Welcome back folks I know everyone is dying to hear how our Atlantic cruise is going and whether we saw whales and islands. The short answer is yip we did, the slightly longer and more disappointing answer for you, maybe, is our Atlantic cruise lasted only one night before we got kicked off (actually it was just a ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth) and the whales and islands we saw are the respective countries. The ferry ride however was great. We set off in beautiful sailing conditions while drinking cold beer then had a very long sleep in a small but very comfortable cabin.
Wales turned on some great weather for us as we settled into Sam’s parents house for a 10 day stay. We were treated to a fine steak dinner upon arrival which was washed down with some equally good Spanish red wine. We got out and explored the Welsh valleys and had a nice walk through the narrow countryside lanes before trying our hand at carving pumpkins for Halloween. We visited the spectacular old Clifton suspension bridge before stopping in for a very traditional British meal… an Indian curry. Next up was a jolly back into the grey gloom of England where we checked out the historic city of Bath. After a picnic lunch and a look through a museum we jumped on the free walking tour which is paid for by the mayor. The chap was very good and provided a great insight into the history and architecture. We were all surprised to learn that the term daylight robbery was due to a council tax in the number of windows a building could have.
Whose pumpkin is your favourite….
Seeing the weather was meant to be much nicer the following day so arising early we set off through the stunning rolling countryside which did remind us of home – it was good to see a few wooly sheep in the paddocks. Our destination was a set of vallies commonly termed the Mach loop. This loop is where the British military are allowed to practise there low flying drills often dropping to between 100 and 300 feet above the ground. After climbing a hill to “the fence” lookout where we joined a few other jet enthusiasts some equiped with seriously large cameras we basked in the cool sunny conditions and waited. We were exceptionally lucky not only did we get to see 7 jets rip through we also learnt all about the planes and even got some great snaps from Ian. We were still buzzing as the sun set on the drive back.
It wouldn't be Wales without a bit of rain so we did a few chores around the house before we had a wee walk down at Cardiff wharf in between rain showers. Now travelling is all about experiencing new things that you either can't or wouldn't do at home and attending a local chicken market fitted into this. So off we set early in the morning with our prize bird, a young male peacock to auction, although he didn't go for as much as the white pair of peacocks he was sold none the less. Saturday night Lucy and Nick had the household to themselves to enjoy watching the rugby… we all know what happened there so let's not dwell on that but I will say that we didn't even manage to watch it due to sky sport failing to secure the coverage.
There was one last wee celebration before we left as Sam’s sister returned from a holiday in Africa engaged so we had an excellent roast turkey dinner and a few ales. It was a great night and we were all a little slow rising the next day as we packed our bags and set off towards the coast where we were catching the ferry to the land of shamrocks and leprechauns. Arriving at our accomodation, we were greeted by a very witty old man with a walking stick who proclaimed his limp was caused by a broken hip sustained by falling off his Segway. Not only did we have a fantastic wee room and an huge breakfast spread out on for us we also were entertained all night by his stories and free beer!
First stop on our journey south was the famous Blarney castle where we kissed the stone in pouring rain. It was an impressive castle and garden and we left with eloquence on the tip of our tongue. Next up was a very quaint wee village called Kenmare where we had an excellent seafood chowder and Guinness. The road from here took us up over the highlands, past stonewalled pastures and lakes and right on up into the quagmire weather which unfortunately blacked out the mountain tops.
We spent a couple of nights in Killarney where we not only saw the inside of a few of the very numerous pubs but also got out for a walk around the lake at Ross Castle and drove around the very scenic Ring of Kerry coastal route. The old round stone forts were pretty incredible as too was the old ivy covered castle that I have no idea how it was still standing. Driving around Ireland there are plenty of similarities to NZ including all the green farms and even the odd cabbage free and flax bush but there are also some nice differences. The stone walls which go on and on forever and must have taken an age to build and the little villages with all their brightly coloured, family owned boutique shops and not a chain store in sight.
Trying to avoiding all the drama of Trump we carried on north up the great Atlantic way (past his golf course) under relatively sunny skies. We passed through some very scenic villages and coastline before stopping for another great pub lunch at the southern end of the Cliffs of Mohair. We were surprised at the cost of parking a car and looking out over the cliffs so we carried on to the northern end of the cliffs where we could look back on the high cliffs and watch the ocean pound against the walls in the last golden rays of sun. We had a great wee air b&b apartment for the night in the small village of Athenry.
The rain had returned as we set off on a mission through the countryside to find Fathers Teds house. Stopping in for lunch and to ask for directions we were greeted with more fine hospitality as the checkout operator gave us a fork from his staff room for our salad lunch “to help international relations” while a map was drawn on two A4 pages to get us to the famous homestead. The evenings entertainment was in Limerick where we were lucky enough to get tickets to the Munster –Maori AB’s. After a quick pub meal we braved the pouring rain and found a relatively dry position on the terraces. Although the kiwis were well beaten it provided an awesome atmosphere with plenty of flags waving and singing and deathly silence when the AB’s presented a jersey to the sons of the late Munster coach and during any kick at goal. It was a late night as we drove to Dublin to stay with Emer’s parents.
Occasionally you have to do some work so in the morning we visited a cousin of Emer's who had a farm consisting of 39 cows. After mucking out a barn and spreading a bit of new straw we gave a couple of the bulls a wash and brush to get them used to people so they can be shown. Saturday night was a big night out with some of Emer's family in a small country town. The Guinness flowed while the band belted out a mixture of traditional Irish tunes and songs from yesteryear needless to say we awoke feeling a little dusty. Back in Dublin we had an afternoon plodding through the city centre before stumbling on the Dublin museum. It was fascinating to read about all the hordes of gold and other precious materials that have been found over the centuries in the peat bogs of Ireland. Even more interesting was the number of very well preserved bodies that have been discovered over the years in the bottom of these bogs.
