The boys are back in town… Or are they? Like the rest of us, they’ve been locked in for the last few months, and now they’re eager to get away. Staycation or long-haul round-the-world trip, they don’t mind!
Fortunately, it looks like an opportunity to travel has just presented itself.
“What’s going on here, Paddy?”
“I’m not sure, Plunkett…”
“… But hop in here and we’ll soon find out!”
Much, much later…
Indeed you have, Beasties. Let the staycation begin!
“We’re here! Um, where is here?”
Luckily, Plunkett has been watching a few of his favourite crime dramas during lockdown, and his deductive powers are razor-sharp. He knows they haven’t left the island of Ireland, because they drove the whole way. Then when he sees how green everything is, and how much water there is around…
“We’re in the west. Sligo, I think!”
Wow, he’s right! Although I suspect that last part might have been a lucky guess. Sligo is one of Ireland’s smaller counties, but it’s incredibly beautiful. Get a good lungful of that lovely fresh air too, boys!
“Aaaaaaah!”
And there really is water everywhere here! Look, Plunkett’s just found some more.
So many waterfalls! You probably won’t be surprised to learn that this town, Ballysadare, takes its name from these beautiful rushing rivers. It’s called “Baile Easa Dara” in Irish, which means “town of the waterfall of the oak”. Clearly Paddy has gone in search of the oak!
Plunkett catches up with him a short while later, in a lovely mossy woodland. One advantage of our climate here is that Ireland is full of these cool, moss-filled hollows.
And Plunkett LOVES these.
“Paddy! Paddy! Take my picture with the moss!”
“Fine. But we’re definitely going to the beach tomorrow!”
Join us next Tuesday to see if Paddy gets to take his trip to the seaside after all. And if you need a little extra dose of monster fun, be sure to check out what tierneycreates Beastie has been up to on the other side of the Atlantic. A certain handsome Beastie has landed in his new home, and there’s good news to share!
See you next time!
And thanks to the themed gardens in Düsseldorf’s Nordpark, you might have even thought we were briefly in Japan! Explorer Beastie does enjoy a bit of zen serenity now and again.
While I was looking for this photo, I found some other travel souvenirs – pictures from
And yes, that is a real live BEAR in the background!
And speaking of dangerous exploits… One of my favourite Beastie holiday snaps of all time comes courtesy of Tammie Painter, who encouraged her Beastie Finn McSpool to try his paw at 
Then again, holidays don’t have to be all non-stop action and dramatic scenery. They can also give you the opportunity to take a moment to pursue a favourite hobby…
… Or just kick back and relax!
Are you dreaming of getting away on holiday when things return to normal? Or are you planning a staycation in your favourite local hideaway? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!
“I’m going in for a closer look – give me a leg up, will you?”
Poor Plunkett! He didn’t think “leg up” meant “I’m going to stand on your head”.
“Lovely! Hey, Plunkett – we could fry these up in batter like they do in fancy restaurants!”
“Hmmm, better leave that for a bit. But I’m STARVING now!”
“Oh, that’s a beauty! Stand back, Plunkett – I’ll take it from here.”
“HEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAVE!”
“Nice one – a successful first harvest, Plunkett! Now, let’s get it to the kitchen.”
“Y’okay back there, Plunkett?”
“Exploring some interesting places, by the look of it!”
“Wow! You’re right, we should go and visit her… I wonder where she is now?”
“This place looks nice. I wonder if anyone’s in?”
“Oh, look! Is that… The kitchen?”
“Yes! I think I’m going to like it here.”
Now, I know that June Beastie’s ever-present rolling pin has raised a few eyebrows throughout her travels. Did she have trouble getting it through airport security? And why would she need it on a visit to a National Park?
So… Many… Rolling… Pins! And look at all those recipe books, too.
“…I’ll whisk them up a tasty snack!”
“…Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…”
But her fishy tail…
… And aquatic-themed accessories…
… Made me realise that it’s a veeeery long time since I was last at the seaside. So, as well as a timely reminder that Beasties are found under the sea as well as on land, I thought I’d take a trip to the coast through some of my old photos.
And while he was living it up overseas, 
That said, not all of their seaside visits have gone so smoothly. In 
How about you lot? Are any of you still able to get to the beach, or are you longing to feel sand between your toes again? Let us know in the comments!
