This Family Travels: our family’s trip to Monaghan

A must see part of Ireland.

I had never been to Monaghan before we visited last week but it's safe to say that I'll be back again for another visit. Not only is there so much to see and do but the scenery is absolutely breathtaking so if you're planning to make use of the government subsidy next month I would definitely considering a trip to Monaghan.

Where we stayed

We stayed at the gorgeous Hillgrove Hotel just a stone's throw away from the centre of Monaghan town. We stayed in a family room that had bunk beds that the kids were absolutely obsessed with as well as one double bed and one single bed. I'm usually a bit nervous when I stay in a hotel with the kids that they'll get bored but as well as having loads of criac with the bunk beds the hotel also had a large swimming pool and a playground on site (there are other additional play rooms but due to current restrictions they were closed). Where ever we went in the hotel there was hand sanitizer available including on the breakfast and dinner table.

Where we ate

During our stay at the Hillgrove we ate from their varied breakfast and dinner menus which included pancakes, vegan French toast, pasta and Thai green curry. We also stopped by Ambledown Cottage in Glaslough which is a must visited if you're in the area as it looks like a house from a fairytale both outside and inside. They also have the biggest plates of nachos I have ever seen! Afterwards we popped into Glaslough Chocolate which is a small shop which makes local, handmade chocolates. We picked up some hot chocolate sticks, honeycomb chocolate and fudge while we were there and it's definitely something to put on your list if you're a chocolate lover. On our drive home we grabbed Sunday lunch at Concra Wood Golf Club and it was divine. For dessert I had a huge slice of chocolate cheesecake while my husband had a cream tea. The restaurant overlooks the grounds of the golf club and it was just a perfect way to end our trip.

What we did

We did a good bit of sight seeing given that it was raining on and off most of our trip but it is Ireland and if you avoided going out because of the rain you'd never go out. Our first day we mainly kept to Monaghan Town which is bursting with shops, restaurants and cafes but our second day in Monaghan we went for a ramble around Glaslough. Someone told me recently it had been named the tidiest town in Ireland and I would believe it as it's one of the prettiest towns I've ever been to in Ireland. The kids particularly loved the old phone box which on closer inspection turn out to be a small library!

Our favourite part

Our favourite part was renting bikes from Drumlin Trails and I say this even though the whole time we were cycling it was raining. We were able to get electric bikes which are so handy no only for hills but especially when you're hauling a toddler in the carriage behind you. You can go through the Drumlin Trails website to find different trails and which you can bring up as GPS on your phone. They also run a collection service, so if you're wrecked from cycling you can call a lift to bring you and your bikes back. We missed out on doing the Greenway in Waterford so we were delighted with a day out cycling in Monaghan.