Okay, I don’t want to alarm anybody, but the other day I went into the living room to find a note on the floor…
I’m sure he’s totally fine. He’s big enough to look after himself, and he did set out with a fresh sandwich in his backpack. That said, if anyone sees Explorer Beastie in the next couple of days, could you please ask him to call home?
Meanwhile, a new member of the family has dropped in to say hello. A throwback to the heyday of gentleman explorers, Victorian Explorer Beastie never goes anywhere without his pith helmet and a hipflask of good-quality gin (it’s hidden in his knapsack). Since the sun was out yesterday, I asked him to accompany me on a day trip to Bray – a seaside town just south of Dublin, in Co. Wicklow. It was a popular holiday destination back in the day, and I figured he’d feel right at home there.
The best way to get to Bray is to take the train. The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) gets you out there from the city centre in about 45 minutes, and the journey is an event in itself. Just make sure you’re sitting on the left-hand side of the train, or you’ll miss all the good stuff!
For the first few minutes, the train passes through regular cityscape scenery – office buildings, houses, apartment blocks. Then, suddenly, you break out into this:
Sandymount Strand is a long, flat beach which is featured in James Joyce’s “Ulysses”. My quick snap from the grafitti-scratched train window doesn’t really convey the scale and the peacefulness of this stretch of coastline, but it makes it hard to believe that the city is just a few seconds back up the line! However, the star of the show is the section of the line between Dun Laoghaire and Killiney. Here, the track hugs the cliffs, allowing you to enjoy a head-spinning view of the small, sandy coves below (impossible to photograph, at least for someone with my current level of expertise) or a more tranquil vista of the Irish Sea.
Once we arrived in Bray, we headed for the beach…
…walked along the promenade…
… and then decided it would be a great day to climb Bray Head!
It was a pretty steep climb…
… but the view from the top was totally worth it!
And so was running all the way back down again!
Look out for more adventures with Victorian Explorer Beastie in the next while… at least until Explorer Beastie makes it home!
Great pictures! I used to ride my bike from Clontarf to Dun Lagohaire a lot on the weekends and spent many times in Bray…just beautiful!
Wooooah! That’s quite a trek! I have to admit that the Beasties and I are more into walking than cycling (Beastie legs are too short for bikes), but I might take your lead and venture “Northside” on a future outing…
It sure was quite a trek! But, I was single, in my late 20s, working all week in an office and really needed to stretch my legs and it was for free 😉 Best memories ever! I hope you’ll venture out that way, too, sometime…well worth it. You got to make a bike for Beastie though 😉
Hmm, good idea! My family would definitely get a kick out of that, they’re all avid cyclists!
Victorian Explorer Beastie sure knows how to make a début onto the travel scene, possibly Explorer Beastie has gone on a fact finding mission so he & Victorian Explorer can do a Then & Now Travel Guide highlighting all the similarities both Beasties will encounter 🙂
Ha! Good idea! Definitely a future post in there… once Explorer Beastie gets back, of course!
Of course 😀
Aw such good fun. Your little Beasties are so cute. It looks like you had a wonderful journey to enjoy the day with your cute little friend. 🙂
Thanks, I did! I love having an excuse to get out and about, and Beastie photoshoots fit the bill perfectly!
Beautiful photos – and with such a stylish little Beastie! I can even imagine him saying, “Why, hello there, old chap!” when passing others along the way. Haha. 😀
Rather! He’s a real gent! I think he deserves a couple more outings before Explorer Beastie gets home…