27/05/08 - Too many views to view.

I'm going to not compare camping spots anymore because surely this
north west region of Scotland is one the most beautiful regions in the
world. Its beauty comes from the combinaton of lochs (you just can't
call them lakes), mountains, sandy beaches, the sea itself and most
importantly the near absence of buildings. This region is the most
unpopulated in Europe and Daniel suggested that it would be perfect
for a bit of stargazing. I had to point out that that small window of
viewing opportunity is from about 12am to 3.30am!
This small populus translates to very expensive gas and no
conventional shops but I am reluctant to leave it behind as we head to
the Isle of Skye (which I'm sure is also very beautiful).
This morning we had a number of stops at various viewing points. There
are often very helpful profile boards naming all of the Peaks in view.
We were driving through and area dubbed the Geopark so we stopped off
Knockan Crag and followed the 'Rock Route.' This is the location of
the Moin Thrust which helped James Nicol in 1859 develop the theory of
thrust faults. This theory basically explains how layers of older rock
can end up sitting on top of younger rocks.

We then went on to Ullapool which is by far the biggest town we have
seen for 200 miles. We parked ourselves in a pub which reportedly had
wifi, paid for our beers... but no internet access. Apparently it was
being fixed whilst we were there; it is lucky the ale, mussels and
fries were good or I'd have been a bit put out:-)

Onward then to the Isle of Skye, but wait! before we get there we
have to drive through Wester Ross. Too beautiful not to stop so we've
parked up near Rubha Reibh overlooking the Isle of Skye and the Outer
Hebrides. Fresh fish for dinner, washed down with a glass a wine
watching the sunset; doesn't get much better.

26/05/08 - Camera Envy.

Today we were introduced to another Scotland local - the killer
Midgie!! And boy are they not shy!!!! For this reason we moved on
from our camping spot soon after getting up. Another reason was
because with such beautiful scenery we don't want to 'miss a thing' so
we factor in as many stops as possible.
We drove around to the award winning Durness beach. We'd discounted
this as a camping spot last night because there were bound to be the
ubiquitous "No Overnight Parking" signs. After Daniel bought bread
from the shop when it finally opened (this part of the world seems to
operate on island time) we cooked some yummy poached eggs using the
huge free range eggs we had bought from the side of the road.

We then made a dash for Handa Island. Handa Island is a wildlife
reserve and after eying up all the 'professional' birdwatchers there
Daniel started to get an inferiority complex about the size of his
....camera. We saw puffins and other 'seagulls' and 'penguin looking
birds' though; which illustrates the limits of our own bird watching
skills.
It is a sunny May bank holiday today and this little Island (who's
previous record visitor number was 106) had 180 visitors today. The
ferry only fit 10 people at a time and the last return trip was
scheduled for 1700 but we didn't feel like queuing on a windy beach we
spent the next 2 hours sunbathing in a sheltered bay and catching the
very last boat back at 1900
Subsequently we didn't get much further today and found a parking spot
overlooking Loch Glendhu, Loch Glencoul, Beinn Aird Da loch, Glas
Bheinn etc... Brilliant!

25/05/08 - A walk in the clouds.

As soon as we woke this morning we were on the move. Daniel had spied
a good breakfast spot across the Melvich Beach bay. After a quick
paddle in the sea Marea declared it a bit cold then 30 mins later she
was up to her waist in the mountain river having a 'bath' and washing
her hair! We then spent a large part of the morning sunbathing on by
the Halladale river mouth on a fabulous golden sand beach.
Then a leisurely drive along Scotland's North Coast with the scenery
just kept getting better and better. We stopped for lunch on the
causeway across the Kyle of Tongue. We had a clear view of Ben Hope
which we were on our way to climb, but first we had to stop for some
gas, £1.45 per litre!?!??? We only put in £20 worth.
It was supposed to be a 4 hour round trip on Ben Hope so I (Marea) was
very impressed when I could see the top after only an hour! But that
wasn't the top, nor was it over the next ridge, nor the next one. In
fact it was hidden behind a cloud and unfortunately stayed that way!
We finally reached the summit at 927m after 1hour 40mins. We put all
our winter woolies on and then sat down in half a small stone shelter
to munch on snickers bars and will the clouds to blow away. After 20
mins they hadn't and back down we came.

My nice clean clothes I'd put on this morning were a bit hot and
sweaty by now; I should have just kept on my old dirty ones! Near the
base of Ben Hope is a beautiful stream which forms multiple waterfalls
and fantastic rockpools as it drops steeply down to the valley below.
In the late afternoon sun these refreshing swimming holes were
irresistible and even Daniel was persuaded to strip off for a quick
swim. Which is good cause he was starting smell (joke!). We then
filled Pat's water tank up from that same stream, drove 2 miles back
along the road and we've parked up for the night next to Loch Hope.

24/05/08 - Puffins!!

After Davie enthusiastically show me (Daniel) the view of the steps
from the opposite side of the inlet, we were on the road heading for
the top of mainland Britain...
...Well here we are at Dunnet Head the most northern point in mainland
Britain. It is a beautiful clear day of which we are heading off on a
Puffin shooting mission - with the camera of course. Marea has moved
on from robins and is now chasing puffins and refuses to leave without
a photo.

