We have one night at our next destination. We headed out right after breakfast for the
45 minute drive to Ashford Castle. Tara
had booked this as a surprise treat…and oh is it beautiful.
One gets to castle through a gate house (we had to confirm that we had reservations before they would allow is in) and then over a very beautiful bridge...
that has tower gates at each end.
The roots of the castle go back almost 800 years and there is a very small portion of that castle that is still exists in the current building. Another major portion was built in the 1700's to make it into a mansion, for use as a hunting and fishing lodge. It became a hotel in the 1920's. And a large addition was added in the 1970's to increase the room capacity of the hotel. Ashford Castle has been variously voted one of the best and also the most beautiful hotel in the world. And it was incredible.
One gets to castle through a gate house (we had to confirm that we had reservations before they would allow is in) and then over a very beautiful bridge...
The roots of the castle go back almost 800 years and there is a very small portion of that castle that is still exists in the current building. Another major portion was built in the 1700's to make it into a mansion, for use as a hunting and fishing lodge. It became a hotel in the 1920's. And a large addition was added in the 1970's to increase the room capacity of the hotel. Ashford Castle has been variously voted one of the best and also the most beautiful hotel in the world. And it was incredible.
The service very much reminded us of the service on the
Crystal Serenity. When we drove up to
the gate the gate keeper took our names and when we arrived at the castle they
were greeting us by name. Upon leaving
the car we didn’t see our luggage again until we arrived in the room in the
middle of the afternoon. They checked us
in but didn’t have a room yet as we were so early. They gave us a tour of the public rooms, made
reservations for us for dinner and gave us a map.
The grounds behind the castle were beautiful with a large fountain,
and great views of the lake.
The grounds behind the castle were beautiful with a large fountain,
and great views of the lake.
After a bit of wandering around the grounds we caught a boat
for a cruise out on Lough (lake) Corrib.
We stopped briefly at the Ashford Lodge, former home of the games keeper
of the estate and now expanded as a sister hotel.
Lough Corrib is the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland.
Lough Corrib is the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland.
We had great views of the castle from the lake during our cruise.
As we were coming back to dock we saw a fisherman out in the river fishing. In it's earlier days the estate was known for its fishing and hunting.
After we got back from the cruise we went back to the Castle to have lunch in the “sitting room”…Beautiful views overlooking the lake, grounds and fountain.
As we were coming back to dock we saw a fisherman out in the river fishing. In it's earlier days the estate was known for its fishing and hunting.
After we got back from the cruise we went back to the Castle to have lunch in the “sitting room”…Beautiful views overlooking the lake, grounds and fountain.
We then headed out to explore the grounds. Nearby was a small boutique and Cullen’s
Cottage.
We also visited the gardens that included the grounds directly behind the castle,
a Sunken Garden (now the Tollman Garden),
a Sunken Garden (now the Tollman Garden),
a walled garden,
and the very long Terraced Walk.
There were certainly a lot of flower in bloom...
including a lot of white flowers in a woodland area.
We took the walk all the way through the estate grounds...
into the little village of Cong where we saw the Monks Fishing Hut. Situated over the water the hut allowed the monks to sit in a heated hut while fishing through a hole in the floor.
including a lot of white flowers in a woodland area.
We took the walk all the way through the estate grounds...
into the little village of Cong where we saw the Monks Fishing Hut. Situated over the water the hut allowed the monks to sit in a heated hut while fishing through a hole in the floor.
We then walked through the ruins of the Cong Abbey…
and a church in ruins.
through the village...
and walked along the River Cong.
The most interesting part of the River Cong, which runs between Lough Mask and Lough Corrib is that it runs much of its course underground through large fissures in the local limestone.
through the village...
and walked along the River Cong.
The most interesting part of the River Cong, which runs between Lough Mask and Lough Corrib is that it runs much of its course underground through large fissures in the local limestone.
The village also had a statue of John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara from the movie the Quiet Man.
and a Quiet Man Museum.
Much of the movie was filmed in the area and any of those involved with the movie stayed at Ashford Castle.
We ate dinner that evening in the hotel's George V dining room, so named because
of a visit to the castle by the Prince of Wales, later George V. The food was fit for royalty and the price of
the food was probably in their price range as well.
After dinner our waiter brought of a cart loaded with goodies. Here he his holding up a long rope of house made marshmallow, ready to cut it. We decided to try some just because.
During dinner we were entertained by a harpist.
As part of a recurrent theme on our trip to Ireland the
staff at the Castle think we are on our honeymoon. So we were treated with goodies in our room.
And speaking of the room, we have a beautiful corner room…
with great views…
and a gigantic, beautiful bathroom. Too bad we can’t afford to travel like this
all the time.
Previous
Next
No comments:
Post a Comment