The ruins of Cliffden Castle are seen from above. The castle and rolling hills are in Galway County, Ireland. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)
After 16 days driving around the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland, we compiled lists of things we never knew we’d miss.
Things we will miss from Ireland & Scotland:
Soaring cliffs over the wild Atlantic
Mountain waterfalls that seem to fall from the sky
Bakewells
Sheep roam free among the cliffs overlooking Slieve League. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)
French press coffee (and having time to make it!)
Castles and epic old buildings around every corner
Golf courses everywhere (some of them playable)
Sheep!
Amazing Wexford strawberries
Fabulous eggs and milk
Spreadable jam on scones
Hairy coos (coos=cows)
Hilarious road signs
Haggis, neeps and tatties (they’re actually pretty good)
No tipping expected
Hilarious toilets
Baffling electrical and plumbing
Hairy coos are frequently spotted in the Highlands of Scotland. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)
Pretty money
Brilliant accents
Gorgeous scenery
“Brilliant!”
“Grand!”
“Dodgy”
“Wee”
“Bragh”
“Cheers!”
“Smashing!”
Friendly and helpful people everywhere! (Except that one bus driver—“he’s a wee bit grumpy!”)
Double decker buses
Real red phone booths
Driving on the left
Wildflowers, particularly foxglove
Wildflowers dot the roads in the Beara Peninsula and throughout Ireland. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)
Hedges of fuscia and rhododendron (the “weed” they can’t get rid of 😅)
Guinness on tap everywhere
Heineken on tap everywhere (really?)
Tennent beer with super tall head on it!
Seafood chowder and brown bread with real butter
Real Irish fiddlers, trad music Ireland ❤️🎻❤️
Pubs everywhere
Roundabouts!😳
Gas stations with amazing fresh food
Colorful homes and storefronts (in Ireland)
Cool old stone walls and ruins
Blocks of buildings and blocks of homes stuck together (in Scotland)
Awesome public transit systems
Patchwork fields of Ireland
The Dingle Peninsula drive along the coast can be harrowing, yet well worth it. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)
Off leash dogs
Pint o’milk for 60 pence
Parking your car facing either direction on either side of the road 😂
Amazing gin selection
Thrilling, adrenaline-pumping drives on one-lane roads along sea cliff edges or hedge-walls (often with a bus barreling toward you)
Beaches with sea glass galore
Cottages with gardens and flower boxes
Electric teapots (and the assumption of tea as a household necessity, coffee optional and instant coffee the default grocery option 😱)
Not “grocery store”: Co-op (in Scotland)
Not “gas” in your car: Diesel or petrol
Not dollars and cents: €Euros (Republic of Ireland), £Pounds (aka “quid”) & pence (plural of penny) up north
We still aren’t sure what time it is at “half six” 🧐
Outlandish speed limits on wild roads plus crazy bright “Garda” (Irish police) cars = no threat of speeding tickets. Only fear of death.
Cottages, barns and shops with colorful doors, flower boxes, and other adornments make the countryside of Ireland cheery. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)
Palm trees in Ireland—who knew?!
Scottish tea cakes = mallow cups
Skeleton keys—wtf?!
Abundance of fire blankets, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, and planned meeting place signs co-existing with doors that lock you inside unless you can calmly unlock to escape using the correct skeleton key (this is to motivate you to utilize the abundance of firefighting equipment provided.)
Water closets (and “W.C.” signs to “help” you locate them)
Things we will appreciate more in the US:
Paper towels in bathrooms
Single faucets (instead of scalding H + frigid C)
Full width roads
Shoulders on roads
Signage that makes sense
Salt and pepper (big flakes or fresh ground… the finely ground powder pepper is… well, awful)
Mustard and ketchup (instead of ketchup, vinegar, and brown sauce—what is brown sauce??!)
Splitting the check? No problem!
Eggs over easy (“Easy over? What is this easy over?”)
Doors with turning locks and normal keys
Showers with full pressure and adjustable steady temperature without pull cords, timers, or switches
Electrical switches that go UP for on
Electrical outlets without switches
Ovens without wall switches
Washclothes
Dryers that dry (and don’t have ‘water traps’ to empty)
Ceiling fans
Pubs with traditional music are found throughout Ireland. You’ll never go hungry or thirsty or lack for fiddle tunes in this country. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)
Central heat and air (instead of mishmash of radiators and electric heaters)
Golf carts (not one broken “buggy” or 18 holes pushing a “trolley”!)
Shopping bags included with purchase
Long dark nights (instead of sunrise at 4:30 am, sunset 10:30)
Having our own cars all the time
Hair dryers
Flat sheets
Softer mattresses
Good pillows
Warm dry weather
Flavored coffee creamer, half & half (they only use milk here!)