477. Last Chance to Hike

We were offered a city tour of Dublin on the last day in Ireland. I’d already walked around the city for half a day when I first got there. So, I decided to take off from the group and venture out of the city. A thirty minutes train ride took me to Howth peninsula. I hiked along the cliff for four hours in the rain. The natural beauty put me in ease, and I felt so free. 

Honestly speaking, I’ve been frustrated with the tours in Scotland and Ireland. They are so inactive, very hard for a hiker like me. We drove past many gorgeous places without stopping. We stopped to take pictures, but we were not allowed to step away. We visited stunning places like Giant’s Causeway and Cliff of Moher, but we had very limited time to walk around (less than two hours each).

I hiked as much as possible when we had free time. However, knowing the beauty is all around me while I have to stay in a shop or a factory to learn how to make crystal, pottery, or tweed jacket is more than frustrating.

Well, I learned my lesson. I’ll do my homework better next time, either to travel on my own or to find a tour that gears toward hikers.  

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473. Picture-perfect Kylemore Abbey

Kylemore Abbey is one of the Ireland’s most iconic places. Surrounded by mountains and lakes, it’s breathtakingly beautiful. Built as a castle in 1868, it is now the Abbey of the Benedictine community of nuns.

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472. Untamed landscapes of Connemara

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

471. Magic Giant’s Causeway

Giant’s Causeway is one of the reasons I wanted to visit Ireland. Ever since I’ve seen pictures of those hexagons, I wanted to see them in person. There are 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, created by volcanic and geological activity. With beautiful coastline and ancient folklore, it is a magic place. I only wish we had more time!

 

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470. Glasgow Botanic Gardens

It’s not a large garden and I’ve seen most of the flowers they have, but it’s still a nice place to spend a couple of hours.

(Glottiphyllum Linguiforme)

(Cochliostema Jacobiana)

(Thunbergia Mysorensis)

((Thunbergia Mysorensis))

468. Inveraray and Loch Lomond

We had only a little more than an hour to see this beauty.

467. Amazing Isle of Mull

466. Unspoiled Isle of Iona

We took a short ferry and ended on a small island—Isle of Iona. It’s so small that it took me a little more than half an hour to hike cross the island to the other side. From there, “You could walk all the way to Nova Scotia, if you could walk on water,” a local man joked about it when I asked him for advice.

465. Pristine beach

Having a free afternoon, I hiked along the beach of the Inner Hebridean Isle of Skye alone. It was a pleasant day. I spent hours exploring the area. At one point I heard strange noise before I realized it was an otter. I sat down and watched it playing. love such a peaceful and quiet place.

 

464. The northern coast of Scotland

The northern coast of Scotland is wild and unspoiled, lined with miles of pristine beaches, estuaries, hills, and mountains. This is one of the most scenic drives in Scotland. With this tour, however, we only stopped a couple of places for a few minutes to take photos. To tell you the truth, it was frustrating that seeing all those beauty without being able to explore.