November...mud, mud and more mud!

The weekend at Cliftonville did not take place, so we set off on 4th November for Somerset, in the pouring rain. Lorna was not well so we were on our own.  After a horrendous journey, we arrived at Lower Odcombe (The Masons Arms) only to be told not to go on the grass as we would sink!! We were allotted a gravel area behind the shed, but at least it had an electric hook-up. On the Saturday we met up with some friends from work who were staying in the pub accommodation, as well as our other friends who have moved to Dorset. We spent a lovely evening chin-wagging over a very nice meal and copious amounts of wine until it was time for the chef to go to bed!  Sunday dawned nice and sunny  although not very warm, so after a hearty breakfast in the pub we said goodbye to Chris & Trevor and then donned our boots and coats for a walk along the road a bit, through Montacute Park to the House, round the garden, round the village, back to the coffee shop and then back up over the hill to Upper Odcombe and down the other side to the campsite. By which time all we wanted to do was sit down and relax.  Monday was a rather grey mizzly day, so we drove about 20 miles to visit the Haynes International Motor Museum.   That was really interesting...lots of old cars, new cars, racing cars, motor bikes as wells as memorabilia. We partook of a soup and roll late lunch there and then made our way back to play cards after dinner. Tuesday was once again rather wet, so we took a stroll around the village, up to the church and back again, bypassing the muddy tracks across the fields.

Wednesday was a much nicer day for our 25mile drive to Glastonbury via the Clark Shopping outlet at Street. We spent about 3 hours browsing the shops there and came away with a shirt, jumper and handbag, which is quite good for me knowing how much I hate shopping. It is certainly a shopper's paradise. As the weather  was so unsettled we had opted to stop off at another campsite before going to the rally field for the carnival. We found The Old Oaks which is a beautiful adults onlly site, very well run and laid out, so we treated ourselves for a couple of nights.

On the Thursday, which luckily was quite nice, we walked  nearly 2 miles in to Glastonbury itself up over the Tor. At this time of year everywhere is quiet and we had the lanes to ourselves along with the birds singing ....quite an experience. We spent about an hour in the Rural Life museum and found out all about wicker baskets and coffins, mud fishing, peat cutting, cider making and the good old days in general. After lunch in the Abbey tea-rooms, up the High Street and back down again mooching in and out of loads of ethnic and organic type shops we were worn out so decided to get a cab back to base rather than do the 2 mile walk again.

Friday ..we drove 4 miles along the road to a very muddy field at West Pennard and joined in with 39 other caravans and motorhomes all going to see the Carnival. We had to be towed on to the field with a tractor, as did everyone else after us, even the tractor got stuck at one point! Needless to say we did not venture outside much after that....I don't know what we would do without the Duke of Wellington and his 'boots'.

On Saturday the rally organisers had arranged 2 coaches to take us in to Glastonbury at 6.00pm ready for the carnival parade. (Most of the roads were closed by 3.00pm and parking would have been impossible) Once off the coach we followed everyone else to the centre of the town and managed to find ourselves a pretty good viewing point on a little roundabout, so there we stayed.  We waited until about 7.45 when the first floats began to arrive, luckily being entertained by numerous vendors of balloons, light batons, toffee apples, candy floss etc.   The Parade was magnificent, it went on for about 2 hours, float after float, all with music and thousands of light bulbs. The costumes and make-up must have taken ages to get right they were so good. There were about 102 floats all together and estimated 30,000 people watching.  We had been told about the Somerset Carnivals but had not realised that it was so extensive. There is a parade every night for over a week in a different town each night. Loads of money is collected for charities and everyone has a good time.
The coach took us back to the muddy field at about 10.30 and we eventually got to bed at 11.45.

more carnival photos

Sunday ...it was time to be towed off the field again and then drive the 178 miles back home. Luckily the sun shone all the way and we arrived back around 3.00pm and were able to unload the van in daylight.

We have now brought mostly everything indoors as I don't think that we will be going away again this year...but you never know.  We can just sit and think about what we would like to do next year.  Our first year with the campervan has been really enjoyable and most interesting.  We like the fact that we can just be nomads and wander where the whim takes us, often stopping only 2 or 3 nights in one place, but not driving so many miles between stops.

It's now October!

Since returning from Ireland, we have attended a couple of music festivals with friends. Firstly, at Northampton, we took both the campervan and folding camper so that our non-camping friends could join us. Over the 4 days we were there we listened to about 12 bands and did quite a lot of dancing, as well as chatting with people we have not seen for along time.
We then had a 4 day -break on our own at Bladon Chains Caravan Club site which is within walking distance of Blenheim Palace.  The weather was kind to us so we walked quite a bit, also caught up on washing and re-charging the batteries.
Then it was off to Watlington, near Oxford, with a different couple of friends using the folding camper. Another lovely dancing and listening to music weekend was shared with about 100 other country & western folk.
After that, we spent a couple of weeks on our own again, taking the folding camper to Bradford Leigh near to Bath. We visited National Trust properties, walked a lot of miles, had cream teas and cooked breakfasts and eventually packed up when the weather turned really nasty, wet and windy (we don't do either of those!)

By the time we came home we had made the decision to sell the folding camper and just keep the campervan. We really now do not use Big Bertha enough to justify keeping her. So, adverts were placed and within the week she was sold, and collected a couple of weeks after that. It was a sad time as we have had many lovely trips away, but as we get older we are finding it harder to cope with the canvas and the putting up/down so many times.

Following on from that, we took the campervan to it's first ever motorhome rally at Edenbridge.  We joined 23 other units at Gabriels Fishery, which for anyone who fishes is a must. We managed a couple of long walks around the area, but as it turned out to be one of the hottest weekends of the year we spent a lot of time just sitting in the shade. We made some new friends, picked up a few motorhoming tips and promised to join another rally at a later date.

