Ireland day 0715. Wednesday 13 September 2023- Golf Hotel *

Ireland day 0715. Wednesday 13 September 2023- Golf Hotel

Today’s summary	Had a Skype call with a friend in Lancaster in the morning, then Val and I dealt with some admin matters. Walked over the hill to Portmarnock Hotel for coffee then came back along the coast
Today’s weather	Dry and bright in the morning then clouded over and started raining lightly in the early afternoon. Rain continued on and off all the rest of the day. Moderate southerly wind. Appx 16C.

Today’s overview location (The green mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The orange line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Walk to Portmarnock Golf Hotel

Commentary

(Summary blog only. Last full blog was Day 0368).

Today the weather started off looking quite promising, but quickly deteriorated. Fortunately I was up early enough to see a bit of the sunshine, as I had an early video call with a friend in Lancaster. An enjoyable start to the day, but it did mean that I was indoors for the best of the weather.

Once I’d finished the call, Val and I set out to deal with yet another pile of admin matters that seem suddenly to have come our way. Oh for a quiet life! (Though I think I would probably become quite bored with it). But eventually it was done, and we deemed ourselves to be in need of a bit of a treat.

We hummed- and hawed- about where to go, as by this stage it was raining steadily and the forecast wasn’t predicting any let-up for several hours at least. Anyway eventually we decided to put a brave face on it and go out anyway.

Our destination today was the Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links – it’s a smart hotel just behind the Velvet Strand and we have ridden past it often enough on the 102, but never been inside. This seemed like a bit of a gap in our knowledge of the local hospitality spots, so we determined to walk there, over Paddy’s Hill, and take a look.

We eventually made it there in once piece, and thankfully not too wet, so we weren’t ejected as bedraggled waifs as soon as we crossed the threshold. We found the lounge, settled in, and ordered coffees. The ambience was nice, and the lounge area had good views across the coast and sea, so we enjoyed our sojourn. But I have to say, we did feel a bit under-dressed, and it was quite expensive, so I’m not sure how soon we will return. In some ways, it’s similar to the lounge in the Grand Hotel in Malahide, though the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed in Malahide, while the view is better in Malahide.

Once we had put the world to rights and paid, we headed out and walked back to Malahide by the shortest and quickest route – in view of the steadily increasing rain – which was along the coast. We returned to the flat not too wet and set about converting the delicious wild salmon that we’d bought in Dublin yesterday, into tonight’s dinner. As usual, Val worked her magic on the selection of random raw ingredients we had in the fridge, and turned out a delicious meal. Now it’s time for me to pull my weight and to do the washing up . And perhaps most pressingly, I need to dispose of the fishy remains before they permanently impregnate their surroundings with the amine pungency of the sea.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


On Paddy’s Hill with Lambay beyond	Pretty mallow (Malva sylvestris) growing by the Malahide Castle sports field

Well – I never knew there was an ironworks in Drogheda	Curious decorative structure in the grounds of the Portmarnock Hotel. Don’t know what it is, but it’s dated 1907 and the inscription says “Lux, Amor, Pax” (Light, Love, Peace)

Flying the flag as we weave our way through the golf links	By the time we came out of the hotel, the weather had deteriorated markedly. What a contrast to a week ago – Autumn seems to have arrived almost overnight

Val striding purposefully to the main entrance of the hotel