She being she, climbed the fence that was stopping people going too
close to the edge of the cliffs to get a better view.
Ahh but we found puffins!!! And whats more, they were sitting on the
cliffs edge only about 5 metres from us. It was very cool just lying
down on the cliff pearing over at them, they were just going about
their nesting business. We felt a bit like David Attenbrough or Steve
Irwin getting all excited over two animals just sitting around.
Next we dipped our feet into the cool North Sea at Dunnet Bay. This
was a very large sandy beach so we started one of those walks that
just keep going and going until we finally got to the end of the bay.
Marea's seaweed phobia was gently stirred up with 'carpets' of the
slimy stuff in parts. So much so that she donned her footwear as to
not have to feel it underfoot. Daniel thoughly enjoyed inventing
stories about seaweed monsters which seem to growl in English

23/05/08 - "come in for a wee Dram".

We travelled north, Marea's relieved because I've stopped asking "Have
you seen the monster yet?" We never did see Nessie - I can't
understand why...

The road took us past the Moray Firth, into the Sutherland Clan
country. It was this area in the 19th century thousands of peasant
families were evicted by the Duke of Sutherland to make way for
'improvements'. It was thought that sheep farming would be more
profitable than collecting rents. The evicted families were moved to
smaller areas of less hospitable land, sometimes on even on cliff
edges These exposed areas were so bad that in some places apparently
children, chickens, and cows had to be tied up to stop them being
blown off the cliff. This whole saga of evictions became known as the
Clearances and the evicted families known as Crofters. Many Crofters
were forced the leave their land and head for the cities, or emigrate
altogether to other countries.
With all this in mind we were quite surprised to see a 100 foot statue
of the 1st Duke of Sutherland standing on the hill/mountain of Ben
Bhraggie behind the village of Gospie. Whats more, the plaque gives
thanks "...to a judicious, kind and liberal landlord..." - I guess
when the Duke's family erect the statue, they can write whatever they
like. Apparently there was a campaign to have statue reduced to
rubble. However it still stands.
We drove on into the county of Caithness, which reaches to the top of
mainland Britain. Here we stopped of to check out the Whaligoe steps,
just south of Wick. 337 steps (the guide book said 365 steps - there
may have been more when they were built in the late 18 century) lead
down pretty much a cliff to a small inlet that was used by up to 20
fishing boats all crammed together in the 19th century.
One of the reasons we went to check these steps out was because the
guidebook said we may see Puffins. Well we saw hundreds of birds
nesting on the cliff edge, but no Puffins. Later we were told by
Davie - a very helpful, friendly, welcoming local with one of those
Scottish accents that Daniel can't understand, that "the only Puffin
we would see, would be from ourselves when we walk back up the stairs"
;-) Davie with his cousin have voluntarially maintained the steps,
which he is very very proud of.
Davie invited us to sleep in the carpark overlooking the cliffs and
giving fantastic views of the sea. We could even see a couple of oil
rigs a way off shore. We'd no sooner finished our dinner and Davie
invited in for a "wee dram" Lucky the bottle was less than half full,
as I am sure Davie would have insisted we stay round to drink the
whole bottle! Thank you very much for your very kind hospitality
Davie!!

22/05/08 - Searching for the Loch Ness Monster.

The developing norm for us in the morning revolve around exploring the
area of our latest 'home'. This morning was no exception, a neat
little track wound off through the trees. However 5 minutes later it
lead down to a river where it was decided not to try and cross. It
was a bit deep and there didn't seem to be any path on the other side.
So back on the road, heading for the southern end of Loch Ness and the
little town of Fort Augustus. Here we observed the Caledonian Canal
in action. If you look at the map of Scotland, and go from Fort
William up to Inverness you will see 3 lochs (lakes) pretty much
splitting the country in two. These lochs being Lochy, Oich and of
course Ness. To complete the split and allow boats to pass through
from one coast to the other, the Caledonian Canal was built in the
early 1800s. At Fort Augustus there are 5 locks situated one after
the other to get boats up (or down) from Loch Ness.
It was then time to become famous and continue searching for the Loch
Ness monster (well that was my (Daniel's) plan anyway). We set off for
a walk above Loch Ness with some very nice views of the lake.
Unfortunately Nessie did not want to join the party and stayed deep
below the surface.
We moved up the north side of Loch Ness to Castle Urquhart. Here we
watched a very cool audio visual about the castle - I'm not going to
tell you why, incase you all one day come to the castle. Just make
sure you stay right to the end of the movie for an awesome effect.
The castle itself is almost better described as a ruin, but was
fantastic to explore the large area over-looking the lake. I am
afraid Nessie still did not complete what would have been the
absolutely perfect photo, and stayed well hidden!!

21/05/08 - From fishing villages to battle grounds.

First job of the day was to check on the foal and mum of course. The
little fella looked alot more stable on its feet, and seemed to have
found mummy's milk as its belly was nice and fill :-). We then filled
our own bellies which was very easily done thanks to Thyna's wonderful
hospitality.
After rounding up all our belongings we had managed to scatter
through-out the house, we said our goodbyes and were on the road again
- heading west towards Inverness.
The journey took us past numerous picturesque old fishing villages,
two of the best had to be Pennan and Portsoy. To get to Pennan we
negotiated a prettys steep hill to get down to the 30 odd houses all
crammed together end on end along the small cove front. We saw
stunning scenery, a hotel, a B&B, a pub for sale and a red phone box
there wasn't any room for much else. The red phone box was apparently
the star of a 1983 movie - Local Hero.