We have just looked in the rally book and have decided to go to Cliftonville this coming weekend, hopefully the weather will be not too bad.

We have also planned an excursion to the Somerset Carnivals in a week's time, along with Lorna & Mike in their caravan. We have not previously been away so late in the year, but as we survived the snow last December when we picked the campervan up, we reckon we can manage Glastonbury in November.....watch this space!

Ireland - all the way round

Sunday 12^th June

At last! After all the hiccups of the last 3 weeks, not least of which was the problem with the campervan having to go back to Fiat to be sorted, we finally got under way on our trip to Ireland.  First leg was just to Newport in Wales (190 miles) driven entirely in the rain, to spend 2 nights at Tredegar House Caravan Club site. On arrival it was very full and we had to drive around a while to find a pitch.

On the Monday we woke up to grey skies and “soft” rain I think they call it.  Anyway after a lazy breakfast it had dried up a bit so we went for a walk across the park and ended up at a large Asda store, so stopped for a look around their clothes department, not something we normally can do! Back across the park to the van for some lunch, by now the sun was shining so things were looking up.  We then drove about 6 miles away to Morrisons to fill up with petrol as we had a voucher for 6p off a litre, not to be sneezed at when half a tank costs us £50+! We have a feeling that fuel is going to be the largest expense on this trip. We also stocked up on fresh fruit and salad stuff.  The evening was spent wandering round the site looking at all the posh caravans and motorhomes.  Caravan Club sites do make us feel rather like second-class citizens and we do not find them to be so friendly, but their facilities are always good.

Tuesday 14^th June

120 miles today to the port of Fishguard, in the sunshine! Has to be a first. We did not hurry as we had plenty of time and even then we arrived at the port in time to sit and have our lunch before going on the ferry.  We left spot on 2.30 and then spent 3 + half boring hours in the Club Lounge.  At least we had comfy armchairs together with complimentary drinks, biscuits, newspapers etc. Although it is a bit dearer, we think it is worth it on a longer crossing like this. Luckily it was nice and calm all the way, so no sea-sick passengers which is something I can’t stand.

We docked at 6.00pm and were off shortly after for the 20 minute drive to St Margaret's Beach Caravan Park  We even made that in the sunshine as well, followed by about 6 other units all from the ferry. However time we had made and eaten our dinner, had a wander round the site, it started with the “soft” rain again.  Apparently that is an Irish expression which basically means wet, wet and more wet!

Wednesday 15^th June

The morning dawned nice and sunny, so after breakfast we took a stroll down to the beach and our first proper sniff of sea air. We left St Margarets about 10.00 and drove up towards Dublin, stopping off at Arklow Tesco Extra to put another half tank of petrol in, and on to Avoca (which to us is better known as Ballykissangel). We had a look around the village and visited the Old Hand-Weaving Mill which was very interesting. Then we went to church! Good religious people that we are not, we do find old churches as buildings usually very beautiful and worth a look around. This one was no exception – some lovely stained glass windows and a beautiful mosaic tiled floor.  We finally arrived at the camp site we had thought of staying at around 3.00pm, but on close inspection decided not to stay there.  Although it was fairly cheap, it was on a cliff-top that sloped every which way and there was no way we were going to get a level base. Plus it seemed as is if we were headed off downhill all the time…a most uncomfortable feeling.  Luckily we had not paid any money on arrival, so drove back out the gate.  A further 20 miles up the road we tried another site that was in the book. Roundwood Caravan and Camping Park at Roundwood, is a pretty site, not entirely flat but certainly better than the last one.  Only drawback is at 30 euros per night it is rather expensive..and that does not include the showers…another 1 euro for a shower. Anyway we decided to stop for 3 nights and then will rethink where to go next.  After a cup of tea sitting out in the sun, we tidied ourselves up and walked back in to the village to find a pub for some dinner. The Roundwood  Inn had the answer, chicken and chips in a basket rounded off with Magners cider.  We will call it our junk food night. We sat outside with our coffees when we got back until about 9.00pm when it began to turn chilly, so called it a day and went in.

Thursday 16^th

A beautiful morning in Roundwood, which is reputed to be the highest village in Ireland. The campsite overlooks the Vartry Reservoir which was originally built in 1862 to supply Dublin and surrounding area. It was then extended and is now huge. We set off for a walk around it as we had been told that there was a maintained path the whole way round. We left about 11.00 with our backpacks and lunches and eventually arrived back at the site about 3.00 having passed 7 km post markers and one dog, no people! The wind was still a bit cool but at least the sun was out and the scenery was well worth the effort. We made a cup of tea, sat down outside with our feet up for about 10 minutes, then a huge black cloud appeared and the heavens opened, so it was a mad rush inside. We had rain, hail, thunder, sunshine, rainbows until about 8.00pm when the sun came back out and we were able to go to the washblock to do the dishes and have our showers.  We even got a free shower as I had previously commented to the owner that we were Camping Card members and he had a sticker in his window, but did not subscribe to the Camping card scheme! So he gave us a discount! A shower token each!! Big deal!!

Friday 17^th

Sometime during the night it started raining again and even now at 10.30am has not stopped.  We had planned to try to go to Dublin today…..Plan A ..was if we got up in time, there is a bus at 7.30am coming back at 6.00pm. Plan B..was to drive to Bray and find somewhere to park and then catch a Dart train, which apparently is quite frequent. Plan C…is see if the rain stops later on and go somewhere else, leaving Dublin for another day.

