roemin around

There was a bit of a panic catching the ferry as I initially went to the wrong port but managed to get to the City Terminal just in time. After a rough crossing with pots flying everywhere and injured crew, we arrived at Holyhead in one piece. Rosemary insisted on having a greasy breakfast but then she does not get seasick. Made our way to a CL, Hendre Glyfedd Farm, near Barmouth for the night. We have now covered 2370 miles of which 2100 were going around island with our fridge. Arrived home at 10:00pm the next day with 2625 miles on the clock.

We left our free night in the car park and drove over the Sally Gap to Roundwood where we had our last lunch in Ireland and walked around PowersCourt house and gardens. The house has been burnt down but the gardens are in very beautiful setting and interesting with a pets cemetery that has a cow buried there! The Shanklin campsite that was to be our last stop was closed down so we had to find an alternative and stayed at another expensive site called Camas Valley near Dublin where we had a rather late BBQ on our last night.

We had a drive round to nearby Avoca which is the film set for Ballykissangel TV series. Almost going home now so we bought some presents and then went to the GlendaLough Heritage centre which is an old monastery near the Wicklow Gap  scenic drive. We did a circuit of the Wicklow Mountains, very nice scenery and much used by film industry from Westerns to Game of Thrones, then back to the monastery. We had a free night in car park with a number of other motor homes, its a favorite spot with foreign tourist apparently, where we met some folks from Kirby Muxlow, near our home village.

We carried on to Dublin and parked right by St Stephens Green in the centre of the city. It all seemed very busy and crowded after our days in the country and we did not want to stop long. We took a short open top bus tour and had some lunch by the river, a few bottles floated by. As soon as we had found and photographed the statue of Molly Malone we departed for the most expensive site of the holiday €22 at Roundwood . Just supply and demand  - nothing special!

Its independance day. We drove round the mountains but could not find anywhere nice to park so continued down towards Dublin. We had an Irish roast Sunday dinner at the Clyde Inn, Arrascarron then stayed overnight at North Beach, Rush. Greece won the European cup, Diesel was 84p/litre in NI.

We walked down the river to Tesco before leaving Antrim and Rosemary bought a new top for £2 from a Hospice shop. Then we set off for the Mountains of Mourne which really do appear sweep down to the sea. We visited the NT place at Musselburgh nr Newcastle and found a site recommended earlier at The Rock amenity centre. The owner of the CCC CS was very friendly, only charged £8 per night including nice views of the mountains. We were on own our again.

We stopped off at Glenariff forest park on the way towards Belfast. We walked the 3 mile round trip down the waterfall trail to the tea rooms where we had tea and then the shorter route back to the car park. The tea rooms is a favorite haunt of Joe Dunlop, a famous(?) TT rider. We went through Carne on the way to Antrim and stopped in a site on the banks of Loch Neagh, the biggest loch in Ireland. More like an inland sea with the waves rolling in! We had a visit from an army patrol walking round the site fully armed with machine guns, looking for goodness knows what. Then we spotted the army HQ fence within mortar distance of our site and it all made sense. There are a lot of flies here despite the wind and rain. It was £12 per night including corrugated iron toilet block.

We checked out the River Roe where there were a couple of fly fishermen perched on the rocks. The Antrim coast and its seaside resorts were very run down compared to Southern Island. We stopped at one for fish and chips and the owners were very envious of the investment that has been put in by the EU. They were really pleased to hear that we had traveled all the way round the coast and were bothering to stop there. It was not much further to the Giants Causeway, at least there were plenty of tourists here, to look at the amazing rock formations that make up the causeway. It looks like very old giant size block paving.  Its only about 20 miles from here to Scotland and the temperature shows it. Been getting noticeable cooler particularly at night. We walked up the cliffs for a better view then back down to the NT car park where we started to read about it in the visitor centre.   We have covered 1855 miles to get here. We also visited Musselden Temple and stopped overnight ...

The most northerly point in Ireland so we had to check it out. There was a really interesting famine village museum, Droach Bay, nearby owned and run by the owners of the really old cottage. The guide/owner had lots of interesting facts and explained a lot of the old sayings (eg he has snuffed it - dead). The small bays and inlets were pristine white sand and deserted. We bypassed Londonderry and went on too spend a wild night Garrick Rook in the Roe valley.

