On the Back Road

There’s all sorts of ways of getting from Tramore to Waterford – it’s just about 8 miles.

I love all the roads for different reasons and each has its own landmarks. Some are very personal to me and others are much more widely recognised.

The farm buildings on the ‘Back Road’ that you see in the photo below really stand out with the white-washed walls and high up green grain doors.

Shed
Shadows on the Wall

I make a point of taking the Back Road on sunny days just to see the shadows of the trees playing on the old well kept wall.

It’s always  lovely knowing that Tramore and the sea are waiting not far over the little hill in the distance and that you might  well catch a glimpse of a horse looking out over a stable door in the evocative farm yard.

Author: socialbridge

I am a sociologist and writer from Ireland. I have worked as a social researcher for 30 years and have had a lifelong passion for writing. My main research interests relate to health care and sense of place.

40 thoughts on “On the Back Road”

  1. Lovely photo although I’ve not your eye to notice why I like it so much. Aren’t we lucky to live in Ireland where sights like this are in every county. I walk most days along a road with a not too dissimilar view.

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  2. I grew up in the country, but have lived most of my life in the city. The older I get, the more I miss the country. Nostalgia partly, I guess, but also for the peaceful beauty. I feel a country day trip coming on.
    Country lanes beckon, thanks to your beautiful photo.

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  4. A very pretty picture..it reminds me of the country roads around here and wondering what is around each bend…It’s the unknown that drives us to find out, sometimes being pleasantly surprised by what we discover…

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    1. I agree, Joni. It’s a thrill to get ‘lost’ on these kinds of roads and end up discovering some unexpected beauty, On the other hand, I think one of the appealing things about this farm for me is its familiarity and the knowledge that home is just a few minutes away.

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  5. I am on my iPad and the photo is apparently taking an hour to load. This happened to me once before. Your description is lovely though!

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    1. Hi SV, you’ll understand that it’s a fairly wide ‘back road’ by our standards. Those shadows are magnificent. (I sometimes wonder if I should be driving at all when I’m looking at walls rather than the road but let’s skip on….)

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  9. Lovely to bring our attention to this Jean. In fact these lovely lanes are to be found all over Ireland I guess as I see them here too. With farms – old and lovely looking – and trees that filter the summer sun. So much enjoyed your post, thank you Jean.

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    1. My pleasure, Agnes,
      Must say I had to smile at your use of the word ‘lane.’ This is one of the ‘mainer’ roads into Waterford. I feel a mini-series of posts coming on about the roads that bring one from Waterford to Tramore!

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  12. Lovely. I used to love riding my horse through the back roads around our small town when I was growing up. This could almost by my midwestern country road, except of course, the sea was a thousand miles away over the hill. It’s good to see your world again, have had to focus on offline tasks for a couple of months — Sandy

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  13. Back roads are important and sometimes more magical than the ‘front view.’ I drive on back roads to get to most places if at all possible. I always believe it’s the journey, not the destination. xo

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