Saturday 18^th

Yesterday became Plan D…stay inside and watch the rain come down in sheets! We played cards, Solsuite and read our books. It eventually dried up around 7.00pm just in time for a stroll after dinner.

Today was a lot better, so we drove up to Powerscourt House and Gardens, a very pretty drive in the sunshine! We were a bit disappointed on arrival to find that the house had had a fire in 1976 and it was not possible to go inside it! The Irish are a bit lax in their literature updates! However, we spent a few hours wandering the beautiful gardens, nursery, garden centre and the inevitable gift shop. We stopped in their café for 2 rolls and 2 cups of coffee and nearly fell over when we got the bill…17.80 euros!!!! Next time we’ll manage to go without.

Sunday 19^th and Monday 20^th

We started the drive up to Downpatrick in Northern Ireland in sunshine, then it clouded over and we had a few showers.  As it was Father’s day and also my birthday we decided to have a treat ..a hotel room for the night in Newry, with a real bed, a bath and dinner cooked by someone else!

Next morning after a stroll around the town of Newry for a couple of hours, we got underway again about 12.00 and arrived at Delamont Country Park around 3.00pm, still in the sunshine. This is a very nicely laid out site on the shores of Strangford Lough. Each pitch has it’s own water and waste point as well as the electric, and the showers are free.  We had a mosey around all the other vans on site and cooked some dinner, once more on my trusty hotplate. One of the best buys we have come across, thanks to Lorna & Mike.

Tuesday 21^st

We had to do a few necessary chores today, like some washing, but once that was out of the way we went off in to the Country Park itself. The day was quite warm, but grey and cloudy with a few showers.  There are some lovely walks all along the lough, with a Heronry and bird hide, also places to launch canoes.  Apparently tonight they have a “summer solstice paddle” but we haven’t been back to the shore yet to have a look. There is also an outdoor activity centre and as one is walking around an open-air gym! We had a go on one or two bits of equipment, but realised we are a bit past it for things like that.  At the moment we seem to be living in our walking boots, the ground is very uneven and quite wet, and it is one way of ensuring that our trainers stay dry if they don’t come out of the campervan. It is nice to have such long light evenings, even if we can’t always sit outside we can keep the door open and let the gnats in that way!!!  Only joking of course, but we may be reverting to last years Skin-so-Soft before long.

Wednesday 22^nd

Still grey and cloudy, but we set off to the bus-stop anyway to catch the bus in to Downpatrick. It was on time and tore along the country road like a maniac for the 20 minute journey. Getting off the bus we earmarked ASDA with a petrol station for a visit late rin the week.  We slogged up a steep path to St Patrick’s Cathedral and had a mosey around in there. It was quite plainly painted and the pews, such as they were, were not set out in lines as normal but in lots of box and hexagon shapes, so that the seats were facing every which way. Most unusual.  Outside we strolled through the graveyard and found St Patrick’s grave and read all about his life and founding of the church in Ireland.  Back down the road towards the centre of town we found the Down Railway Museum (which was closed) and then the Down County Museum housed in the old gaol. There were exhibitions in the governor’s residence part and we were able to tour the old cells, so spent a couple of interesting hours there.  The café was manned mainly by educationally challenged people, but did lovely sandwiches as well as a decent cup of coffee…2 of each came to £7.80, a bit different to the last lunch out.  We trolled around town some more afterwards, but then it started to rain again so headed back to the bus-stop. Once more a nail-biting journey in a coach along the country road, with a driver who did not even stop at our stop! A mile further on we reached the village of Killyleagh and he turned to us and said “Oh, you wanted Delamont Park didn’t you?”  When we said “yes”, he just smiled and told us to stay on the bus and he would drop us off on the way back!!  We could only be in Ireland!

Thursday 23^rd

What a surprise this morning!! The shiny yellow thing that has been missing for so many days  appeared in the sky!  So, after breakfast we donned our walking boots once more, picked up our rain jackets and set off for the ‘long walk’ around the Country park.  It was shown on the literature as a 7 km circular route, but did not mention the ups and downs. It took us about 3 hours ‘cos we kept stopping to admire the view, talk to sheep and dogs and have a go on some of the outdoor gym equipment we came across. Most of it was too hard for us, but we came across a few fit people who were either rowing, sit-upping, leg-curling or bench-pressing. (I only know that is what they were doing ‘cos it said so on the destructions). Back at base we were able to sit out for a while before the rain came back again, so in we went until the sun came out again..we are a bit like the man & the lady in a weather vane house!

Friday 24th

As it was a nice sunny morning, we decided to drive down the lough to Strangford to have a look-see.  As we found a parking spot on the quay,  a little ferry came in, so we hopped on it. As senior foot passengers it did not cost us a penny! We weren't sure where we were going or when we would be coming back. We ended up over the other side in Portaferry, which was a pretty little town with a walking trail around it. It took in an Exploris aquarium which we spent a good hour in. Some beautiful fish that are found in the waters around Ireland. We eventually strolled back to the harbour and only had to wait about 10 minutes to go back to our starting point. We picked up the campervan and drove to a non-existent picnic spot to have our lunch, so we ended up in ASDA car park!!! Bonus was McDonalds (for wi-fi) and a petrol station, so we filled up on food, wine and fuel.

Sat 25 June

In mainly dry, sunny weather for a change, we drove 97 miles northwards (avoiding Belfast)to Ballyness Caravan Park at Bushmills, arriving about 12.00. This turned out to be a lovely site, immaculate facilities, cheaper washing machines and free wi-fi!
After a bit of lunch we walked 2km in to the town to find out what shops etc. and anything else there was of interest, actually not a lot.  The main reason for stopping here was to visit the Giant's Causeway and the Bushmills Distillery.

