Torbjørn Pedersen has always dreamed of being a famous adventurer. He spent his childhood building dens in the woods, pretending to be his hero, Indiana Jones. Even as an adult, he couldn’t shake the sense that he was destined for greatness.
02.08.2023 - 18:19 / nationalgeographic.com / River Liffey / Art
Landscapes as green and lovely as everyone says. Literary giants in Dublin; Titanic history in Belfast. A pint and good craic in a traditional pub. The lure of Celtic legends.
Spring: Easter and St. Patrick’s Day draw crowds, but not quite as many as in the summer. It’s a bit easier to navigate popular sites in the bigger cities like Dublin and enjoy wildflower-dotted areas along the western coast.
Summer: The peak season brings plenty of events, like the Galway Arts Festival. Cycle a trail like the Great Western Greenway, kayak a blueway, or hike in Connemara National Park.
Autumn: October festivals, such as the Cork Jazz Festival and the enthralling PúcaHalloween festival in County Meath, start filling the calendar. It’s also a great time to sample the local harvest at farmers markets in towns and villages.
Winter: It rarely snows in Ireland, but it rains quite a bit. There are fewer crowds, so winter visitors will feel more of the local vibe, especially in the pubs. Christmas is big, with holiday events like Winterval in Waterford.
Cities: Capital city Dublin is easy to explore on foot, with Trinity College, home of the Book of Kells, not far from the EPIC Irish emigration museum beside the River Liffey. Laid-back Galway has a thriving arts and music scene plus ferries to the Aran Islands. County Cork and Limerick are market counties, with the historic English Market at the former and the Milk Market in the latter. Known for its shipping history—and mid20th-century troubles—Belfast is also gaining recognition for its food scene.
East: In County Wicklow, get lost in Powerscourt and Mount Usher gardens or hike in Wicklow Mountains National Park. In County Meath, history buffs find Neolithic monuments Newgrange and Knowth, plus other Boyne Valley treasures like Trim Castle and Loughcrew Cairns.
Southeast: The city of Waterford’s Viking roots are on display at the Waterford Treasures museums. In Kilkenny city, follow the Medieval Mile walking trail and explore the narrow alleyways that reveal hundreds of years of history.
Southwest: Backdropped by mountains like the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks, gorgeous peninsulas, and colorful harbors, Cork and Kerry draw artists and writers. Killarney National Park and the Dingle Peninsula are sightseeing favorites during long summer days.
West: The sea-lashed Cliffs of Moher and the otherworldly limestone plateaus of The Burren are just a few miles apart in County Clare. To the north, County Galway is home to the blanket bogs of Connemara. County Mayo preserves Céide Fields, one of the world’s oldest archaeological sites.
(Follow the trail of Ireland’s legendary pirate queen.)
Northwest: Flat-topped mountains like Ben Bulben and Knocknarea overlook County Sligo’s lively
Torbjørn Pedersen has always dreamed of being a famous adventurer. He spent his childhood building dens in the woods, pretending to be his hero, Indiana Jones. Even as an adult, he couldn’t shake the sense that he was destined for greatness.
As a seasoned travel and adventure writer who has soared solo all over the planet, I’ve learned a few things about what makes a journey truly extraordinary. It’s a bit like entering into a social experiment over and over. What will it be like if I join X group in X country doing X activity with X assemblages of people? Flip it, change it—what’s it like now? What I’ve gleaned is that the perspective, confidence, and positivity of individuals matters; attitudes—good or bad—are contagious; experiences aren’t nearly as meaningful unless they’re shared; and a guide who sets the tone for the group of strangers with enthusiasm, encouragement, and inclusiveness is everything.
It’s a country pub in a city. That’s my thinking as bartender Michael O’Donovan lets my pint of Murphy’s settle on the counter, pausing for an intuitive amount of time before topping off the stout’s creamy crown. There are licks of flame in a tiled fireplace nearby. The wood spits and crackles as the conversation eases into gear.
Ireland may be relatively small, but its dramatic coasts, country roads, and historic cities have visitors wishing for more time. To help maximize your trip, we consulted local experts, ranging from food writers to photographers, librarians, and tour guides, for their best bets.
Nestled in the north-west corner of Ireland, the city of Derry-Londonderry (Northern Ireland) and the county of Donegal (Republic of Ireland) sit snugly side by side. Taken together, this pair have every ingredient you could want from a short break: a dollop of history, a splash of culture and immeasurable quantities of nature and adventure. Better yet, it’s a combination that few have yet to put together.
It’s the opposite of a motorway. As I drive into the Cumeengeera Valley, scraggly summer hedgerows slap my wing mirrors. Punky tufts of grass on the boreen work like brushes, scrubbing the car’s undercarriage. The mountains around me make me feel the size a grain of rice in a giant green bowl.
In Willemstad, the capital city on the island of Curaçao, the waterfront is dotted with buildings the color of tropical fruit: mango orange, banana yellow, kiwi green. Paired with the bright blue water in nearby bays, it’s almost a full kaleidoscope of color. Originally, the structures were limestone white, but an 1817 law forbade white facades on buildings to protect islanders’ eyesight from the bright reflections of the Caribbean sun – but locals joke that it was a money-making bid on behalf of the island’s only paint supplier.
It may be hard to believe, but there’s a place in England where the sand is fine and white, the sea is turquoise blue, and the sun shines more than just about anywhere else in the country. In this dream-like place, you can surf, you can sunbathe (and even get a tan), you can hike coastal paths, valleys, and moors, and you can stuff you face with cream teas and pasties. You guess it, Cornwall, England, is a must-see when in Britain. Lucky for you, it’s only a direct train ride away from London.
Colourful Australian slang, or strine, has its origins in the archaic cockney and Irish of the colony’s early convicts as well as the adoption of words from the many Aboriginal languages. And for such a vast country, the accent barely varies to the untutored ear; from Tasmania (“Tassie”) to the northwest you’ll find little variation in the national drawl, with a curious, interrogative ending to sentences fairly common – although Queenslanders are noted for their slow delivery.
Here at Rough Guides, our sanctioned daily walks have become a firm highlight of coronavirus lockdown. Watching the spring blossom burst into being, feeling the sun on our faces, actually seeing other people (from a safe distance, of course)… it’s been a crash course in taking pleasure in the simple things. To help put a spring in your step, we’ve collated 10 less-visited trails and national parks in the UK and the US, ripe for the walking – now, if you live locally, or as soon as it’s safe to do so.
If the Irish didn’t invent the pub, they’ve certainly espoused its cause with great vigour. The pub retains a pivotal place in Irish society. It’s the place where stories are narrated, deals and pacts are made, jokes are told and traditional music is heard.
Travel booking site Hoppa have just released a list of the most expensive cities to visit in Europe. Looking at the cost of hotels, food, drink, transport and entertainment, they've analysed the affordability of 48 European cities.