Travel Musings

 On Friday we drove west, pausing in a Belgian town called Eeklo. Nothing much to it, but we both picked up parking tickets! €25 each for that one, but eventually found a way to pay it online. It had a pretty church though. Our stop for the night was in a very well kept farm site near to the town of Phillipines, which was a well tended small town with a surprising number of fish restaurants. Inevitably there was a pretty central square, lined with sweet chestnut trees all in blossom. Walking back to the site we saw a robot planting chickory seeds, and picking up stones as a side job. All battery and solar powered so was very quiet. Today, Saturday, we drove into Rotterdam, and an unusual site close to the city centre. A bus from there into the centre was very efficient, electric and comfortable. Rotterdam itself has some very modern architecture, and is very cosmopolitan and integrated. While the city was pleasant enough, I'm not sure I could recommend it as a place to visit. Tomor...

 It's good to be back on the road again. A fairly easy (apart from the holdups caused by the M5/M6 junctions) but very boring drive down to Little Satmar Campsite close to Dover, where Wallace and I met up. Early the next morning a short drive down to the docks, and the ferry to Dunkirk was easy with a smooth crossing. At the other end we simply drive off and away. No passport queues or customs checks, and all very easy. It was about an hours drive to Bruges, but trying to get through the city was fraught due to massive roadworks going on. Camping Memling, on the other side of Bruges, is modern and pleasant. There was no need to check in as the number plates were recognised and the barrier lifted. We had already been given pitch numbers. We had booked two nights, expecting to walk into Bruges the next morning, as we had got there early enough we walked in immediately. Bruges centres are not really made for walkers as much of the pavements had been given up to cycle lanes - but unli...

 I still haven't fixed the connectivity problem with my camera, and to be honest, even if I had it is too late to go back and do any detailed posts. So, I thought I'd do an overall impression of what we have seen and done in Ireland, plus a best of whatever photos I have, It is currently 9 am on Sunday morning, and we are in a pleasant campsite in Skibbereen, down near the south coast, and have booked a whale watching trip from Baltimore (the original!) this afternoon. The Wild Atlantic Way is just about finished for us, and will end tomorrow at Kinsale. However our ferry from Dublin to Holyhead is booked for 27th May, so we still have plenty of time to explore. I've already mentioned the eye watering beauty of Donegal. You feel almost involved in the scenery as it is so close to you. Here in the south, with the Dingle Peninsula, Ring of Kerry and the Beara Peninsula, the beauty is breath taking in it's grandeur. It is on a larger scale and vista than Donegal, but still...

  On Wednesday we left our lovely overnight camp at Tullagh Bay and carried on the WAW (Wild Atlantic Way), crossing the decidedly steep Gap of Mamore. Dunree Head on Loch Swilly held Fort Dunree, which was used in WW1 as a harbour for Jellico's Fleet whilst Scapa Flow was being rebuilt. Our destination was Letterkenny, after visiting Buncrana, Lisnanon Beach and Manorcunningham.  The carpark at Letterkenney GAA (Gaelic Games) provided a safe (but bland) stop with hot showeres and all the necessary facilities. Letterkenney itself wasn't impressive. There was plenty of new built large shopping centres on the outskirts of the town, but the centre seemed run down and a bit seedy - and very republican. Thursday led us up the other side of Lough Swilly, to visit Balolymastocker Strand and the magnificent Fanad Head and along yet another dramatic coastline to a small parkup on the dunes of Narin Strand. The next day was very wild countryside, including the even steep Glenesh Pass - ...

 I forgot to mention in the first blog that in Belfast we took a hop on hop off bus tour (good recommendation Lois!). It was well worth doing. Apart from the usual city centre sights and buildings, it all took in the Falls and Shankhill Roads, the murals, Crumlin Road jail, and the "peace" wall. Now this was fascinating, and shows that a lot of people have not moved on. The driver did a good job of staying neutral in his descriptions of the atrocities, bombings etc. Sunday saw us travel along the very beautiful Antrim Coast Road, stopping at all the views on the way. The stop for the night was in Bushmills carpark, which gave us the opportunity to visit the Bushmills Distillery, and naturally try a few samples. We knew everywhere was going to be packed solid on Bank Holiday Monday, so there was an early start to get to the Giants Causeway. We were just about the only people there, and it was so peaceful and quiet - the bird song was immense. Just as we were leaving the tour b...