Sue with her sample at Bushmills

Sun 26 June

Had a late breakfast and a lazy day, doing a bit of washing and then wandering around the lakes that are here.  We have 2 duck families with about 14 ducklings between them, Mummy Swan, Daddy Swan and 2 baby swans, some moorhens and a heron, all requiring a lot of watching.

Mon 27 June

Our most exhausting day ever! We caught the Causeway Rambler bus that calls in to the site, bought a day run-around ticket and set off for the 20 mins white knuckle ride to the Giant's Causeway.  We soon decided that the bus driver was in training for the Monaco Grand Prix.  When we got off the bus, we found that it was a 20/25min walk along the cliff path up and down to actually see the Stones! So, we set off, good old walking boots time again. It actually was worth the effort, the Causeway Stones are a marvellous example of prehistoric times and apparently go all the way under the sea to Scotland. However, it is in a way a shame to see all the tourists clambering about over the rocks and one wonders how long they will last.

Giant's Causeway stones

A bit more walking (1km to be exact) brought us to the part that is called 'the Boot' and then 'the Organ'...most interesting, so we joined the Japanese and took our photos.
Once we got back to the bus-stop, it was decision time...10 mins to the next bus or 1 hour, so we by-passed our lunch and caught the bus. It was nice to sit down for a while. 20minutes of more white-knuckle riding brought us to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, where we sat out in the sun to eat our belated lunch before setting off once more along the cliff path for about half-an-hour to get to the actual bridge. Brian took one look and said 'that he was not going over there' so I loaded him up with my back-pack and walking stick and suggested he find a rock to perch on. There were 26 iron steps down to the bridge, a swaying walk across to the other side, then a lovely walk around on Carrick Island, home to thousands of terns and gannets all clinging to the cliff edge. It was so beautiful, but not quiet as you can imagine! Once more back over the bridge, up the 26 iron steps and I had to find a rock to perch on my legs were shaking so much.

Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge

Then began the trek back to the visitor centre, uphill all the way, much of it steps cut in to the cliff edge. Needless to say it was 'ice-cream time' when we got there. We then had to wait about 25 mins for the bus to take us back to camp...more white knuckles! and it had started to rain again!

Tues 28 June

After yesterday's excursion our legs did not want to do much at all, so as it was a bit sunny we sat outside in the morning and read the papers. After lunch we walked in to town to visit the Bushmills Distillery.  The guided tour was really interesting and of course we ended up with a free drink to taste!!

Weds 29 June

Today we caught the Causeway Rambler again, but in the other direction,along the coast road to the town of Coleraine. We wandered around for a while, but were not really impressed, it seemed to be mainly charity shops, second-hand phone shops or boarded-up premises. We did find a nice little crafty type shop that did good coffee and toasties so partook of lunch there, then caught the 3.00pm bus back, by which time it was raining again!
This has been a very pretty part of Ireland and we can see why it has been given AOB status, but tomorrow it is time to move on, going southwards again to the border in to Southern Ireland.

Thursday 30^th June

It was wet and drizzly when we packed up to drive the 115 miles south-westwards to Belcoo.  We stopped at Asda on the way to get some essentials, one being a can-opener!  We had discovered the previous evening once all our salad was on the plate that we had nothing to undo our tin of salmon with.  I can’t believe that this is the first time in 3 weeks that I have used a tin of something!  We also found a nice picnic spot at an old mill (NT), which we had hoped to look at, but it was closed. Eventually got to Rushin House Caravan Park and the sun was shining at last. What a marvellous site, with a beautiful view across Lower Lough McNean, right on the border of Northern Ireland and Eire. Impeccable facilities, large fully serviced pitches, a walk alongside the Lough and only 1 mile back in to the village of Belcoo.  We sat outside in the sun with our drinks and watched the world go by.

Our view across the Lough

Friday 1^st July

A gloomy morning,  but at least dry.  We went about 10 miles across the border, then back in to N.Ireland again to the Marble Arch Caves.  The underground tour took about 1 hour, some walking and some floating along in a little boat, then some climbing back up 152 steps. The stalactites, stalagmites and rock formations were quite impressive, but cold and dripping wet.

Stalactites in the caves

A bit further along the same road we came to Florencecourt House and Gardens, again NT luckily, so we parked up and went in search of coffee and some lunch. Afterwards, we had a tour of the house.  I am not usually a fan of guided tours, but this one was led by a lady from Switzerland and she was really interestingly informative.  As there were only 4 of us in the group we were able to question and look at things in much more detail than normal. After the tour we wandered the gardens for a while, then headed back to the site. As it was Friday afternoon, it had filled up considerably since going out in the morning.  We sat and watched some more new arrivals including one chappie alongside us, who reversed back in to his slot straight in to the electric post, bending it over and damaging the back of his caravan. I know we should not have laughed, but it was quite comical to see his face….who put that there?!!

Saturday 2^nd July

Brian woke up with a streaming cold and did not fee like doing much, so we had a rest day. I did some washing and we had a stroll along the footpath that runs alongside the Lough, stopping to talk to some fishermen who were on the jetty, but had not caught anything. It was actually dry and sunny all day for a change.

Sunday 3^rd July

Another sunny dry day! Hooray. We walked all round the Park and along by the Lough, as well as up to the road where we found ruins of an old church and graveyard.  So, we pottered about there for a bit, then came back to sit in the sun with our ‘books’. I am so glad we invested in a second Kindle, they have been a boon.  So much smaller and lighter to carry than books, even paperbacks, and between us we have 51 books to read! I don’t think we’ll manage them all!  There had been quite a lot of extra caravans and tents in over the weekend, but gradually today many have been leaving.