Portsoy is a slightly larger village, but its 2 man-made harbours are
step back in time. The older of the 2 was build in the 1600s - no
concrete here, just rectangle stones stacked vertically on top each
other. The 'new' harbour is still well over 100 years old!!
This was quite enough sleepy fishing villages for two days, we parked
up for a siesta then drove on to Culloden.

We walked around the site of the 'last-ever battle on British soil' -
I guess that is technically correct, although the WWII Battle of
Britain springs to mind. Anyway, the Battle of Culloden occurred in
April 1746 between some Scottish highland clans (the Jacobites) and
the British government. The Jacobites had attempted to march on
London to overthrow the current royal family. They only made it as
far as Derby before beginning their retreat, which ended on Culloden
Moor where the two sides fought one of those ridiculous battles where
they just line up in front of each other and charge straight into the
opposing gunfire. It was quite disturbing to imagine this sort of
battle here as it is a swampy moor. A few thousand men trampling
through would have found it impossible to move about. 1500
Highlanders - who were more used to fighting in the hills, were
basically slaughtered here at Culloden. Only about 300 government men
were killed.
After a quick drive through Inverness, we headed down the less
populated south side of Loch Ness to witness a stunningly calm lake
with the evening sun glistening off it. Haven't seen the famous
monster yet though - maybe tomorrow ;-)

20/05/04 - Only two wheels today.

We are like the song- we are taking the weather with us and once again
we had a fantastic day. Thyna lent us some bikes and about 1100 we set
out. We leisurely followed the coastal trail from St Combs northwards,
we biked through some very cute fishing villages, saw lots of golf
courses and lots more magnificent scenery. We finally stopped for
lunch about 1530 in Aberdour (lovely beach; nothing else). Went for a
short walk on the stony beach where the schwelchy seaweed freaked me
out - I could write a horror movie about seaweed - yuk!Then under
threat from dark grey clouds we hightailed it across country back
'home' in time for dinner.

After dinner under a setting sun (and the season's first midges) we
and all the neighbours witnessed the first hour of life of a newly
foaled Fresian (horse breed native to the Netherlands). Our
motivation for standing out in the cold was the fact that the foal was
surely going to get up and stand at any moment. It was beautiful to
see and I'm sure everyone present thought that foal should surely
stand just by the force of our collective will. We were all rooting
for him, but he sure knew how to string out the moment for about 30
minutes. Many comic attempts before a big round of (quiet) applause
for the fine fella's first steps.

19/05/08 - Wannabe cowboys.

To ensure our "bestest parking spot ever" got even better - a
fantastic breakfast fry-up outside in the morning sun was the call!!
Next we set off for a 15 minute walk to get down to the river and
explore what was round the corner, of course once we were round that
corner we had to keep going to see what was a little bit further up
the valley. So 2 hours later we finally made it 'home' and were on
the road headed for Aberdeen.
The guidebook described Aberdeen as absolutely beautiful on a sunny
day, but very dull on a cloudy day. This is due to the fact that all
of Aberdeen's buildings are made of granite. The sun's reflection off
the granite ensured that Aberdeen was absolutely beautiful for us. A
short visit to the maritime museum gave us an insight into the
off-shore oil rig industry.
We left Aberdeen and headed north to my second cousin Thyna and her
dutch husband Sherrick. They live in fantastic 200 year old farmhouse
surrounded by many large farm buildings used to keep the stock in a
good condition over the winter.
After stuffing ourselves with roast lamb, the four of us we off on
mission to catch a calf that was looking a bit unhealthy. First plan
was to race the calf round the paddock in the truck to get it into a
corner, second plan was to try and get close on foot. However,
despite our best efforts and a stunning rugby tackle - the 'unhealthy'
calf was too quick for us!! Maybe we had eaten too much and were a
bit too slow ;-)

18/05/08

I may be under the influence of a few cans but even Daniel the driver
agrees, we have officially found our bestest parking spot ever! We are
near Braemar in the Cairngorms National Park overlooking the Linn of
Dee (that's a river) and Glen Lui (that's a valley I think). We have
just eaten a fantastic dinner of bbq'd steak and I'm now enjoying the
sunset over the still snow capped mountains, whilst Daniel does the
washing up.
We have had a fabulously sunny but chilly day, starting at 0630,
getting up to wish Brent well for his Etape Caledonia 81 mile cycle
race. This was a timed race so we were there to see Brent off for
0720. We then circumvented the race route to a vantage point where we
could cheer on the approx 2000 competitors as they reached the top of
the hill climb. Due to the necessary road closures there were very
few viewing points along the race route and the guys and gals were
very appreciative of our encouraging cheers. We missed getting back
for Brent's finish in Pitlorchy because he finished almost an hour
faster than he thought he might (Well done!) and we also we got held
up by a couple of buses who couldn't figure out how to give way to
each other on a narrow bend. I eventually got out of the van, banged
the two drivers' heads together, got abused by a Scottish car driver
because a foreigner dared to tell him to back off, and got cheered by
a bus full of passengers when we finally got on our way again:-)
We finally caught up with Brent and joined him for a few beers back at
their campsite after which Pat transported their entire cycling team
(of 11) to the pub and we continued on our merry way.

