Late last year I mentioned to Kerry that it would be a shame if we didn’t get one more trip out of the van before we sold it. I thought we might be able to squeeze in a month or so, which is a good amount of time, but not enough to go on another ten-thousand-mile trip.  So, it would have to be a pint-sized journey covering only one country.

We discussed it and decided there was only two options, France or Ireland. We wished we had spent more time in France last year but Kerry’s mother is Irish and the summon of her ancestry was too great, we chose Ireland.  Sounded good on paper: friendly locals, stunning scenery, a lively history along with plenty of Guiness and whisky.

But you run a risk with the weather and the images below show what we’re currently dealing with and what we might have got.

In fairness the rain began back in the lake district before we left home but the sun shone as we crossed from Scotland to Northern Ireland on the ferry and lingered for the rest of our first day. The sun makes everything better as we passed along the Antrim coast heading North.  Cute harbour villages like Glenarm, Cushendall and Cushendun dotted the day and as we parked up for the night right on the beach and enjoyed a Guiness in the beer garden, life was just the way it should be.

Then it began raining, and pretty much kept going for the next thirty-six hours.  When it was heavy, we drove and when it got a bit lighter, we would venture out of the van.  We’ve seen a few Game of Thrones locations and enjoyed a wonderful walk around the compact city of Derry/Londonderry yesterday, the city walls really are a highlight.  But I was glad we’d visited before with Kerry’s mum, it meant we could happily drive by the likes of Portrush and The Giant’s Causeway as the rain pelted down.

Good Friday was about as wet as it gets and we spent most of the afternoon hunkered down in the van watching DVD’s and reading.  I promised to do something about it last night and so we found a park up on the shores of Lough Neagh.  Naturally, it was still raining, but there was a pub was close by so we spent hours chatting with overly friendly locals and warmed ourselves by the fire as Chloe took up a patch of floor in the prime position.  Dinner came in the form of pizza as a gourmet food van set itself up for a busy Saturday night.

As we lay in bed that night, comfortably listening to the pitter patter of rain on the van roof I knew we weren’t going to get those delightfully warm Mediterranean nights like our last trip but keeping cozy and warm shouldn’t be a problem here either.