Monday 4^th

Today’s drive was 100 miles south to a little place called Belcarra. Whilst going through Ballina we stopped and fuelled up and did some food shopping (Dunnes – no Tesco or Asda here) and sat in their car park to eat our lunch. This campsite business goes from the sublime to the ridiculous…..previous site was 5 star all mod cons….here at Carra Caravan and Camping Park we have 2 stars, 20 pitches all vacant, horse drawn gypsy wagons, 2 horses to pull them, some donkeys, dead bird in the barn, workmen digging holes and a porta-cabin for 2 toilets, 1 shower, 1 basin. Still, at 16 euros instead of 28 I suppose we can’t complain.

Our pitch between the wagon and the barn

Tuesday 5^th

We went exploring the village and found 2 pubs, 1 butcher, 1 costcutter shop, a church, and the post office which doubled as the petrol station and camp site where we were staying.  We did however find a lovely walk through the church yard, past some gorgeous houses and down by the river to the eviction cottage where apparently a family were thrown out on to the street, so neighbours and friends built them another home about the size of a garage to live in.  Now it is home to a family of sparrows, so needless to say I did not go in to have a look round.

Eviction Cottage

That took us a couple of hours, so it was back to base to sit in the sun.  A very Irish chappie came to have a look at one of the wagons and horse, we were not sure if he wanted to hire, borrow or buy, the accent is like a foreign language! In the evening we wandered along to Flukies Bar and had a drink and chat with the locals (at £8.00 for 2 drinks we won’t be doing that too often!) When we got back to the site we had 4 more motorhomes to keep us company.  They don’t seem to mind people turning up at 10.30 pm here.

Weds 6^th

Started off lovely and sunny so we were up with the lark and on the road by 9.30 to drive another 100 miles down round Galway and across The Burren to Doolin. It would have been a very pretty drive had it not started to rain by lunchtime, when we had just stopped to look at ABC (another bloody castle in Americanese) and have a bite to eat.  The last 40 miles or so were on roads so narrow we had to breath in to pass another vehicle, they were also bumpy, windy and up hill down dale, with 2^nd gear uphill corkscrew bends to boot….all in the pouring rain! We were quite pleased to arrive at Nagles Camping and Caravan Park right on the beach next to the pier at Doolin and even more so to find they had space for us. We have paid for 3 nights here in the hopes that the rain will stop and we can get one of the boat trips that go to the Cliffs of Moher or the Aran Islands. Another bonus is the free wi-fi, so I can do some catching up!

Fri 8th

Yesterday was a complete wash-out, the rain did not stop until about 7.00pm and the wind blew all day.

At least we woke up to sort of sun this morning, but looking at the waves and the small boats as well as £15 per person cost we decided to remain on terra firma! So we walked the mile back in to the village and had a look round all the little gifty crafty type shops - a typical tourist con sort of place. We found a nice music cafe so sat and had a coffee and listened to some Irish Folk music.

Doolin village with music cafe on the corner

                                      

Then wandered back to the pier to watch the boats coming and going to the Aran Islands.  Seeing them go up and down we were quite glad we had opted out of a trip.

Jack B setting off to the Aran Islands

After dinner and after it had rained again, we went for a walk up over the Burren coastline...very rugged but also quite beautiful.

the Burren coastline

Sat 9th July

At last the sun is shining again! Just as it is time for us to leave! Today was a beautiful 87 miles..first stop the Cliffs of Moher, a scenic drive along the cliff top to get to the Visitor Centre and Exhibition. We wandered around for about an hour having a look at all the displays as well as down over the Cliffs themselves.   

Cliffs of Moher - from the Visitor Centre

Onward, keeping the sea on our right all the time, through little villages such as Ballybunnion, Lehinch, Knocknahila, Doonbeg, Corbally, we certainly knew we were in Ireland. We arrived at Kilrush in time for lunch, so parked up in Moore Street and went for a wander around the market square and found a little coffee and scones place. Then on to the ferry at Killimer. This took us over the River Shannon to Tarbert – all of 10 minutes and cost 20 euros.  However it did save us driving about an extra 30 miles round to get across the Shannon estuary.  We arrived at Tralee at about 3.00pm, not the best of times to be negotiating a busy town. Nevertheless, we found the campsite fairly easily for a change, didn’t even have to go round a roundabout twice! Woodlands Camping and Caravan Park  is quite a nice site by the river and only 10 minutes walk in to town.  

Woodlands Park Caravan Site

Mind you it was heaving – a rally and lots of caravans, tents, campervans with at least 4 children in each. Apparently Irish schools break up at the end of June, so the holidays are now in full swing. After dinner we went for a stroll along the riveside walk to see what we could find..not a lot, still it was nice to stretch our legs.

Sun 10th

Sunshine again! After a bit of tidying up and washing some undies, we walked across the bridge, in to the Town Park stopping to look at the Rose Garden. We came to St. John’s Catholic Church, so popped in to have a look around….some beautiful stained glass windows. When a church bod came and asked us if we were staying for the Mass, we decided to make a quick exit! The town itself was very quiet and most of the shops were shut, so we just meandered up and down the little roads until our feet ached and we set off back to the campsite.  We fell over a small Tesco (they get everywhere!) so called in and picked up a couple of dinners and a few more bits. Luckily we had our backpack with us ‘cos ireland does not do carrier bags. The rest of the afternoon we sat out in the sun and read the paper and watched the antics of people packing up and leaving.  We have never seen so many overloaded caravans in our life. Bikes, barbecues, children, dogs, chairs, extra tents, gazebos, swingball etc…..in it all went. Anyway the campsite is now half empty and a lot quieter. Obviously a lot of people were only there for the weekend, or had finished their weeks holiday.