Keeping with the theme of old things we headed to Newgrange, the oldest known Neolithic structure in the world. It's estimated to be 500 years older than the pyramids and consists of a very large round mound with a long narrow entrance into a burial chamber. Other than its age the other truly amazing thing was that only on the shortest day every year the sunlight enters through a hole above the door and makes its way all the way to the back of the chamber, thus requiring precise engineering. That night we spent the night in the surfy town of Bundoran and had a great walk along the stormy Atlantic coast in the morning.
The last stop on our Irish tour was the dark hedge, giants causeway and Carrick rope bridge. Photos will not do the avenue of beech trees justice which were made world famous by the game of thrones but we walked through the twisted 350 year old trunks. Moving on to the giants causeway, dodging big black rain showers and the sneaky entrance fee we had a good walk along the coastal cliffs to the unique hexagon shaped rocks which were getting hammered by the Atlantic swell. With the wind trying to send us over the organ spires and another big squall coming we legged it to the old rope bridge built by salmon fishers a 100 years or more ago. The bridge was situated on an exposed headland with good views but was just a glorified swing bridge that you would expect to see on any backcountry tramp back home.
We departed Belfast under darkness and headed for the home of the kilted William Wallace. Dodging huge wintery showers, our first stop was Loch Lomond. We opted for a long walk through the glens and highlands which were emerging with a fresh coating of snow. As we drove off towards Fort William we soon encountered cars covered in fresh snow and it didn't take long before we were balls deep in sticky white stuff. Big ups to the cyclist who was powering through the snow storm and absolutely loving it.
Fort William was a very cold but pretty picture, as the snow storm cleared we went for a walk through town and up river to a derelict castle before hitting the road for a spot of Nessy hunting. Although there was talk of donning a mask and snorkel it never eventuated as we opted for a stroll through woods. A big shout out must go to our local Scottish friends who we spent the winter with in France for putting us up for the weekend and giving us a fantastic local tour.
We had a pretty decent list of things to do thanks to our mate Hannah who is completing a similar list we complied for her as she travels around Aotearoa. Up at the crack of dawn we set off into the frost with our first stop being the local ancient stone cairns. Although these were not on the same level as Newgrange they were both interesting and picturesque in the early morning sunshine. The battlefields of Cullodin were our next stop. This is where a rather uneven battle between the Jacobites and English took place and resulted in the oppression of Scottish tradition and huge migration. Looking for something a little less somber we headed through a valley still in the grips of a hoar frost for Plodda falls. Although the stream seemed rather small the drop was impressive especially as the sun hit the lingering mist.
We have met so many characters on this trip and the next chap we visited is up there with the most unique. This little old chap has built the most amazing wee hobbit house with secret cubbyholes and inventions everywhere. From light switches in shells to draws hidden inside tree trunks we were entertained with his stories from around the world. All this sightseeing had made us ravenous so we found a pub playing the rugby and set in for an early dinner before saying goodbye to Sam and Emer who had to boost back south.
The weather gods were smiling on us again as we made our way around the frosted Bodie Castle grounds. Also on Hannah's to-do list was to visit her local beach and café where the scones were epic and we even saw dolphins and seals enjoying the wintery sun! Whiskey, sunsets, cups of tea, broccoli soup, David Attenborough and listening to live music in a recording studio were all crammed into a Sunday arvo.
It was a stunning morning as we took the train through the frosty highlands with even the wind turbines appearing to be frozen in place. First stop was the mighty memorial to the legend William Wallace who had more success smashing the English than the Jacobites. Not only was the monument to him impressive as it appeared through the mist upon a prominent crag, his sword was massive. It stands over 4 feet tall and weights seven kilos… hopping back on the train it was time for the last 3 nights of our holiday in the capital, Edinburgh. We had a nice hostel right in the centre of town although it was full of Aussies.
The run of perfect but freezing weather continued with only a couple of spits early one morning. This allowed us to get out and about exploring and with the short daylight we had to get cracking early. The walking tour as usual was very informative and gave us a good overview of the rather complex history of Edinburgh complete with stories about famous dogs, crooks, executions and political uprisings. After warming up with a pizza and cuppa we climbed up through some crazy old cemeteries to Carlton hill which has a random array of monuments. Luckily… we still had just enough time for a quick look through the national portrait gallery which, Lucy informed me had, some very famous paintings.
Nick's lack of painting knowledge
Braving the frosty morning we quickly warmed up scaling the hill to Arthur’s seat which provided epic 360 degree views across the city, forth bay and the surrounding highlands. After a bite to eat we went for a quick stroll through the museum to see the wildlife photography exhibit. The photos were incredible and highlighted how much cool stuff is out there for us all to explore if we just put in the effort. The museum building itself was not only huge it was also very impressive and we spent all afternoon here and hardly scratched the surface of the mostly plundered exhibits. To celebrate our last night on holiday we went and had a couple of pints and listened to some live music. The music was good but let's just say that Irish beer is far better than the Scottish stuff we tried. We should have stuck to whiskey.
As we departed Scotland bound for Norway we were glad to see a nice sunny sky as it would be our last view of the sun for another 11 weeks. We had to boost through immigration in order to catch our flight north due to our earlier flight being delayed but made it in the nick of time. It's now time to settle back into work mode and pray for snow which still hasn't fallen and is long overdue. For those of you not up with the play we are back to our summer hang out of Tromso where we are learning the art of dog mushing. We will be running dogsled tours for tourists, gazing at the northern lights, backcountry skiing and kayaking with whales. Sorry it's a hard life but someone has to do it. Until next time Ka ki ta.
