When we planned this trip to Ireland, I was determined not to have to rent a car.  Not only for the expense of it, but also because my anxiety of driving on the opposite side of the road. I was terrified because I know how much cognitive ability it takes to drive in my own country. Concentration is paramount, and to do everything in reverse seemed an overwhelming task.

However, we wanted to go to the national park in Killarney, and all the horse carts were booked up. The only other ways in were to drive or hike. I might have made it 3 miles hiking, so I relented and rented a car. I tried to reduce my fears by telling myself it was on country roads, so it wouldn’t be as hard. And it was true. When we arrived in Killarney we walked straight to the car rental. They promptly talked me into extra insurance, which honestly didn’t take much. Then we were off to Dingle, Bill as navigator and me as driver.

It was a lovely drive and a gorgeous day to drive the Irish countryside. Land met sea and the beach sang a song to us as we passed by. The clouds above were welcoming and encouraged me to keep driving. I had some difficulty making up to the speed limit, which was in kilometers per hour. When I saw 100, I couldn’t make my foot push the pedal hard enough to get that fast. The roads were oh so narrow, and Bill had to keep reminding me to stay left when a car approached. However stressful it was to drive; the day was worth it and the town of Dingle was quaint. The views of the land and sea along the peninsula, both to and from, were stunning in every direction. Galivanting along the shores and backroads was a great way to build my driving confidence.

The next morning, after a jaunty cart ride to Ross Castle, we decided to drive to the Gap of Dunloe. The twists and turns were reminiscent of home and driving through the mountains. The only difference was the narrowness of the roads. I had a hard time not pulling to the right as cars approached but my navigator was sure to point out where I needed to be. Every time, I had to speak to myself to stay put. “Do not pull over, just keep driving.” It was truly a mental game I played.

Eventually, we ended up on a gravel one-lane road in the middle of nowhere. Our favorite kind of adventure…just see where the road leads. We could stop and take pictures as we wanted. There were no other cars around. A fact I was grateful for, since there was no way to move off the road to pass. There were sheep and cows, lovely pastures, lakes, mountains, rows of rock walls, cottages, rivers. Around every corner another spectacular landscape. The deeper into the wild we went the more breathtaking it was.

When we eventually got back to pavement, we began to see other cars again. Fortunately, the road had small, and I really mean tiny, pull offs periodically for passing. This all worked smoothly until I met a car that did not pull over. He came directly towards me and there was no place for me to pull off. I steered to as far left as I could go and there was a space between us the width of a piece of paper. My hands were sweating and I was trying to keep my eyes from squeezing closed like in a horror movie when you just can’t watch because you know something bad is about to happen.

My eyes fully open managed to direct my little car around the other vehicle, but then there was an explosion. A loud bang and the steering wheel jerked in my hands. I saw the other car in my rearview mirror as I pulled off at the next tiny spot. Bill got out to assess what had happened and discovered a blown tire. I had hit a rock on the side of the road. Not good. In the middle of nowhere, on a single lane road, sun fading, wind picking up briskly. Not another person in sight. No other cars either.

We had some difficulty finding the jack in our tiny little car, but eventually Bill found it and got it working. About that time some hikers, three guys from Amsterdam, walked up. They offered to help, but Bill was in a groove so they basically watched him change the tire. They did direct a couple of cars that came face to face with no way to pull over, since we were in the pull off spot. Still, it did feel better that we had other people nearby and we were not all alone out there. We got the tire changed and limped our way back to town on a doughnut tire, wishing our new friends the best hiking as we pulled away.

Fortunately, we had signed up for the extra insurance, so the new tire was covered. We managed to get it changed the same evening just before the mechanic closed for the day. The next morning, our drive to Galway was unaffected by our misfortune. We chalked it all up to having an adventure, just like the old days when we were dating. Despite the tire blowing, it was a magnificent day. We even still had some time to enjoy the town in the evening. However, I will admit, I was quite relieved when we turned the car in the next day. I was happy to let the locals take over the driving tasks for us.