THE NOVEL TRAVELLER NEWS
I was chatting about picnics this week on Travel Tuesday which features on VMTV’s Elaine show. Now that the government is allowing us to explore our own counties, it’s worth knowing that if you live near a border you can also stretch into a neighbouring county by up to 20km.
People in Cork are especially lucky, with the largest area of any county in the country but the folks in counties Louth and Meath have lots to compensate, especially with their rich heritage sites.
This week I discovered that Meath can claim the oddity of having Ireland’s only landlocked Lighthouse. Built in 1791 to give work at the time of a local famine, it’s only 4km outside Kells on the Oldcastle Road and it’s on my bucket list for this summer. See discoverboynevalley.ie
As a Dublin Northsider I’ll be getting my visa stamped to cross the Liffey but first there’s a gem for a picnic on my side of the city. Velvet Strand in Portmarnock is one of the finest beaches on the east coast and it is served by a fabulous café in the village with all homemade cakes, check out velvetcafe.ie
Some counties are truly blessed and Kilkenny is especially lucky. Not only are there an abundance of beautiful walking trails, one of their finest hotels, Mount Juliet, is now offering luxurious picnic baskets for guests to enjoy on the grounds of the estate. For €45 per person it really makes a special treat. See visitkilkenny.ie
It’s been years since I’ve visited Baltimore in West Cork but the stunning scenery is etched in my memory. The Baltimore Beacon marks a perfect picnic spot to enjoy Atlantic views. Locals can grab a picnic box from Caseys of Baltimore — which start at €25 for a hamper of old favourites that includes scotch eggs of all things! I’ve some suggested picnic takeaway packages on my website from Ballynahinch Castle in Galway and Wells House in Wexford. And some glorious picnic stays at Coopershill House and Currarevagh House which includes boating to your own island on Lough Corrib for a picnic, see irelandsblubook.ie. For more travel ideas see. thenoveltraveller.com and The Novel Traveller podcast on goloudnow.com