With wings clipped during Covid, we had a chance to reexplore many parts of this beautiful country of ours. But even that was a concession only after the more severe restrictions were lifted. For those first few weeks, the 2 km limit meant every backroad, front garden and cul de sac was examined in depth. Of course, living about 0.5km from the sea meant that we’d actually only a semicircle, rather than circle to move about in. We felt a bit cheated and hard done by at times but, on the other hand, how lucky were we to have a beach close by.
And then the limit was extended to 5km! The excitement!! We still just had our semicircle of course but 5km allowed us reach the neighbouring towns to the north and south us.
We are about 4kms from the seaside town of Bray – just on the Dublin / Wicklow border. Long past its glory days, many of our parents’ generation would have honeymooned in the resort. Over the decades, we’ve watched the old hotels, guest houses and amusement arcades give way to apartment blocks. It has, however, seen a bit of resurgence in recent years and a lot of work has been done on the mile long promenade. With Covid now (hopefully) behind us, the prom is busy again and we find ourselves there a few times per week.
On Thursday, Time Out Magazine published its list of 14 Most Underrated Travel Destinations in the World Today. And there, sharing the limelight with Mongolia, Puerto Rico and Lombok….sharing the limelight with tropical islands, historical cities and picturesque lakes …
is…….
BRAY!!! Coming in at a proud number 13!!
Who’d have thought…….!!
Here’s hoping it doesn’t go to their heads and they start raising the price of ice-cream, pints, fish n chips and parking!!
I too, hope it stays quaint and beautiful. To think it rated 13 says a lot. A nice read.
It’s a great achievement Donna – although rather an oddity..I can’t see it having a huge impact on the town but I’m sure the local council will maximise the hype and publicity – and why not! Have a nice Sunday!
Yes. Good for the town in many ways too.
It certainly is – it’s brilliant news
Looks beautiful!!
Ah it is a nice spot – especially on a good day – lovely for a walk and there’s a cliff path around to the next town which is very popular.
Ireland was such an amazing site we visited. Thanks for sharing this. Anita
Glad you enjoyed, Anita…The country definitely deserves to make any travel list – just a rather unusual choice if they had to highlight one particular place!
I agree with you about the revival of Bray, last summer on my return to Dublin my friends insisted on going to Bray for lunch.
It’s a very handy outing from the city – maybe 40 on the train. So Dublin Tourism as a whole could cash in on it …
COVID restrictions……oh yeah, we’d forgotten all about them….! 😂
It’s so weird even thinking back to those times! Did it really happen?!
Nothing nicer than a Victorian seaside town!
The Time Out article referred to Bray as the ‘Brighton of Ireland’ which was rather generous. But it’s possible to get a feel of what it must have been like in it’s hayday..
A friend of mine lives in Bray and regularly shares great photos of her home town on Facebook. I’ve always thought it looked lovely but I confess I’m surprised to hear it made that list. I guess the ranking is based on how underrated they are, however, in which case it makes sense.
The best part of the town is the promenade and the cliff walk. Everyone is certainly surprised by the selection but, as you say, if we focus on the word ‘underrated’ the choice is more plausible maybe. Lovely sunny day here Sarah – enjoy the rest of the weekend.
That’s fantastic! I am glad to see my old stomping grounds featured in a magazine. When I arrived in Ireland, Bray was my go-to place where I could discover seaside views and towering cliffs. The Cliff Walk from Bray to Greystones was my favourite one and I loved taking in the breathtaking views that the southeast has to offer. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
You’re a positive example to us all Aiva – you know Dublin and its environs better than most natives!
That’s exciting. I would love to visit there. 😊
It would actually make a good base for County Wicklow which is beautiful but it’s not far from Dublin City so very accessible for visitors staying in the city
I’ll have to research the area. Hoping we can make it there one day. 😊
There are some lovely hikes and trails in the area that you’d love!
lovely gallery! gosh, those lockdown travel restrictions really were a thing, weren’t they? how soon one pushes those memories out of consciousness…
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Absolutely. Although there are still so many Covid posters and stickers everywhere that it’s hard to totally forget!
Aw, so very exciting – congrats to Bray! 🙂
Traffic Jam into Bray this afternoon! It’s always busy on a nice Sunday but I wonder if the announcement has already had an effect!!
I hope they don’t raise the ice cream prices!! Beautiful pictures 🙂
You can come and do your monthly food special in Bray, Lissy!!
Good one Marie. I had a feeling you might pay Bray a visit after the article, given that your both intrepid travellers. Great photos on a beautiful day. Must dust down the free travel pass and take a trip to the seaside.
Ha! Actually just back from a lovely walk along the prom – gorgeous afternoon… Yes you should definitely visit – although you might need your passport as well as your bus pass if you venturing that far across town!!!
Beautiful Ireland! Thanks for sharing your experiences with great photos! 👌
Glad you enjoyed – thanks for dropping by! XXXMarie
Ireland is in my bucket list. Love to get to know more about this country
Hope you make it here one day!
That Esplanade Hotel you photographed would make a lovely place to stay for a few days to begin an Irish tour with what looks like a convenient public transportation connection nearby. Any thoughts on this?
Don’t think that the Esplanade is open to paying visitors now – haven’t heard of anyone staying there in a long time. But Bray would certainly make a good base as an alternative to Dublin city centre – there’s an Aircoach from Bray to the airport and a good train service into Greystones, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin. In the town itself there is the promenade, you can climb Bray Head and then there’s the lovely cliff walk to Greystones which has plenty of nice restaurants and you can take the train back to Bray.
It’s amazing how much we can appreciate our surroundings when we’re forced to stay close to home. It sounds like the author took full advantage of the opportunity to explore their local area during Covid restrictions, and even found a new appreciation for their nearby beach. And now, to see their town of Bray recognized as an underrated travel destination is the icing on the cake! It just goes to show that there’s so much beauty to be found in our own backyards.
It’s astonishing what we came across when we actually LOOKED! Within the 2km radius we found 2 ancient crosses on an old pilgrim path, a ring fort, and some very old Celtic headstones in a disused graveyard. WE had passed by most of them so many times but never actually thought much about them…. shame on us but you’re right – being forced to stay close to home has certainly opened our eyes!
Great to travel again!
Isn’t it just!! I hope I never take it for granted again!!!