17/05/08

First mission of the day is to explore the area of our latest resting
place. We'd parked up smack bang in the middle of a coastal walk
which, our guidebook advised, had fantastic scenery. Unfortunately the
fantastic scenery must be all at the south end of the walk - and of
course we headed north - which after 15 minutes ended in some pretty
non-descript streets. After about half an hour of this, enough was
enough, we caught a bus south, past where the van was parked, and
continued from the start at the south end. 2nd time lucky, the walk
back to the van was much more scenic; we regained a little faith in
our guidebook!!
Next stop - St Andrews. This is a town with a famous golf course.
However, before we found any golf course we came across St Andrews
Castle & Cathedral. This was very nice to stroll around in the
sunshine and read about the history of the area. In doing this, we
found out that St Andrews has about 9 golf courses! How on earth were
going to find the famous one?! But fortunately after driving around
the first corner, we were rewarded with the famously familiar walking
bridge on the fairway of the trademark 18th hole of the Old Course!
Even better - there were no restrictions stopping us from walking
across the fairway and getting a photo on that bridge!!
Onward then to Pitlochry where friend Brent will be competing in a
cycle race starting at 0700 tomorrow! We've parked up near the
starting line, probably the least attractive spot available but
hopefully we will be woken in good time by the pod of cyclists.

16/05/08

After saying goodbye to Merrill & Dan, it was back on the road with an
aim of getting somewhere past Edinburgh. First stop was Hawick
(charmingly pronounced 'hoik' - as in the act of removing flem from
one's throat) where we found a farmers' market and bought a few veges
& fish for dinner.
Then off to Selkirk where we visited a museum and read all about
Selkirk Common Riding traditions. We've previously been aware of
Common Riding thanks to Dan & Merrill, but unfortunately have never
experienced the very very old tradition of waking up at around 0430 in
the morning, to a flute band parading around the town, then horse
riding round the borders of common lands to ensure they are all secure
and ship-shape, then of course there is the celebration that I can
imagine lasts all night long.

Next stop was Borthwick Castle (those who know Dan & Merrill's last
name will know why we stopped here, those who don't know Dan & Merrill
should be able to work out their last name now ;-). This castle was
like no other we have ever seen! The castle is now a working hotel
and we were lucky to be allowed a look around. Unlike most other
castles, which lie in a state of ruin, this one was very grand with an
amazing banquet hall and a couple of knights' full body armour suits.
The doorways between each room were between 1 & 3 metres thick we've
seen this in other castles, but because we were walking into bedrooms
still in use - there was something more amazing about it!!

Finally we made it past Edinburgh and found a quiet little spot by the
sea in East Weymss where we finally got around to making a few overdue
repairs and improvements to the Red Baron. Now everything should stay
in place instead of ending up on the floor during transit:-)

15/05/08

Wow!!! A sleep in until 9.40!! That is easily a new world record.
Next bit of exercise after getting out of bed was for Marea to park
herself in the sunny window sill and read a book while I joined Dan
for short session in the Langholm gym. I think that is the first time
I have been to gym since university!!
We did manage to take Pat for an outing come the afternoon. We went
for a drive to Kielder Water and took a short walk along a disused
railway. It was a very relaxed day and was finished up with a round
of cards - cheers Dan and Merrill :-)

14/05/08

Last night we made it to Windermere in the very picturesque Lake
Districts. The plan for today was to go to the information place and
find a walk with a view. The suggestion was to conquer the 'Old Man'
of Conniston!! This was a fantastic walk to the top of an 800 metre
hill/mountain with stunning views, a few historical old slate mines,
not too many people around (might be a bit busy on a weekend though)
and more brilliant weather!!
That done, we stopped to give a couple of hitchikers (and their poor
exhausted dog) a lift into town. Then it was a 2 hour drive north into
Scotish border country to my cousin Merrill and Dan's place in
Langholm.

13/05/08

Today is the day where we are reunited with Pat, and our adventures
continue!! After negotiating the public transport system through the
middle of London carrying a laundry bag about (of by now at least the
clothes inside were clean - thank you very very much for your very
kind hospitality Liam, Jules & Matthew), we took the train to
Nottingham, did a bit of banking stuff, then were back on the road!!
The destination for tonight - somewhere in the Lake Districts.

11/05/08 & 12/05/08

These two days were spent hanging around in London, and have been
combined into one blog entry because to be honest what little we did
do would only be of interest to a few.

The highlights included taking Matthew on the train to see his
grandmother (of course which he was very well behaved), and going into
London city centre to have a look around - but once we were in there
we found a boat/pub on the Thames and drank beer in the beautiful
sunshine all afternoon/evening!!

10/05/08

What do you do on a sunny Saturday in London?

You buy some food and drink, then go to the park, then have a BBQ of course!!

We are no longer a two car family ;-)Today was also the day to pass
our little car off to its next owners. Thanks Brent, Sarah and Tony -
I hope she behaves for you.

09/05/08

Some of you may be a little confused why our big van trip has taken us
to London - a city we have already seen plenty of, plus the fact that
we have ditched the van up in Nottingham.
Well, today explains all as our friends Nicola and Mark are getting married!!
It was a nice small affair, meaning everyone could sit at the head of
the table, and everyone was the official photographer. The bride
looked amazing, Mark and Nicola both said their vows with no hiccups,
the children were all very well behaved, the weather was fantastic,
the food was absolutely beautiful, as was the champagne - it was a
great day to celebrate Mark and Nicola finally tying the knot!!

08/05/08

First stop today was our old Nottingham flat to pick up the black
bullet for delivering to its new owners in London. The uneconomics of
Pat's gas consumption meant the decision was made to leave him in
Nottingham, drive the car down, and return by train. Even piled full
of 'junk' the black bullet felt like a racing car compared to the
lumbering elephant that is Pat.

