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If it has a harbour, the chances are it also has a harbour cruise. So we boarded the ‘Spirit of Kinsale’. It’s a trim, comfortable little boat on which light snacks are available, although we didn’t bother with these, as the cruise only takes a short afternoon.

A commentary gave us some of the history, and, once more, we were surprised how much there was … and, a lot of it, we weren’t taught in school.

Two forts guard the harbour mouth, which was also about the limit of our cruise; we were told about their history … as well as the Spanish occupation in 1601, as a result of which the forts were built, and to commemorate which the replica mast was erected overlooking the harbour.

We frequently saw cormorants and herons … but, sadly, no seals or dolphins. But, they just said we MAY see them; they didn’t promise anything.

We had lunch in an attractive harbour town called Youghal. 2 euros bought us unrestricted on-street parking, so we had plenty of time to explore, and during our explorations, we discovered that we could have parked in any off-street car park for 3 hours for nothing.

We chose the Rivergate Café and Restaurant, where I had a lasagne, and very good lasagne it was, too. I was producing oregano-flavoured burps for hours afterwards.

The café is attached to the Rivergate shopping mall, but you can approach it from the outside, where there’s a car park. So, it draws customers for both shoppers and the ‘passing trade’. It therefore gets rather busy, especially around lunchtime, but the standards, or the cheerful service don’t seem to suffer.

There’s little to say about Travelodge hotels I haven’t said in other posts. They’re all fairly basic, but, if you’re just looking for somewhere clean, comfortable and secure to lay your head for the night, that’s all you need. Especially if you can score a ‘Saver’ room.

The one at Waterford is starting to show its age; maybe it’s about due a visit from the painters? But, the staff were friendly and cheerful, and there was a diner close at hand if you wanted something to eat

However, we did have a little difficulty finding it. We’d been told just follow the signs to Cork from Waterford, and you can’t miss it. Those instructions, though, are out of date; we’d taken a new toll road that doesn’t appear on the map, which by-passes the town completely. So, we approached it by driving INTO Waterford from the direction of Cork.

Be warned; disregard the toll road, and actually go into Waterford before following the signs to Cork!

For a crossing to Ireland from our part of the country, there’s two options. We could take the overnight ferry from Swansea to Cork, or the less expensive, shorter trip from Fishguard to Rosslare. Really, it’s swings and roundabouts, for any savings we’d have made on the shorter route would be eaten by the extra miles we’d have to drive.

But, we chose the Fishguard route anyway, for that way, we’d see more of the country.

We arrived in Fishguard in plenty of time for the ferry; in fact, we only had to wait 20 minutes to check in. And, when we had checked in, there was a considerable wait before we could load.

But, here was a cafe, with free wifi, where I had a very nice beef pasty for lunch. Normally, I’d have said there was too much pastry in it, but it was so moist and slightly sweet, it wasn’t a problem,

The crossing itself was rather lively. The ship had to deal with high winds and rough seas, but we didn’t feel too much discomfort, although moving around the ship was a bit of a problem. Not that there’s much to see, anyway. We found comfortable seats, in which to play with the free wifi and the MP3 player, read and go to sleep

If I had one teeny complaint, it was that the music over the loudspeaker was a little too loud.

In this day and age, a pub cannot survive on beer alone, especially if there’s another one a couple of hundred yards down the road. So, most pubs offer food … and, again, each pub tries to outdo the competition. What remains? Atmosphere?

That is certainly a big selling point, but, in Salisbury, there are more pubs with the ‘olde worlde’ ambience than you can shake a stick at.

The ‘New Inn’ scores with its secluded beer garden, a quiet retreat that makes you forget the city is only a pace away. And, there’s a great view of the Cathedral; a nice place to meet, and sit and have a leisurely drink with friends on a sunny afternoon.

And, what if it isn’t sunny? Well, the atmosphere inside is just as welcoming and, although I can’t speak for the food … I didn’t have any … the beer (Badger Brewery) is excellent.

I think the most important thing to say about Leeds Castle is that it’s in Kent … and nowhere near the better-known Leeds, in Yorkshire!

Another point is that it isn’t a ruin; it’s livable-in, if not actually lived in. So, it’s more like a Stately Home than a castle. There’s very little to see here in the way of weaponry and armour … I don’t think it was ever attacked or laid siege to.

For me, the best point is the extensive gardens … which, if you don’t want to walk all that way, you can view from a ‘land train’.

And, if you live in England, read the fine print on your ticket, and don’t throw it away. It’s good for re-entry for a year and a day after its initial purchase!

One thing I would add to the comments already made is that, if you’re not a member of English Heritage, plan to spend the whole day there, as that’s the only way to see everything.

We only had an afternoon, so spent it on an exploration of the older part of the castle, including an ascent of the Great Tower, which is rather strenuous, and I don’t recommend if you have difficulty getting about. But, there’s a great view of Dover from the top, and our visitors were entranced by the view of the cruise ship on which they’d arrived.

Another point is that you don’t have to worry about the weather … when a shower came down, we spent an absorbing 45 minutes in the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment Museum.

We didn’t have time to see the tunnels, and the weather wasn’t quite right for the Battlements Walk … but I am a member of English Heritage, so these things will be on my list for the next time I pass through Dover.