Trip to Ireland
September – October 2006
Monday 2 October
Kent
Street
station is an unmitigated disaster.
There are lots and lots of people hanging around with high
visibility
clothing but none of them actually seemed to be doing any work. The
train to Cobh
was just
two cars and was not well used.
Cobh is pretty small, just spread out
along the
water
under the cliff. The Queenstown Story, set up in part of the Cobh
railway station,
was well done. We decided to have a meal
at an open air restaurant with a view of the harbour - the weather was
so good. A big ferry vessel went past quite close as we
were eating. We saw a naval vessel go out.
We had seen it go out this morning and come
back for lunch.
We took the train to Fota.
A coalman travelling on the train (we assumed he was a coalman
as his
face was black) pointed out a Martello
Tower just before Fota Island. There was a delightful
walk to Fota House which is
in a good
state of preservation. The garden and
orangery is magnificent - well worth a visit.
We decided to give the wildlife park a miss.
The train back arrived on time and we were treated to a
short
bird watching experience as the tide was out and the line runs
alongside mud
flats of the estuary. Herons, curlews,
oyster catchers and all types of wading birds were in evidence in
profusion. At one point the flats were
covered with
birds and they are not afraid of the trains.