It was great see our little nephew Matthew, who actually isn't so
little any more!! Although he does still need to learn that when
playing hide n seek you should be quiet when hiding ;-)

7/5/08

We are on top of Wales at 1085 metres. It took 2 and a quarter hours
to hike the 5 miles to Mt Snowden's summit. Lots of superlatives go
here... while we admire the 360° views and munch on our lunch wraps
and snickers bars. We almost made it to the top 2 years ago and from
the top we can see the route we took that day. We always said we
wanted to return and we couldn't have chosen a nicer day. Daniel
reckons we will be back home in an hour, I'll let you know....
Well - we didn't quite get down in an hour, but was still less than
two hours. Next stop Richard and Jo's in Risley (near Nottingham)
where we were yet again spoilt with a fantastic BBQ and had a great
catch-up before our weary climbing legs screamed out for bed.

06/05/08

Our final day Ireland greated us with yet another absolutely fantastic
day. So fantastic that Marea thinks her dreaded heat rash is back!
With the poor unfortunate rest of the world having to go to work
(yesterday was May bank holiday), we tourists took the bussed into
town to visit the famous Croke Park.
Only Ireland aand its emigrants play Hurling or Gaelic Football and
this country of 5 million people have built an 80 thousand seat
stadium for just those two sports that only involve provincial games
and do not have any international matches. Whats more, they pretty
much sell out the ground every week!!
There are exceptions to every rule though and for 2 years (and 2 years
only, our guide assures us), for the first time ever, English sports
in the form of Rugby and Soccer will be allowed to sully hallowed
ground whilst Landsdowne Road is re-built. We were lucky enough to
go behind the scenes and into a corporate box, take a seat on the row
where the prime minister sits (these seats are alot less comfortable
looking than the 'more important reserves' 'bench') and we also got go
into the visitors dressing room. So don't worry any All Blacks that
are reading this blog - I've done a thorough inspection, and the
dressing room facilities should be up to scratch for the big match in
November!!
What was quite fascinating to us was the politics involved in Croke
Park and the Gaelic Games. For a period around the turn of the last
century the British banned Gaelic Games as it was seen as a way of
meeting and planning pro-independence strategies. Of course this ban
wasn't very effective, then in 1921 a day after some informers were
excecuted by the IRA, during a Gaelic football game at Croke Park the
British Army entered the ground and opened fire indiscriminatley on
the players and crowd, killing many including one player - crazy.
With that it was back to Carmel and Chris' place to reunite ourselves
with the van, and head for the port!!

05/05/08

Another day where the van was left alone, whilst we were spoilt by
Carmel, Chris' and the Carmel's family. First stop was the Guinness
factory to understand a bit about the black stuff that we have been
enjoying whilst over here. Of course the end of the tour culminated
in sampling the end product while taking in a 360 degree view of
Dublin in yet another gorgeous day!!
Next stop was an hour out of town to Port Laoise to meet the famous
Cullen family (well at least famous in the Nottingham MI department).
Sure enough, trying to memorise everyones names proved impossible as
what seemed like the whole extended clan all showed up at once!!
Nonetheless, we were certain to not go hungry as Carmel's parents very
kindly fed us before the trip back into Dublin :-)

4/5/08

It was absolutely beautiful day to lie on the grass, enjoying Dublin's
lovely gardens, whilst sleeping off our hangovers thanks to Carmel and
Chris' very kind hospitality from the previous night. We couldn't
have asked for a better day to be lazy and not drive anywhere in the
van :-)
We did get a little bit of exercise though playing on the Wii (for any
technophobes - that's a games console, but instead of pushing buttons
to control your player you actually have to do the action which the
games sensor picks up). We got a great workout playing the boxing
game, but I think Marea was the better of us two!?!?!

3/5/08 - Extra story, read main 3/5/08 first

The Long Story (read the 3 May blog entry first). Rewind a couple of
days, to when we drove into Northern Ireland (NI) we'd filled Pat to
the brim with gas knowing that the UK was more expensive than the
Republic (thanks to the UK's tax policy), we calculated of the miles
that we would cover while in NI and figured we'd make it the whole way
on just one tank. Well - I'm sure you know by now where this story is
going!! Our calculations were spot on, we then took the first exit
after the border in search of a gas station. However this actually
took us back into NI!! I (Daniel) figured that the gas needle had
only just got to empty, so we had at least another 20 miles, we
U-turned and headed back to the Republic. 5 miles later and heading
up a hill, the van spluttered!?! Knowing the consequences of running
a diesel tank dry and the whole bleeding process, we didn't take any
chances!! Quickly turning the motor off, got the spare gas container
(I know, I know - the reason for a spare container is to have some
spare gas in it!!), and started walking the 2 miles to the nearest gas
station. After a few unsuccessful attempts to hitch, a couple of
bikers came past - presuming they wouldn't be able to give us a lift
(due to no spare helmet), didn't even try thumbing a ride. But of
course, in true fantastic Irish hospitality seeing our gas container
one of them did a U-turn and told us (he didn't really ask) that he
would take the container to the next service station, and if we walk
back to the van we would meet back there!! Sure enough, they were
true to their word and they even insisted on giving us a ride round
the last corner!!!! To top this off, no matter how insistant we were,
they wouldn't even take our money we were trying to force on them!! I
do regret not giving them the address to this blog-site so they could
read how appreciative we are to them for getting us out of our
situation we were silly enough to get ourselves into. THANK YOU

