Perthshire Exploration April 9th

I'm so sorry this has taken nearly 2 weeks to post, you just can't get the staff these days!

Anyway, I hitched along with LT and her dad when they went up to explore rural Perthshire nearly 2 weeks ago (okay, you don't need to keep rubbing that in! - LT).

Our first stop was to the Hermitage just outside Dunkeld.  This is a really cool forest with a funny old bridge across this really deep ravine, and a funny wee house above a waterfall.  Here I am sitting on the balcony of Ossian's Hall overlooking the falls.  Aren't you glad I didn't fall in?

The I hitched a ride walked down the steps to the hermitage bridge.  This bridge is reeeallllly old.  It was built in the 18th Century - that must have been about when LT was born (oy! -LT).  I don't know how they did it though, it's really deep.  Here I am sitting on top of the bridge:

Then we went down to go underneath it, and found a perfect bear-sized perch on the side:

Here's my new pal Gregor, who LT's dad brought along.  Doesn't he look like he's striding purposefully along?

While they were both playing about with photos of silly flowers, look what I got left sitting in!  What a lot of junk these photographers need...

Here is me, with Gregor.  My legs don't let me look like I'm striding purposefully anywhere, so I just had to perch.  Purposefully of course, I always perch purposefully...

We went up to Kenmore next for lunch, didn't I get a lovely seat in the sun when we were at the cafe?

After lunch we headed up towards Glen Lyon.  On the way we stopped to see the big old yew at Fortingall.  There it is behind me next to the church.

Once we got to Glen Lyon LT and her dad spied a waterfall from the road, so they just HAD to stop to take photos.  And more photos.  And more photos...  Anyway, here I am sitting at the top of the falls where we found these funny wee piles of rocks, so I had to pose beside some:

Then of course I had to do the obligatory shot beside the waterfall:

We were meant to do more, but we ran out of time, so LT and I will return together over the next week or so.  I've heard rumours of going on a bike - I hope she has a bear sized cycling helmet...

Doolin - Day 4

The final day, and driving home :o(  We had to get up very early so that we'd be back in Derry in time for the flight home.

We waved goodbye to the cottage and to Stephen and Martin (Pete had already run away somewhere) and headed north again.  Phew, no roadworks this time, so we got to stop in Donegal town for lunch on the way back.  Chris knew this pub we just *had* to stop in.

I perused the menu, but it all looked a bit much for me, so LT said she'd share hers:

Man, this baked potato is bigger than me!

Still, we managed to finish all our lunch and made it to the airport in plenty of time for the flight home.  I wanted to look out the window on the train, but we ended up getting on at rush hour, so I had to just hang out in LT's pocket.

I wonder where the next adventure will be...

Doolin - Day 3

And so to the last full day...

As the boys were enjoying a lie in, I went for a wander round the village with LT after breakfast.  First we stopped at the scene of Friday night's crimes...  It's not open at 10:30 am, I wonder why?

 Look at all the bright coloured shops at our end of the village:

We stayed at the end down by the pier, but this weird village is really strung out, it goes for over a mile in funny little pockets of houses and shops and pubs!  This is at the middle clump.  Can you spot me?

What do you mean no?!  I'm sitting on the black sign in the middle!  Okay, so then we turned round and saw the signs point up the road behind where LT was in the photo above.  This is the main crossroads in the village, so many choices, so little time...

Did you spot me this time?  No again?  Sheesh, okay, here's a close up:

After this we wandered back to the cottage to meet the boys again, and we decided to head to the beach at Lehinch for ice-cream and to see the surfers.  There's nothing better than getting ice cream for lunch on your holidays just because you can.

On the way we stopped at this old ruined church and graveyard.  Isn't this a really pretty graveyard?

(Err, I'm not sure graveyards are meant to be classed as pretty - LT)  Of course it's pretty, who wouldn't want a view like this, dead or alive?  (Well, I suppose so! - LT)

This is the church part, look at the wee door, it's almost little bear sized - see, I'm sitting on the shelf above so you can see the scale.  LT had to bend in half to get through it.

Anyway, there was a hand wee bear sized entrance too:

Next we headed round to the beach to laugh at all the surfers that couldn't.  Surf that is.  They couldn't surf to save themselves!

That was halfway along the front, and there were hundreds and hundreds of surfers and a few canoeists, and then some weirdos standing up and paddling on something way out in the distance.  We never did figure out what that was!

Our next stop was at the cave in Doolin to see the great Stalactite.  I didn't get out to play here because it was soooooo muddy, and it just looked too sludgy and gooey for little bears to wade around in, so I just peered out of LT's pocket.

Finally we raced back to the Cliffs of Moher for sunset.

I bet you didn't know there were totem poles in Ireland!

I love that LT took a photo of me in front of this sign, and then totally ignored it half an hour later, I mean really, what kind of example was she trying to set?!

Then we turned about 45 degrees left and looked down at the cliffs one way

Please note that I was sitting safely on a wall with a grassy back behind it at this point...

Then we rotated about 90 degrees to the right to look up to the little castley thing at the top

And then we went back down the hill and onto the cliff edge.  LT has photos of her feet, along with Chris' and Mark's, hanging off the edge of the cliff entirely!  She didn't make me do that, but I was very close to the edge here, so I sat verrrrrry still...

Finally I got to try and blend in with the rocks that make up the cliffs, aren't they a pretty colour?  They match me so well:

Finalyl we all scrambled back up to the path and went home to watch some DVDs on the wall.  Bet you didn't know you could watch a dvd on a wall did you?

We saw Quigley Down Under, which was quite odd, and then Withnail and I.  LT and I agreed that now we could say we'd seen it, and never speak of it again.  The boys are all older than us, we think it fitted in with their youth better...