Aha! Looks like they’ve hopped on the gardening bandwagon and are getting into growing their own veggies.
“Check it out, Plunkett! Sustainable jewellery!”
“… Like this. Now, courgettes grow quickly – you might want to stand back a bit!”
“I think we’re going to need a bigger pot, Plunkett!”
The plant looks much happier in its new home, doesn’t it? Plenty of space there to spread out its roots and keep on growing!
“Ah, it’s a bit early for that yet, Paddy. But if you look veeeery closely…”
“… You can see the first flowers starting to appear under the leaves. We won’t have long to wait!”
Paddy and Plunkett were just getting ready to tuck into a human-sized portion of their very favourite meal – honey mustard chicken.
“Hang on… When were you in Albania? Did you go without me?!”
“Sure thing… Shame to let it get cold, though. I’ll just have a bit. YUM!”
Meanwhile, at the door…
It was another Beastie! But Plunkett had never met her before.
“And she’d like our guidan… WHERE’S MY LUNCH?!”
“Oh, you must be the intrepid Paddy Beastie! I’ve read all about you – what a pleasure to meet you at last!”
…But there’s still plenty left for curious Beasties to explore! Let’s join them as they’re taking a breather in the peaceful environs of the arboretum. What great, deep conversations are they having on that elegant stone bench, I wonder?
“Reminds me a bit of the scenes on Endor from Return of the Jedi, this place.”
Or how about a round of hide and seek? There must be millions of good hiding places in here!
“Found you, Paddy! Now it’s my turn to hide.”
“…I’ll be able to see everything!”
It originally graced the entrance of Bamberg Cathedral in Germany, and is 240 years old! It also recently had a facelift, and even the attendant eagles on the pillars got a shiny new coat of gold paint.
“Come on, Plunkett! Nearly there!”
“This had better be worth it… Oh, look at those statues!”
“And what’s that up on the hill?”
And, at journey’s end, they find themselves in a very peculiar place.
It’s the old family pet cemetery! Much less scary than the one in the Stephen King story, this one has memorials to faithful hounds and, if you look at the older headstone on the right, less conventional “pets” like cows get a look-in too.
“Greetings from Powerscourt House, everyone!”
Powerscourt House is in County Wicklow, and it’s only about half an hour south of Dublin. You wouldn’t think it, would you? The house is set in spectacular and varied gardens, and has made Lonely Planet’s list of the 
So, while Plunkett has been enjoying the spectacle of the house, Triton Lake and the Italian Gardens, all set against the backdrop of the Sugar Loaf Mountain, where has Paddy gone? I thought he’d at least be trying to persuade one of those winged horses to take off and give him an aerial view of the grounds… Oh wait, there he is.
… And wait by the stone lantern for Plunkett to catch up!
The Japanese Garden was created in 1908 by the 8th Viscount and Viscountess Powerscourt, making it one of the newer features of the grounds. But funnily enough, the boys stumbled on one of the oldest parts just around the corner – the grotto!
“Paddy, look at all this wonderful moss!”
“Paddy! It’s a Beastie-sized waterfall! I could stay and watch it all day…”
“Hey, what’s that weird-looking building in among the rocks?”
Sold! As we know, 
Let’s go inside!
Aha! Nice one, Plunkett… You’ve found the fish pond!
What did he want a pool for? Well, in the dark days before the fridge-freezer, a “fish larder” like this one meant that the family could keep sea fish handy and fresh all year round!
“Smugglers! It has to be smugglers!”
In here, fish are raised from teeny fry to adult size… Then they can move to the main pool.
Wow, they’re friendly! They must love the camera… Or could it be that they know when John the guide is coming around with his bucket of fish food?
Is it the perfect Beastie-sized house? Not quite.
Luckily, the days of segregated sea bathing here are long gone, and Paddy can enjoy a view of the shallow pool without outraging anyone’s delicate sensibilities. He almost looks like he’d like to go for a dip himself!
Look! There’s even a fireplace inside, so getting dried off afterwards wouldn’t be a problem!
Plunkett likes it too, despite his initial reservations.
“Maybe we should stay here for the winter. I reckon they’d like a pair of resident Beasties!”