3/5/08

Yay a self service laundry! We have spent three weeks in Ireland and
couldn't find one anywhere. We'd left our riverside pub carpark about
0830 to check out the botanic gardens before our political tour which
starts at 1100 and there it was, brilliant! This is a bit easier than
hand washing!!!!
With that job done, it was a quick hop across to West Belfast and
Falls Road. Falls Road is the predominantly
Catholic/Nationalist/Republican area, while the next main street up is
Shankill Road which is the Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist area (these
were the terms that our guide used - he did advise us that he would
try to be objective as possible, but at the end of the day he was a
Nationalist. I think considering the number of plaques he showed us
that beared the names of friends he knew that were killed by either
the British Army/Police or Loyalist's or even the IRA itself, he did
quite a good job at at least trying to be impartial).
We took a 2 hour walk up Falls Road where we got a very informative
explanation of the history of the troubles, which finished at the
Catholic cemetery and the numerous graves of people far to young to
die. We did ask him was he going to take us across to the Shankill
Road area, he advised that we would be fine over there, but he had a
large enough profile (he was a prisoner during part of the troubles,
although he didn't go into explaining why) that even today it was not
safe for him to go into the Loyalist area - it definitely shows that
while there has been a cease fire for over 10 years, there are still
some deep scares that may take years (or even generations??) to heal.
There is even still a barbed fence that separates the two areas.
With that sobering thought, it was off to Dublin to complete our
circle of Ireland and visit my (Daniel) old boss Carmel and her
husband Chris!!
However - Getting to Dublin wasn't as straight forward as hoped, and
right now I'll cut a long story short (the long story is the next blog
entry), we managed to run out of gas and were saved by a couple of
very very helpful Irish bikers. We even got to a ride on their
bikes!!!!

2/5/08

What did we do today? We went to the Giant's causeway...
Last night we took the Coastal Causeway route from Derry, we stopped
for photos of a magnificient sunset and found a sleeping spot, it was
out of view of the coast, but we know it was there and we have the
photos to prove it. Our resting spot turned out to be a National Trust
property ('Downhill') carpark with ruins of the 19th century Bishop of
Derry's residence perched on a sea cliff with views for miles.
Today dawned as beautiful as yesterday and after omlette for breakfast
in the sun, we explored the estate.
Then onward to the Giant's Causeway, we spent 2.5 hours in the
information centre and admiring the basalt rock formations from as
many vantage points as possible. Unlike some other 'must do' tourist
attractions, the geological environment was rewardingly fascinating
and a recommended 'must do.'
Onwards then to Belfast which has been deferred because of the recent
brilliant weather and stunning scenery. Unlike England, Ireland, at
this time of year anyway, is not overun with tourists and we have been
feeling the magic. But we have places to go and people to see, Dublin
is Saturday's destination. We are staying with Daniel's 'old' boss,
and going out to blow the budget.

1/5/08

Another beautiful day dawned on us!! Alas, half an hour later it
rained - it was only a 10 minute shower, but that was the story of the
day. After making french toast out of our fast deteriorating bread we
said goodbye to our private beach and headed for the Glenveagh
National Park.
In 1983 the Glenveagh Castle (hunting lodge and summer residence)
along with it's beautiful Victorian themed gardens were gifted to the
state and have been maintained and restored by Office of Public Works
- cheers Irish Heritage once again for a 'free' informative tour but
pricey teashop.
We had walked the 4km (instead of paying for the minibus) from the
visitors centre to the Castle getting caught in one of those 10min
showers along the way, but relaxing by the lakeside pool (now
lilypond) in the afternoon sun more than made up for it.
Also what seemed like hours (it was probably only 10 minutes) of Marea
chasing Robin's around in the garden finally was rewarded with some
magnificent close-ups of the little happy bird!!!
About 1600 we headed for Derry as the Irish say it, or Londonderry as
Tomtom saids. Along the way we read that Derry is one of the only
fully walled cities left in Europe and that it has a poignant history
of 'troubles' especially of 'Bloody Sunday' in 1972.
So we walked along the city walls with it's eight gateways past the
scenes of numerous historical defences and more recently IRA bombings
and down from the old town into Free Derry and the scene of many
bloody Republican and Loyalist clashes.
We left Derry with a greater appreciation for the 'troubles' that
Derry has been through but also relieved to leave it behind; the cities
scars are so deep and so recent that most shops and buildings in town
are still boarded up at night. I guess it kind of makes sense that
even now after a number of years of peace, there is still a lack of
investment about?

30/04/08

Finally we are starting to learn. If we wake up and its sunny, then
get out bed and make the most of the sunshine before the famous Irish
rain makes its mark for the day!!
So after a morning walk and a visit to Donegal castle in the beautiful
sunshine we headed for the coastline north of Donegal.
First stop was Killybegs, a fishing village with a huge number of
rather large fishing boats parked up. We enjoyed a lunchtime meal of
fish 'n' chips which we can only presume came straight from one of the
boats parked up in front of us.
With the too familiar rain threatening we made our way up to the
Bunglas Cliffs. Unlike the Cliffs of Moher, we had alot freer rein
regarding how close we could get the the edge. These cliffs were also
taller, but in all fairness they didn't go straight up and down
compared to the Cliffs of Moher. Still, it was a very cool walk/climb
around some stunning scenery - and believe it or not, the rain even
held, although the wind was certainly about.
Further north we headed, past Dungloe to The Rosses coastline. We
took a right and followed the signs to a beach on a single lane road.
Many dips and turns later we came across a beautiful little beach with
numerous little coves and bays to explore. It was probably the desire
to wash her hair that posessed Marea to brave the chilling Irish
waters and take the first swim of our trip!! I (Daniel) am still
sitting on a duck in this department, but considering the current
water temperature I am quite happy with this stat at the moment!!
There is plenty more time ;-)

