Who knew? Surprises in Ireland and Scotland

The ruins of Cliffden Castle are seen from above. The castle and rolling hills are in Galway County, Ireland. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)

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)

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)

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

Wildflower dot the roads in the Beara Peninsula and throughout Ireland. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)

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)

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 makes the countryside of Ireland cheery. (Cheryl Welch | Travel Beat Magazine)

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)

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!)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *