My son and I stayed on the edge of Waterford (South side) as a stopover during our Ireland to Japan cycle trip. It is a bustling attractive town with a sizeable port that forms a waterfront on two sides with a bridge accross it. There are usually some fairly large ships in the harbour which provide an interesting feature during walks around the waterfront area.

The town has been regenerated from a declined commercial harbour and is now popular with tourists. It has good shops both modern (in a precinct) and traditional.

There are some good restaurants in the area, particularly serving seafood, along with some interesting traditional Irish bars.  The Irish for cheers is pronounced 'Slan-sha'.

Waterford is located on the main N25 road from the port of Rosslare (from Fishgard or Pembroke Dock England)  to Cork and the South West of Ireland. Many tourists pass through without stopping but increasingly more stop there, attracted by the colourful waterfront area and busy quayside cafes.

Waterford is full of fairly good, affordable hotels. We were fortunate enough to stay with friends on a country estate in the southern outskirts.

To the south of waterford lies the coast with lovely beaches stretching from Tramore to Dungarvan. Some of these can be good for surfing (Tramore and Bunmahon). Dunmore East is a pretty seaside town with busy shops and cafes and some good eating establishments. Great walks along the headland and down to secluded bays are easy to find.

The average pint of beer is around 3.5 Euros. Not cheap but always good. Guinness is the staple but for those who find it too bitter, try Beamish or Murphy's.

Waterford has an airport to the south side which has regular flights to the UK.

The weather - Ireland is famous for rain. However the sun often shines and it is rarely very cold even in winter. In truth you are as likely to get good weather in April as you are in August. I have found Ireland to be the only country in which I don't care what the weather is like. I always have a great time.