29/04/08

Today was the first time we forgot to take a photo of Pat's sleeping
spot...and such fine one it was. We had wanted to stay beside Lough
Key near Boyle, alas very adament signs declared "No overnight
parking" the €4 parking fee put us off too. So we ended up parking on
a side road in the middle of a forest. This side road was on a marked
walking route too so this morning we got up and went for walk through
the forest, coming across a the lake and a castle on the way.
After our walk we headed for the Arigna Mining Experience. With the
help of our guide Maurice who was working in the mine when it closed
in 1990, we went through a disused coal mine. This was a fantastic
experience that gave us an perspective on how coal was mined over the
last century.
Next stop was Donegal (which we reached by going through Northern
Ireland - what surprised us was the non-existance of border controls
or even a sign. The only clue we got that we had entered another
country was that the prices were in Pounds, not Euros. Considering
the conflict in Northern Ireland 15 years ago - times have certainly
changed!!).
Our night in Donegal was very enjoyable, we found a pub with
traditional irish music session going on. What was amazing was that
some people playing in the session didn't know each other, but they
all took turns at starting a song off. They would ask the others if
they knew such and such a tune, which half of the time the answer was
no. They played the tune anyway, and by the time they were halfway
through, the other players had worked out the tune by just watching
what notes were played. By the end you would have thought they knew
the tune all their life!!

28/04/08

Despite going to bed wihout closing the skylight cutain, we still
awoke nearer 0800 than the 0630 we had hoped. We'd wanted to get up
for an early morning walk but by 0900 the rain had settled in again.
Onward then, to Kylemore Abbey, this was a stately home until the
1920s when it was brought by some Benedictine nuns who were WWI
refugees from Flanders. Kylemore Abbey is quite manificient in its
lakeside setting, though we didn't pay the €12 entry fee to see inside
or the restored walled victorian garden, but enjoyed the peaceful and
serene vista with coffee cake, warm and dry, inside the cofee house.
Onwards then to Westport. Westport is by far the prettist town we have
seen yet and it has a whole slew of awards to support this view. Not
a vacant shop in sight, this place is obviously thriving and is
surprisingly big for such a 'cute' town. The sun came out, so we went
on the 'Old Railway Walk' around Westport and its environs. 2hrs
later, just as we were ready for lunch, it started raining, so we got
on the road again.

Boyle was our next stop, Marea even got to drive some, because most of
the route was brand new road. Daniel is usually much too nervous a
passenger with Marea driving Pat around narrow country roads so she is
most often the navigator (usually sleeping if Tomtom is in use). The
way Marea negotiated a tight corner, bumping over the kerb, causing
the cutlery drawer and pots cupboard to fly open spilling might
permanently assign her to the passenger seat though.

27/04/08

Yesterday (Sunday) was a complete contrast to the beautiful sunshining
Saturday. We woke in our least picturesque camping spot yet. We were
in a back road in the seaside suburb of Salthill but we still managed
a 0900 sleepin and there was grass. Grass is important for late night
'bathroom' visits. In the am we took a walk into Galway city, we took
shelter from the rain in a jewelry shop; Galway produces a famous
Claddagh ring, composed of two hands clasped around a heart with a
crown above it, many Irish still use it as a wedding ring. With this
in mind, Daniel was persuaded to try some rings on. Size 9 was too
small, size 10.5 was too large, size 10 was just right...oh no it's
not, now he can't remove it.... we might have to stop in Vegas on the
way home if he can't get it off. With some help from the sales
assistant the ring was removed and as the rain had now stopped, we
laughing, hightailed it outa there.
Primarily we had gone into Galway to find out the location of a
supermarket and perhaps cheap diesel. After filling up in Waterford at
€1.15 per litre we can't get our heads around paying up to €1.33 so
have been filling up €10 here €20 there on the theory that a lighter
van will be more efficient until we strike gold again. There was no
cheap diesel in Galway.
On the road again, we were looking for Maam and a walk into the
Maumturk Mountains to find St Patrick's Bed. Legend has it that this
is the furthest north that St Patrick came, he stayed one night turned
around and went back south again.
It was pouring with rain so we filled up the water tank from a stream,
found a parking spot, settled in for the night and put our trust in
the Irish weather to clear up for an early morning walk.

26/04/08

We've finally made it to Galway. It is a gorgeous Saturday night and
we are watching a fine sunset, getting ready for a night on the town
and some good craic.
We woke to pouring rain that has turned into one of the nicest days
we've seen here in Ireland. We spent a leisurely day driving around
the Burren and visiting a perfumery, a stone fort and a portal tomb.
Then we went on a wildgoose chase after some Camping Gaz - kids don't
believe everything you read on the internet.
No matter- a cider enjoyed in the late afternoon sun by the Galway
harbour solves everything.

Fwd: 25/04/08

Last night at Macdermott's Pub a couple of musicians played
traditional music on a concertina and banjo. After a Guinness there,
we moved to Mccganns. The musicians played an eclectic mix of of jigs
and ballads. When the next Guinness was gone, I should have liked
another but it was home time for the musicians and us.

