<![CDATA[The Little Wandering Passport. - Blog]]>Thu, 17 Nov 2022 11:22:11 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Bray Head Hike]]>Sat, 08 Aug 2020 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.littlewanderingpassport.com/blog/bray-head-hike
In the bustling seaside town of Bray in Co. Wicklow stands a towering hill that boasts stunning views of the whole town. The Bray Head is fantastic walk, and easy to follow for those who are not gifted with good direction. Any path you take will take you to the top of the hill where the cross stands on the peak. When I did it, I was in a group  with children as young as 5. The climb itself is not too challenging apart from some uneven ground and steep spots. It took us 1/2 an hour to walk from the front gate to the peak. 
The best part is that Bray Head is only a 45 minute DART train from the centre of Dublin with about a 15 minute walk to the start of the walk. 
The start of the walk has a entrance by a gate but can be easily missed. There is a small sign saying 'Bray Head'. Look for this. Another entrance from the promenade is up the steps toward the hill itself. 
This route was great for the kids and had a range of stops for views, and cute swings that during normal (Non-COVID) times are strong enough to take even adult weight! It is shaded for about half way up too, which on a hot day is a amazing!
There are a range of silver gates that you need to pass through, so look out for those as you make your way along the path. 
As you near the top don't forget to look back and enjoy the view you can see emerging over the hills . At the very top of the hill you can see a beautiful view of  Bray as well as the Sugar Loaf Mountain. On seaside you can sometimes see the coast of Wales. Further more, when at the top you have the opportunity to enjoy a 'bonus' walk - the Kings Path which you follow along to the left when facing away with back to the cross. This walk boasts amazing views of cliffs and runs parallel to the Bray to Greystones walk. To go down, you walk the same way you got up there, along the path you took. It couldn't be any more simple, and the enjoyable experience is well worth it!
]]><![CDATA[Wicklow Mountains - The Sally Gap]]>Thu, 06 Aug 2020 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.littlewanderingpassport.com/blog/wicklow-mountains-the-sally-gapUpdate ~ I'm out of quarantine! So I've moved on from my Wexford hideaway yesterday to Wicklow where my family lives. This summer is about reconnecting with my loved ones, but lucky for me, they also have some adventurous spirit! Ireland hasn't had the best weather recently, however there is so much to be done even with the weather being how it is. For me, this holiday will be spent adventuring and making memories with my family who I don't get to see very often. Everything we do will be great for kids and adults alike and the experiences I have will be based on many aspects such as this. 
So today we loaded the kids and Nanna in the car and were off on a road trip around The Sally Gap - a stretch of road that spans the Wicklow Mountains and reveals true beauty not to be rivalled by any other on the East Coast. 
There are some recommendations to make before thinking about setting out on this beautiful scenic route. First, you should consider where you will stop for lunch. The Sally Gap is a vast and long drive, and you should be prepared! Due to the anxiety surrounding COVID-19 and having so many of us,  we chose to make a picnic lunch where we ate at the Devils Glen (picnic spot with forest walks and waterfalls). Secondly I would highly recommend that you do your business before leaving as there are no facilities along the majority of the drive. 
Along the route are some of Irelands most treasured sites and landscape. The Sally Gap is also home to the filming of Hollywood films such as Braveheart and P.S I love you. All along the stretch of road you will have flashbacks of scenes in these movies as with it being so untouched, it's hard not to imagine yourself living out the romance and drama of these movies. 
Some of the places we visited along the way were Lough Tay (The Guinness lake) and Lough Ouler (The famous heart shaped lake), and we came across wondrous waterfalls and the iconic hills of purple heather along the way. The roads are very narrow, however there are so many places to pull over to take photographs of the unruled beauty, and a bunch of places that offer walks and hikes. Unfortunately Lough Ouler was a large hill trek and with children this is something we had to skip. I will definitely be going back to experience that sometime alone. Along the route, on a regular day when social distancing isn't an issue, Glendalough and Powerscourt Waterfall are also close by nestled in the mountains. While these are close to the Sally Gap, I would recommend that you do these on different days, as they themselves have a wealth of opportunities for walks and hikes, adventures and exploration. 
We were out for just over 6hrs and we only drove and stopped in a hand full of places. It is truly one of those places you must go back and visit again- I certainly will be! 
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]]><![CDATA[Welcome!]]>Sun, 02 Aug 2020 08:41:12 GMThttps://www.littlewanderingpassport.com/blog/welcomeWelcome to my first blog! Today I am sitting in my nanny's house in Ireland, having overlooked the beautiful countryside view that lines the back of her garden this morning. 
Due to COVID sweeping the world, all travel has been put on hold. Only until recently have people living in Europe begun to move around again. It was a time to pause. It was a time to reflect. While I am thankful for being able to continue to live abroad and stay afloat with my job, I do think about the unfortunate people who had to go home, or those who are stuck without family, as I am in England. 
I am beyond grateful that I have family here in Ireland, whom I can visit and see regularly. During COVID, I was without family and general connection to friends for 8 months. I questioned if this was still something that I wanted to do when the loneliness crept in. But thankfully, a few decisions later I am on the move in my little Citroen, Cleo, and have been lucky enough to broaden my view of England and its beauty. I am now nearing the end of my 14 day quarantine here in County Wexford, Ireland and will soon be on my way to discover more of Ireland, with the safety of my mask!  
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