London to Dublin and Cork
An early start from Manningtree to Liverpool Street, then across to Euston with time to spare for a quick breakfast before catching the 9.10 Virgin train to Holyhead. I was advised to sit on the right side of the train for the best views of the Welsh coast line.
The first couple of hours gave me time to catch up with some reading before arriving in Chester, where the train filled up with people, and the countryside became more picturesque. Station names were longer, not to mention more difficult to pronounce and the rugged North Wales coast came into view. The sky cleared, giving way to a beautiful crisp and sunny Autumn day. The train arrived in Holyhead on the Island of Anglesey just before 1pm via the famous Menai Bridge built by Thomas Telford.
The train connected with the cruise ferry, Ulysses (at 55,000 tonnes - the largest ferry in the world) and operated by Irish Ferries. There were plenty of lunch options on the ferry, but my first priority was to take in the view from the top deck as we left Anglesey for Dublin. As well as eating and drinking, the ferry has a cinema showing a choice of two films (additional charge) so the 3 hour crossing was very relaxed and we were soon arriving in Dublin Port where I was given a good Irish welcome by the Railtours rep who drove me to my hotel through the centre of Dublin, giving me the full guided tour en route. After battling some rush hour traffic, we arrived at the Ashling Hotel, a large modern hotel overlooking the River Liffey, and right next to the Luas tram which takes 5 minutes to get to the city centre (or you can walk it in 20 minutes.) The hotel is also a short walk from the National Museum, Phoenix Park and Zoo and Heuston Station which takes you to all parts of Southern and Western Ireland. After a quick exploration of Dublin by night, I retired for an early night as my stay in Dublin was short. Bright and early next morning, I was met by Bob at Heuston Station, who was my host for the day on our tour to Cork, Blarney Castle and Cobh.
We boarded the train, and sat back and relaxed, waiting for daylight to come. The train has an excellent dining car so I decided to go for the Irish smoked salmon and scrambled eggs - a very civilised start to the day. Shortly after finishing breakfast, we pulled into Cork station and were met by a coach to takes us on to Blarney Castle, built in 1446 and famous for the Blarney stone which apparently, if kissed, will give you the gift of eternal eloquence. Since this involved lying on your back across a gap with a massive drop, I decided that I was eloquent enough already! After some retail therapy and a light lunch, we boarded the coach once again to take us to Cobh, but not before Bob took us on a tour of Cork, well known as the home of Murphys, the Southern rival to Guinness. We arrived at the beautifully restored Victorian railway station, now the heritage centre and home to the Queenstown story.
Originally Cove, the town was renamed after a visit from Queen Victoria in 1849 but subsequently changed back to Cobh (the Irish language has no v, so bh is used instead) after the Irish independence in 1922. The exhibition tells the more than fascinating history of Irish emigration and of course the Titanic, Cobh being its last port of call. The tour returned via train from Cobh to Cork and connected onto the Dublin train, while I stayed a night in Cork giving me a little more time to explore before returning home the next day.
