Wexford, Carlow and Kilkenny
The southeast of Ireland is not the most obvious of areas to visit, especially if this is your first time in the country. There are none of the wild wastes of rock, bog and water, nor the accompanying abandoned cottages that tell of famine, eviction and emigration, so appealing to romantic tastes. It is, however, Ireland's sunniest and driest corner, and what the region does have to offer - whether you're spending a couple of days passing through, or if you simply haven't the time for more distant wanderings - is worth savouring. On the whole, the region's attractions are frustratingly widely scattered, but its medieval and Anglo-Norman history is richly concentrated in the ancient city of Kilkenny - the region's only heavily touristed town - and the lush countryside around it shelters some powerful medieval ruins. Wexford town's conviviality makes up for its disappointingly scant traces of a vigorous Viking and Norman past; Carlow town, sadly, doesn't. While the extreme east is dull and low-lying, and the Blackstairs Mountains open and empty, the southeast is characterized overall by a quality of rich cultivation, as much to do with its history as its natural fertility. Inland, the region is shaped by three majestic rivers: the Nore, the Barrow and the Slaney, and by the empty Blackstairs Mountains which form a rough natural boundary between the counties of Wexford and Carlow. The rivers roll through rich, lush pastures and pretty wooded valleys, past medieval Christian ruins and little towns and villages, whose history belongs to the trade these waterways brought inland. This landscape is at its prettiest in the hills and valleys of the Nore and Barrow , just north of New Ross, and south of Kilkenny town, perfect countryside for leisurely cycling and easy walking - an option made all the more attractive by the hostels at New Ross and Kilkenny. The signposted South Leinster Way meanders through the heart of this countryside to some of the choicest spots, before heading northeast to the less intimate country of Carlow and the Blackstairs Mountains. Head for the coast and, to the east, superb sandy beaches stretch practically the entire length of County Wexford. While the south coast is less suitable for swimming, its sand banks, shallow lagoons and silted rivers offer great opportunities for wildlife enthusiasts: prime spots for birdwatching include the Wexford Slobs (around the town itself), the lakes of Lady's Island and Tacumshane, the Saltee Islands off Kilmore Quay and the Hook Head Peninsula. This low-lying southern coastal region also provides an excellent quick route west to Waterford, since there's a car ferry from Ballyhack across to Passage East on the other side of Waterford Harbour.
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