Mon 11th

After going to get some fuel we drove just a few miles down the road to Blennerville where they have a working windmill.   

Blennerville Windmill and Bridge

We spent an interesting hour exploring the site, up and down the little ladders. There was also an exhibition about the emigration of the Irish on the ‘coffin ships’ to USA, including passenger lists with names and ages of the people.  It was absolutely appalling the conditions that they travelled under.  We then wandered around the small village for a while and along the canal.  We went back to the campsite for a late lunch and feet-up time for a while, then set off across the park to the Kerry County Museum, where we saw Co. Kerry over the ages in a very well set out exhibition ( a bit like the Jorvik Museum in York). Afterwards we went to look at the Rose Garden again and the sculptures there and eventually back to the campsite along the riverside walk.

Cauldron of the Dagda

Weds 13th

We left Tralee about 10.00am and had only 87 miles to drive, so we took our time as the scenery was so picturesque and the sun was shining! Arrived at The Hideaway Caravan Park at Skibbereen in time for lunch sitting outside in the sun.  Afterwards we wandered in to the town, about 15 minutes walk away, mainly to go to the Tourist Office to find out about boats. Then wandered back again to sit outside with our cuppas - even had dinner on the lawn for a change.

Thurs 14th

We were up with the lark to drive about 10 miles to Baltimore to get the ferry over to Cape Clear Island. It was once more a beautiful day and the boat trip took about 45 minutes so we sat on the outside deck watching the world and dolphins go by.  Cape Clear Island is Irelands most South Westerly point and is home to the Fastnet Roack and Lighthouse. It is not very large, but extremely hilly. We had 4 hours to wander uphill and down again taking in the view of all the little houses, some of them dilapidated and derelict. We were convinced that most of the hills were about 1 in 3 (or as Brian put it 1 every 5 minutes!) We managed 50 paces at a time then had to stop for a rest.The roads were not much more than cart tracks wide and we had to keep jump in to the hedge to let any vehicle go by.  Their cars etc. are incredibly old, rusted, broken and only just about running. Apparently, there is no need for tax or insurance on the island, so as long as they are driveable that is OK by them.
It was an incredibly beautiful place to be, but we were exhausted by the time we got back to the boat. Then after 45 minutes again sitting on a hard seat we could hardly move when we got off. We got back to Skibbereen around 6.00pm having called in to Lidl to pick up some dinner and a few bits.

Fri 15th

What a good job we had decided to do the island trip yesterday! We woke up to mist and then rain. So we had a lazy breakfast did a bit of washing and generally tidied up before book reading and catching up on photos etc.  Again this site has wi-fi, but only if you sit up in the dining area. We have found most sites to be really well-equipped with water/waste as well as electric points on each pitch and a lot of them have wi-fi. However they are a lot more expensive than back at home.

Sat 16^th July

We left Skibbereen at about 10.00 in mizzle, to go as far as Clonakilty, where the West Cork Model Railway Village is.  We spent a good couple of hours there looking all over the models and rail tracks.  It was very well laid out and certainly a toy for big boys.  We hopped on the ‘train’ which turned out to be 2 carriages of a road train, driven by a Cornishman!  For half an hour he took us all around the village of Clonakilty itself, holding up all the traffic in the process, over all the bumpy potholey roads and even along the main by-pass at about 10 mph.  Only in Ireland would this be accepted.

Road train at West Cork Model Railway Village

After that onwards to Blarney, arriving at Blarney Camping and Caravanning Park by 3.00pm in sunshine and showers. We had a wander around the site after a cup of tea and worked out where everything was.

Sun 17^th

Grey, wet, windy, cold….what a morning!  Anyway we donned our wet trousers and jackets and set off down hill in to the village of Blarney….took us half an hour.  We called in to the tourist office for bus times and anything else of interest and then walked across the park to Blarney Castle. 

Blarney Castle

The gardens were very pretty, especially the poison garden. We went in to the castle and began to climb the stairs..first landing Brian gave up, but I continued up 100 spiral stone steps, bashing both my head and knees and backpack + camera on the way.  At the top the view would have been magnificent on a good day, today it was just murky.  I followed the queue around the parapet for the Blarney Stone, which was a bit of a disappointment, just like any other stone. One had to lie on one’s back, bend over backwards and kiss a filthy bit of wall!!  I watched a few intrepid souls, but when it came to my turn I just blew a kiss and passed on by (“chicken” I can hear you all saying)  Once back down yet another spiral staircase I had to find my man who was waiting somewhere. Vertigo has a lot to answer for!  We went in to the Stable Yard Café for hot soup and a roll, can’t really begin to believe that it is July. Once back in the village we found the Woollen Mills which turned out to be a huge shopping centre in an old mill.  Everything was very expensive and seemed to be aimed mainly at the American tourists, of which there were many.  By this time our feet and legs had given up the ghost, so we called in to the tourist office once more and asked them to call us a taxi to take us back up the hill to the campsite, as we reckoned it would have taken us the best part of an hour to go back.

Mon 18^th

We drove down to the Woollen Mills car park and left the campervan there whilst we caught the bus in to Cork.  It took 25 minutes and cost 6.20 euro return, which was not too bad.  Once in Cork, we walked around to the Grand Parade to pick up a City-Tour bus. This was certainly the best option, sitting down out of the rain for well over an hour going up hill and back down across bridges (of which there are 30) covering a good deal of the city.  We had not realised that Cork was built from 14 islands, but most of the river bits have now been covered over, leaving just 2 channels from the port. It was an interesting tour, but a bit depressing, so much of the city is derelict and falling down, and they do not have the funds to repair anything including the roads. We felt as though we had been through a meat mincer by the time we got off, shaken and stirred.  There was an indoor market, called the Old English Market which sold every food stuff you could possibly imagine, as well as clothes, so we spent about an hour there.  Then we found a little restaurant – Luigi Malone’s – was he an Irish Italian, or an Italian Irishman we wonder? Anyway we had a lovely late lunch there and eventually caught the 3.30 bus back to Blarney. After picking up some bread and milk, we collected the campervan from the car park and headed back up to the campsite.

