Last weekend we continued our Irish adventures and drove down to County Wexford. For us this county is very handy to visit as it’s not even two hours away from home. With two kids you can make this in one stretch no problem.
The checkin to our hotel in Wexford town was not until 3pm. It gave us plenty of time to visit the Hook Lighthouse and its surrounding areas. At first hubby was not too keen to visit a lighthouse. I suppose it doesn’t sound overly exciting but I did my research on it and it is apparently on the “must see” list. Up until this point, I have actually never heard of it before. Hook Lighthouse is the world’s oldest intact lighthouse in the world.
The visitor centre is open all year around and guided tours are being offered every thirty minutes. The lighthouse tower was built by William Marshal, the Earl of Pembroke and the most famous knight of his time, as part of the development of his Lordship of Leinster.
Originally I had planned to have lunch in the lighthouse keeper’s house but I know for a fact that we are never on the road on time. For that reason I had some packed lunch with us. We arrived just at lunch time. The drive was beautiful down there. Pure country road and you can smell the sea from far away. On our way down there, maybe a five minute drive from the lighthouse, we discovered Ireland’s most haunted house called Loftus Hall. I never even realised that was down there. We didn’t go in as the parking to get in was €2 and we didn’t have any change. Maybe next time.
Considering that we were at the coast, it was quite windy but nevertheless the sun was shining with fluffy clouds in the sky. As it was a Bank Holiday weekend, there was lots of entertainment for the kids, such as lawn games, music and a BBQ. Basically not too short of anything. There was even pirates running around.
After our picnic, I went to buy our guided tour tickets. For adults it’s €9. Children under five go free. This meant we only had to pay €18. In case of older kids, the rate for two adults and one child, it’s €20 and two adults and two kids, it’s €22. Very reasonable in my opinion for what you are getting.
Matthew was loving the whole tour and explored each room. Hubby went back outside half way through because Chloe was getting a bit scared from the darkness in the place. Matthew and me made it to the top of the lighthouse which was the end of the tour. Our tour guide took a last photo of the two of us with the beautiful view behind us. I definitely had my workout for that day. I had to carry Matthew all the way to the top. Thankfully he walked downstairs by himself which in his words “was so much easier “.
In the meantime hubby and Chloe were waiting in the cafe. The kids had some well deserved ice cream and the grown ups enjoyed a cup of tea and shared some strawberry cheesecake. Minus the strawberry… Matthew stole that one. There are many areas to sit with a conservatory to look out onto the cliffs. A table of information for more attractions nearby is also available, free of charge of course. Furthermore there is a little shop. I didn’t go inside but I presume it’s all Hook souvenirs and postcards.
For the various opening hours through the years, visit the Hook Lighthouse website.
Later on we made our way to the Maldron Hotel, situated only five minutes from Wexford town. I would definitely recommend if you go with the family. It’s very family friendly and the rooms are really big. We drove into town and went for a meal in Robs Ranch House. It’s a Western themed type of restaurant/pub. Really nice and the food was amazing. Super family friendly and there is plenty on the kids menu to select from.