Hey its Wes and Chanda and welcome to DinkLife. We were still exploring Ireland, and this time we left Dublin behind and headed into the countryside for the Sally Gap Drive. We drove roughly 25 miles outside the city, and it took us close to an hour before we found ourselves surrounded by mountains, open countryside, and incredibly narrow roads. We even spotted a beautiful rainbow along the way. This was also one of our first real experiences driving on the opposite side of the road, which made those tiny Irish roads even more interesting.
We spent the morning making our way through Sally Gap and stopping anywhere we could safely get out of the car. We passed the PS I Love You Bridge, explored some beautiful overlooks, and headed toward Glenmacnass Waterfall. One thing we quickly discovered was that not every attraction had an obvious place to stop, and some of the trails and viewpoints were not marked as clearly as we expected. Still, the scenery made the drive worthwhile, and we even stumbled across a little coffee shop where we grabbed a latte and a treat.
We eventually made our way to the Glendalough Visitor Centre, where we learned a few things that could help anyone planning the same trip. We paid for parking, explored the grounds, and checked out the historic round tower and cemetery. Afterward, we stopped for lunch, where Wes ordered a traditional Irish breakfast and tried black pudding for the first time. Despite not knowing exactly what to expect, he actually enjoyed it and decided it was something worth trying at least once while visiting Ireland.
Our original plan was to spend the rest of the day hiking, but Ireland had other ideas. The trail we wanted to visit was only about a mile and a half away, yet traffic was so backed up that getting there would have taken around 45 minutes. We decided it was not worth spending the afternoon sitting in traffic, so we changed our plans and headed back to Dublin. We had already learned on this trip that you cannot see everything, and sometimes changing your plans leads to another adventure. Remember, as always, whatever you decide to do, just get out there and do it!
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