This is very much a league of nations site..we have an Irishman to our left and a group of 4 Belgian men (??!!) to our right .  Opposite is a Dutch family and next to them a French trio..one other English couple in the next cul-de-sac. Then 2 Australian females came in, in the tiniest of campervans hired in N. Ireland.  All very entertaining!

Weds 20^th

Yesterday was a ‘not do much of anything day’ which we need from time to time.  However, we were up and about by 8.30 today which is quite early for Irish campsites.  Nobody seems to get going until after 9.00am, even the site offices don’t open much before 10.00, but then they are still open and booking people in at 10 and 11.00pm  We were packed up and on the road by 11.00 having waited a while for the outhouse to dry a bit.  We did not have far to go so there was no rush.  63 miles to Cahir, stopping at Lidl in Mallow on the way for some food shopping.  We found The Apple Farm  campsite quite easily as it was just off the main road, but as it was lunchtime, the lady at the farm shop told us to go and find a pitch and come back after 2.00 to book in.  We were good people and did as we were told.  This is a working fruit farm with it’s own campsite and we were presented with a free bottle of apple juice when we paid our 31 euros for 2 nights.  They had the most delicious raspberries, so we bought some of those to go with our dinner as well as trying some huge cherries.  We had a wander round the orchards in the afternoon and then were able to sit out in the sun for a while.

Thurs 21^st

Quite a cool morning when we set off to go to Cashel – even the Queen visited there! We parked in the town (4.80euros for the whole day) and walked up through some little streets to get to the Rock of Cashel which is quite an imposing structure up on the hill.

Chapel on the Rock of Cashel under restoration

It is in the process of being restored so we weren’t able to see all inside it, but there was quite a good exhibition with bits and pieces. The Chapel itself dates from about the 12^th century but Roman remains have been found there as well. After a couple of hours we walked back down a different way and fell across the Cashel Folk Village, so popped in for a look around.  That was like a heritage centre with about 7 little museums and was quite well laid out and informative. Further on down in to the town we wandered around a few shops and then went back to the van for some lunch. From there we drove back along the M8 motorway to Cahir – only 2 lanes wide and had a parking lay-by on it! We had been told about a Swiss Cottage just outside the town so meandered up through a wood to find it. It is what is called an orne, an ornamental little summer cottage to spend the day in if you are Lord & Lady Cahir. It was somewhat like the Swiss Cottage attached to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, but was built in such a quirky way it was almost like something from a puzzle book…every wall was different, every floor level was different, every window was a different shape, even the lintels over doors and windows slanted in different directions.  Apparently it is supposed to mimic nature in that everything is unbalanced.  We had a really interesting guided tour, well worth the 2euro we had to pay, as so much was pointed out that we would not have noticed on our own.




Then back to the farm for showers in the barn and some dinner.

Showers in the barn

Fri 22^nd

We left the Apple Farm on a nice sunny morning after stocking up on apple juice and plums and drove as far as New Ross.  We had planned to visit a famine ship museum there, but they had a festival  on that weekend with market stalls everywhere, nowhere to park, streets heaving with pedestrians so we thought better of it and carried on in to the countryside.  We passed Dunbrody Abbey and visitor centre so parked up for a couple hours to have a look around there.  The Abbey was in quite a state of dilapidation, but was being restored slowly. We were given a key to go and let ourselves in and browse for a while.  From there we carried on down the Hook Peninsula to a place called Ballyhack, a small village with a supposedly more restored castle.  We did not realise that it also was the point where the ferry went across Waterford Bay and the road was so narrow that we ended up in the queue for the ferry with no obvious place to turn around!  Luckily as the cars moved round the bend on to the ferry, we realised that the road actually carried on round on to the quay where there were some parking spots….phew! What a relief, ‘cos we did not really want to go back to Waterford. We sat on the quay in the sunshine and had some lunch, then walked up the hill to Ballyhack Castle, which was not really a castle but had been someone’s home in years gone by.  Anyway it was free to look around so we did just that.

Ballyhack Castle, village and quayside

 We eventually got to the campsite at Fethard, called Ocean Island Caravan Park  We were somewhat disappointed as it turned out to be the most expensive site of the trip and probably the worst facility wise.  It was mainly geared up to loads of static caravans and as it was a weekend in July it was absolutely heaving with kids, tents, vans and dogs. We found ourselves a spot with the next to last electric point and by 11.00pm were hemmed in by a motor caravan with a tent, 2 more cars and a total of about 12 people!

Sat 23^rd

We did not rush to get up and luckily the horde next to us packed up and left first. It was a beautiful sunny day, so we drove about 5 miles back up the road to some gardens that we had passed on the way yesterday called Kilmokea Gardens. It was basically a private house with quite a large acreage set out firstly with some nice formal gardens then quite a bit of wild woodland.  It reminded us somewhat of The Lost Gardens of Heligan as it needed a lot of tlc.  Strangely there was a lot of bamboo everywhere.

After that we drove down some very bumpy, narrow lanes to Duncannon Fort which dated back to the 1300’s originally, but had been updated during the two world wars and now houses a museum and art gallery and the inevitable gift shop.