We stopped in the car park at Knocknarea and hiked/climbed up the peak to where legend has it that Queen Mauve is buried in a stone tomb. It started pissing with rain when we half way and we were drenched, but it was worth the effort - just. The view is supposed to be stunning, if it is a clear day. It wasn't, never mind. We hit the road and stopped for an excellent coffee and cake (coffee cake to die for) at a small craft centre near Donegal. Then north through Londonderry, which is in Northern Island, to Quigley Point which bizarrely is back in Southern Ireland. We had local trout for supper.

Put some miles in heading north in a torrential downpour on the N5, had to stop at the side of the road until it eased. We passed through Sligo to nearby Strandhill where there was a site behind the sand dunes. Very welcome as it was overcast and drizzling.

It was a bright start as we stopped in Roundstone on route to university town of Westport. The tourist attraction of Kylemore Benedictine Monastery was nearby, run by nuns who certainly know how to rip off the the tourist, of whom there were many. The Kylemore pass was very scenic. As it was Sunday we treated ourselves to a nice bar lunch, at Leenaun, including  oysters, lobster bisque, prawns in a basket and roast pork. After a stroll round the nice twon of Westport on the river we went on to Castlebar for the night and walked along the loch to see the sunset.

Drove to Roundstone via the Skye Drive and visitor centre and went to see a famous bodran (irish drum) makers workshop. Found a camp site at Dogs Bay, overlooking a beautiful deserted beach. The site was only €10 a night, collected by a dubious looking character. Felt a bit uncomfortable surrounded by a large number of permanents/gypsys.

I took the coast road all the way from Galway to Clifden. Its a wild wind swept part of Ireland with lots of lakes and bogs near the Connemara National Park.  We stopped the night near Clifden and it was wild with gales and heavy rain.

Wild flowers and erections on the Burren, mussel collecting on the beach at Galway. Fed the mussels with flour to clean them out , but it did not work!

It rained all night and by the morning the river was a raging torrent! A robin came into the van for some breakfast crumbs and we drove up to the cliffs. It was almost impossible to stand upright in the wind on the top of the cliffs. The views were amazing, pity the weather was not clearer. We walked into Doolin to O'Connors bar and experienced the folk music with an excellent folk group. An old 'drunk' from one of the islands played the fiddle for anyone who topped up his glass of Guinness. Amazing! Rosemary craiced (ie chatted) to an Irish man who explained why the New Zealander we met earlier had such a frosty reception. A deserter!

After an early start we drove on through Limerick to Doolin which is the home of traditional Irish music and close to the Moher Cliffs the highest in Ireland. We stopped at a Little Chef for coffee on the bypass and Banratty Castle and folk museum  to get out of the driving rail and wind for a while. Found a small site by the river near Doolin, the river bed was dry, but stopped in the van all evening. There was a lot of security presence on the roads cos US president was flying into nearby Shannon Airport.

We are off to Tralee via the spectacular narrow Connor Pass where we encountered a convoy of big Italian motorhomes who did not seem to have noticed the 6ft width restriction. We stopped at a tiny fishing harbour and saw them landing boxes of crabs. We stayed overnight on the sandy shore of the Shannon actually on the edge of the estuary.  A number of race horses appeared to exercise in the sea water, its good for their hooves apparently and did not leave until after sunset. A black Labrador appeared from somewhere and lay down, on guard, outside the van.  There was spectacular deep red sunset, under a back of cloud and it rained all night. We have just clocked up 1000 miles. Memorable day.

Its fathers day and we spent another sunny day on the Dingle. We walked around the harbour and bought some fish from a small stall. We did the Slea Head drive and stopped briefly at the beach used to film Ryans Daughter and wild camped on the head looking back towards the Ring of Kerry. We parked on inch beach, miles of flat sand, on the way and shopped at Tesco where diesel was 83c/l. I took photos of sunset and a pair of seagulls and we saw a dolphin in the bay. It may have been him!

We had a rest day shopping in Killarney. Walked into town and bought some good walking shoes for both of us at an outlet centre - a bit late maybe. Rosemarys say she can run through a streas in hers - can't wait to see that! Did some laundry and had a photo free day.