking the time to share all this information, and your personal experiences. I took the tour last year - excellent experience. Interesting to see what tweaks were made to the hotels and itinerary. No apologies needed for length of report - it was perfect.

Thanks for sharing your trip and so glad your fall wasn't serious.

Wonderful trip report! So much good information! Really detailed and interesting, and I do not think you went overboard with detail at all. I just soaked it up! Thank you!

Now PLEASE let me say something and I hope you will not be offended: you do not say how old you are, but I am guessing early 60s? Sounds like you have vigor and vim and a keen interest in living life! That said… you mention not one, but two falls. I have worked in the healthcare field for many, many years, and I urge you to mention this to your GP. Yes, that would be an abundance of caution… but I think it is warranted.

Anyway, loved this report and look forward to lots more! :-)

Absolutely enjoyed all the detail and honest feedback Horsewoofie. Thanks for a great report. Bookmarking complete!

Wow!! What an absolutely wonderful, wonderful trip you had!

I had so many things on which to comment I was going to take notes and then decided that was silly, lol! Anyway...agree about the Sir John Soames Museum - weird but so interesting! I love the visiting the Stained Glass workshop at Canterbury Cathedral...that was so cool. I enjoyed reliving this tour and also new things that you did!

Kudos to you for figuring out things with the Tourist Office when your tours were cancelled.

Thanks for taking the time to write this up and post. Not too long at all in my view,lol!!

Kathy, what a great trip and a great report! Here’s some news-you ARE a foodie! You know good food from bad, you enjoy food tours and how they introduce you to the local cuisine you might not otherwise have. In fact, we met on a food tour in Rome, remember? You were with your SIL and I was with my wife and her BFF (who have the same name).

One thing-you got good advice regarding the falling. Get that checked out. Lord knows it’s easy to fall in Europe where smooth sidewalks seem to be the exception. But, at our age, it warrants a checkup.

Great report! I thought I might be finished with RS tours interesting me, but your report has got me totally interested in this one now.

Wow, gold star for most comprehensive trip report ever. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the detail. I, too, like visiting stately homes or homes of authors, etc. I also love when a Pret a Manger is available for a quick, but delicious bite. I will bookmark your TR and read over again.