The plan had been to stay in Doolin for two nights but, when you carry
your house on your back, so to speak, it makes sense to keep moving.
Galway is today's destination, after we have walked to the cliffs of
Moher and the Burren. After visiting the Cliffs of Moher (which would
have been alot more amazing if we were actually able to go close to
the edge instead of 15 metres back so the camera always got a big shot
of grass in the foreground) we headed for the (seemingly) barren
landscape of the Burren.
2020
Galway will have to wait til tomorrow, we are recovering from keeping
late hours for the last 3 nights and so have parked up in a country
lane in the Burren. We have assured the local Garda we are only here
for the night though so Galway tomorrow here we come.
The Burren is quite like no other place. Its name is an Anglicization
of the Irish word bhoireann (a rocky place) and it is a 300 square km
lunar landscape of limestone or karst. This evening we went for a
short walk along 'Green Road.' Along the way we drank from a holy well
and ventured (with permission) onto private property, sitting for a
while by on the pier of a private lake.
We then had potato salad and black pudding for dinner (time to go
shopping?) washed down with a surprisingly nice bottle of wine that
had been saving from our trip in Slovenia. This wasn't as
inappropriate as you might think, for it was in Slovenia that also saw
what the Irish call turloughs or disappearing lakes. The karst
landscape causes lakes to appear and disappear with changing levels in
the water table.

24/04/08

A little more relaxed day today - we said goodbye to our host and
headed north-west via Limmerick and Ennis, before stopping in Doolin.
Here in Doolin we parked by the sea with a manificient view of the
cliffs of Moher; the public toilet here is sitting on one of the most
pictuesque views in all Ireland. I did some laundry whilst Daniel had
a snooze.
This is a funny little 'town' - or maybe better described as an area
instead of a town as the whole countryside is dotted with holiday
homes and there isn't really a main street. We have found out about
couple of pubs that could be a goer for tonight, especially since they
are reknown for their Irish music sessions. Maybe Marea will get her
violin/fiddle out and show the true Irish in her??

23/04/08

It has now been 10 days since we left the UK and today I had my first
shower - bliss! I'm not knocking baby wipes or washing from a basin
or solar shower bag, but there is something about hot water, free
flowing out of a wall that is just perfect.

Our Servas host was at work today, so we took a day trip to the Rock
of Cashel. Along the way we drove through Tipperary. We just had to
stop for a photo beside the sign "Welcome to Tipperary - you've come a
long way." "Don't rubbish Tipp" was also an amusing sign.

Cashel, a little market town is dwarfed by the spectacular St
Patrick's Abbey that sits high on a rocky outcrop. We took an
interesting tour of the abbey courtesy of Irish Heritage.
About 1230 we found an information board for part of the Tipperary
Way. It showed a walking route along the river to Golden. From the map
scale I (Daniel) estimated the distance to be about 6 km. We'd stop in
Golden for a late lunch, turn around and come back again.
A little bit of bush-wacking and 2 hours 45mins later we arrived in
Golden ( 10km not 6!). We were hungry, thirsty and covered in mud up
to my (Marea's) knees and with only €12, we didn't have enough for
food and beer! We abandoned the return trip along the river, opting
for the more direct 6km walk along the busy main road, Pat, was a
sight for sore eyes, and feet, 4.5 hours after we had left.

22/04/08

1430
We are sitting in the 200 year old Ashe's pub in Camp on the Dingle
Peninsula. There is a smokey open fire and the exposed low ceilings
and stone floor are more typically Irish than the Irish Pub Chain
O'Neil's. We have ordered Irish coffees for we need to warm up after
searching in the rain for Daniel's ancestors in a Castle Gregory
cemetery. We did find one tombstone dated 1866 belonging to the Rev.
Brunskill and his wife.

Today we have driven around the Dingle Peninsula; finally I actually
feel I have seen Ireland. Wild windswept coast, stone walled farms
with green fields and cute little cottages. Our consensus is that this
region is far more picturesque than the Ring of Kerry.

We drove on, scaling Conner's Pass which took us from Dingle over to
Castle Gregory. There were a few nerves as we wound up the road,
passing signs warning vehicles over 2 tonne and wider than 1.8 metres
to turn around immediately!!! We decided that our 3.5 tonne, 2.2
metre wide mean machine would make it - and sure enough, it was too
easy to get to the top. But the big test was down the other side, as
the width limit showed its reason for existing!!! We negotiated
narrow rocky passages without too much drama - but 'twas lucky we
didn't meet another Pat ;-)

Irish Heritage gained us entry to Ionad an Bhlascaoid Mhoir which
tells the story of the now deserted Blascaod island. This island has a
rich history of Irish lore and literacy but was evacuated in 1953 when
its population fell to 20 with no women of marriageable age to
continue the island's dynasty.

2130
We are now in a little village called Fedamore a little way south of
Limerick. We are saying at the Grubb's family home. John and Helen
Grubb are Servas hosts; Servas is an organisation we joined before
leaving the UK. It was set up after WWII to promote friendship between
different countries and cultures. In the 90's Daniel's parents were
Servas hosts so it was a concept of interacting and sharing that we
were familiar with already. We will stay two days with the host family
as guests and join in with their daily life. This evening we went for
an evening walk to some local landmarks, a 4000BC stone circle which
is the largest in Ireland then we climbed a hill which gave us great
views of Lough Guir and the setting sun.