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We are back with our 8th travel blog post. Don’t forget to check our other travel posts.
Most of you plan your day trip around one or two major tourist attractions because of obvious time constraints. You start early and spend enough time at the most important place; and if there’s still some time and energy left, you head to a nearby town and explore the quiet streets and boutique shops. We’re no different; we do the same.
This time though, we changed our plans – drive to a town that’s just 1-2hrs away from Dublin and then figure out what to do. I did a quick research on the best towns to visit near Dublin and Carlingford emerged as a clear winner.
Having spent a full day in the picturesque town on one of the hottest days of this Irish summer, we’d HIGHLY RECOMMEND this place if you’re looking for a perfect weekend getaway! Here’s what we did, places we visited, places we missed, and some pictures we captured along the way. Let’s get cracking.
Situated in county Louth, Carlingford is a town on the Cooley Peninsula, between the waters of Carlingford Lough and the mountain of Slieve Foye, in the northeast of Ireland. I’ll spare you the details (because Google does a better job) and only focus on what we did.
1. Explore the town
Park your car in the town’s car park so you can walk around the town for a while before heading to the greenway trail. If you aren’t sure what to do, ask one of the shopkeepers and they’d be more than happy to guide you. It’s in fact a piece of great advice – ask the locals when in doubt.
We walked via Newry street onto King John’s castle and came across a line of stunning little cafes. The whole street seemed like straight out of a fairytale.
2. Carlingford Marina – Greenway trail
This greenway trail is a 7 km walk from Carlingford to Omeath along the coastline. It offers splendid views of the Cooley peninsula and the lake. You could walk or rent a bike. We walked back after a couple of miles to give ourselves time to check other places.
If you’re a hiking enthusiast, here’s the list of all the different loop walks around Carlingford. It has got everything – the route, length and duration of the walk – so you could plan accordingly.
Look who we found. An adorable baby seal –
3. Scenic Whitestown Coastal loop
This coastal walk/loop/drive is 10kms long along the outskirts of Carlingford. Grab a milkshake from the ice cream truck outside The Cooley Inn Bar Lounge and drive towards Lily Finnegans. The loop is an eye-candy not just because of the waters and the mountains but also the unique houses that decorate the whole area.
You still have some gas left? Here are a few more things to do –
- Slieve Foye mountains
- Get adventurous in SkyPark
- Visit King John’s Castle
So, if you haven’t been to Carlingford before, pack your bags already. Or, if you’ve got a better suggestion for us, please leave your comments below. See you soon with another interesting post. Cheers 🙂
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