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Left b&b around 9:30 went to Donegal Castle. The castle was rather small compared to the one's we've visited so far. Itwas located right in the center of town and you did your own self guided tour. Then we got lost trying to find Sligo Abbey so we just kept driving down the road and went toBoyle Abbey instead. I'm telling you this country has ruins everywhere! You drive down a street turn a corner and therein the middle of a field is some ancient ruin.
Got gas and lunch somewhere south and ended up doing circling at Ballinrobe trying to find the way to Ashford Castle. But we finally figured out the right side street to go down to a farm route which takes you straight into a T junction and the entry to Ashford Castle.
Ashofrd castle is just as pretty as the pictures on their website. You drive over this bridge large enough for only one vehicle. They had valet parking and a bell boy that took your luggage up to your room which was nice considering our bags were getting heavier by the day. Our room was a corner room with a view of the lake and fountain in the back. The bathroom was large and spacious and you had your own bathrobe and slippers provided for you. One can't help but feel a bit like royalty by this time.
Since it wasn't time for dinner just yet we decided to walk the castle grounds. Now I love to explore new places and as the others were talking about their aching knees from all the hiking and walking we did the night before I took off ahead of them. I found walled garden that reminded me of secret garden. You enter the garden down some steps then there is a sign that said "walled garden" so you follow the path under this bridge into a tunnel which makes a small 's' and you come out into another garden. Here there is an tunnel made of roses and flowering plants that form a 't' and along the small paths are flowers. I can only imagine the way it looks in the spring time when all those flowers are in bloom and your nose smells the various senses. I lost my friends by taking this detour so I just continued forward to follow the path and found myself at the 'Quiet man's house'. Now I haven't seen the movie "the Quiet Man" with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara (even though they showed it on the castle's TV that night, I still fell asleep after the first 10minutes) but apparently the movie was set in County Mayo and one of the cottages is on the grounds of Ashford Castle. So by getting lost I found the cottage unexpectedly and it was rather picturesque with the smoke coming out of the chimney and you can smell that dinner is being made inside. The falconry school is nearby and I passed the signs for it trying to figure my way out of the woods. I did eventually make it back to the main path where you can see down the steps set apart right to the fountain of the castle. At the end of the main trail was just a plaque with the castle's seal and a small church, so I called mom to let her know I was safe and met a nice older woman who was also out on a walk. I like having chats with random stranger while on my trip of course I pick strangers who don't look creepy or weird in my eyes. It is a nice way to get back into the civility of life.
My friends eventually found me again and we ended up having dinner in the drawing room. I don't recall what I ate exactly but I do know it was good. Dessert was a pavalova, which is this meringue with fresh fruit and all sugar, so yummy though! My friends went down to the Dungeon's Bar to listen to some music afterward but I had a headache after drinking 'soda' and all that sweets so I went straight to bed.
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