From there we carried right on down the Hook Peninsula to Hook Head itself and had a guided tour of the lighthouse.  We were told that it is the oldest un-restored lighthouse in the world!! But, of course, that could just be a bit of blarney!

Hook Lighthouse at Hook Head

Back to the campsite, and b….. me if we didn’t have another large motorhome right next to us with a large tent, then another family of 6 turned up to join them with their tent, then 2 more cars disgorged another 6 people.  They all put up a gazebo and sat outside until 11.00pm! All evening long cars and tents kept arriving and setting up on the field in front of us.  There were no pitches marked out anywhere and they seem to like getting as close to the next group as possible, sometimes the guylines intermingle with each other. It was better that television any day to watch the antics.

Sun 24^th

It was very grey and overcast but quite warm when we left about 10.00.  We only drove 5 miles to Tintern Abbey….yes, that’s right.  It is even based on our Tintern Abbey in Wales and was built by the same set of monks.  After Henry V111’s dissolution of the monasteries it was given to Lord and Lady Colclough who turned it in to a home to live in and it was then used until 1953 when the last lady passed it over to the Office of Public Works which is like our National Trust.  They then cleared everything out of it and put it back to it’s original state.  There was a very nice walk down the stream to the bridge and over to the little church where the ordinary people went to worship.

Tintern Abbey on the Hook Peninsula

From there we carried on through the lanes to our last stop St Margaret’s Beach campsite where we had started 6 weeks ago.

Mon 25^th …….our Last Day in Ireland

Today has just been a clear up and wind down day, relaxing and having a walk on the beach.  We need an early start tomorrow as we have to be at the ferry by 8.00am, luckily it is only a 20 minute drive at the most and we have a good idea of where we are going so do not need to try to read the map!

May - Goudhurst

It has supposedly been the warmest May on record and we took advantage of it by going to Tanner Farm Park near Goudhurst, which is in the picturesque Weald of Kent, for a week.  We took both the campervan and Big Bertha so that our friends Dave and Margaret could join us. We also had 2 other friends visit on the Friday afternoon, when we all sat in the sun chatting, drinking and cobbling together a salad meal.
 
During the week we walked quite a few miles around the fields and woods surrounding the site, following (and losing) little yellow arrows. It was beautiful and relaxing.  The farm itself had goats, lambs - which we were able to bottle-feed, horses, chickens, pigs, lots of doves and a cuckoo to wake us up each morning.

One evening we saw a badger crossing the field, but he rushed off as soon as he spied us.  A short walk down the lane towards the road took us past fresh eggs and on to a nursery with a very good selection of plants.  Needless to say we bought a few to bring home with us.

We had quite a few opportunities to just sit in the sun with our books (and ice-creams) taking advantage of what may be the only summer we get. This is definitely a place we will visit again.


Once back at home, we now have to put our brains in to gear and sort out everything for our Irealnd trip which is only 10 days away

April - Easter at Rolvenden

We have just spent 4 beautiful days at a Temporary Holiday Site, which was set up at Hole Park, Rolvenden.  As you can see, a basic field with just a water tap and an Elsan point, but it was a lovely setting and very peaceful, especially after the hectic week we had just had.

 

The gardens at Hole Park were at their very best, with wisteria in full bloom and the woods full of bluebells.  We walked 2-3 miles each day in different directions, including a yomp across the fields, through the cows, over a couple of stiles and a fence without a stile!  Quite amusing seeing 2 senior citizens trying to climb over the fence

Our view across the camping field

Hole Park House

March - Wiltshire and Dorset

Now that we have had the heater and the tow-bar sorted out, we thought that we would visit the Motorhome Show at the Bath and West Showground and see what nice things we could pick up! 




We drove there on Thurs 31st Mar and spent most of Friday and Saturday just wandering around looking at all the stalls and drooling over the new motorhomes that require a lottery win or sell the house. We were mainly looking for external blinds, but they did not have any suitable, so we will have to order them from the internet once we are home.


On the Sunday morning in beautiful sunshine, we left and drove down to West Farm in Verwood to spend a couple of days with friends who also store their caravan there.  We collected Big Bertha from her barn, tested out the new tow-bar and electrics (luckily everything worked OK) and made our way home. We are getting used to driving the campervan around now and were quite impressed with the ease of towing the folding camper.


Next day, back at home we did the exciting bit, putting the canvas back on and the beds back in, as well as all the other bits and pieces we have had indoors during the winter. Then we tried it out, by sitting inside with our cuppas in the sun!!  We also had a chappie come to enlarge our gates, so it is now a bit easier to get on to our driveway towing the folding camper behind the campervan. Previously we only had about 4 inches clearance, so had to breath in! It is only a couple of weeks until Easter when we are going to try a rally site at Rolvenden  for a few days. Then at the beginning of May, hopefully, we are going to Goudhurst for a week, taking another couple of our friends with us.

March - Canterbury

Well, we have just had our usual 4/5 days away at the start of the season, to make sure everything is working all right. We spent our time at Canterbury Club site with our friends Lorna & Mike in their caravan. The first couple of days were damp and cold, but then the sun came out, Spring arrived and everything was lovely.

This year was a bit different as we had the campervan to get acquainted with, what a learning curve that turned out to be! Making up the bed every night is the main difference to the folding camper, as well as filling and emptying the water tanks. Storage space is a bit more limited, so we will have to cut down on some of the things we take around with us.

We have also booked our ferry to Ireland at the end of May - we will be going for 6 weeks, so hope to travel both North and South.


Before that we are planning a few days away at the Bath Motorhome Show, hopefully to pick up some ideas; then down to Verwood for a couple of days in order to get the folding camper out of storage and bring her home, ready for the summer.