England, Scotland & Ireland in a day
Amazing, it’s another gloriously sunny day for our drive to
Cairnryan and ferry over to Ireland. We say goodbye to Jane and Anne and are
heading north on the M6 by 9.30am. The traffic is light but the scenery keeps
us distracted from the long journey ahead, the countryside becoming
increasingly wild and remote as we pass the northern Lakes, then the North
Yorkshire Moors and finally into Scotland at Gretna Green. It’s then a long
drive through Dumfries and Galloway but the views just keep getting better.
There’s a brilliant blue cloudless sky, rolling green hills in a patchwork of
greens sprinkled with the darker jewels of trees and sparkling sapphire blue
lochs, it is truly breath-taking.
Our pitstop before going to the ferry is Castle Kennedy
Gardens as its only a few miles from the ferry port. It has a long drive up to
the castle that opens out into a stunning vista across the White Loch to
Lochinch Castle which is a beautiful baronial and French style castle home to
the 14th Earl of Stair. Castle Kennedy is the former home to the
Earls of Stair until it burnt down and the 75 acres of garden where created. And
what gardens they are, stunning rhododendrons and azaleas at this time of year
mixed in with a carpet of bluebells and the occasional ceanothus. There are
grand walkways of beech, thuga and monkey puzzle trees, a 2-acre lily pond
surrounded by rhododendrons and a very beautiful walled garden. You might have
guessed that I really enjoyed this amazing garden and was reluctant to leave.
The short drive to the ferry port soon has us checking in
for the ferry to Larne. The car is thoroughly examined, mirrors underneath, bag
searches, explosive detectors and body searches for us. You don’t get that
thoroughly checked when you drive to France, Dave grumbles, maybe they’re just
practising ready for Brexit! The bonus is that we’re only 6th in
line so hopefully quickly off when we reach Ireland. The ferry trip is made all
the more enjoyable as we secure comfortable seats right at the front of the
ship and eagerly await the first sight of Ireland.
Ireland appears after only a short period like an emerald
jewel in the sunlight, maybe this is why its nicknamed the emerald isle. As
hoped we are among the first cars off the ferry and within minutes we’re onto
the coastal causeway driving north towards Portrush. On our right is the
silvery blue glittering Irish Sea, on our left are basalt cliffs topped with
green grass and above us a cloudless blue sky. Every now and then we pass white
or stone cottages scattered along the coast like discarded stones. It is a
beautiful coastline and a brief glimpse of the beautiful countryside that
awaits us tomorrow. At the end of the drive we find the Portrush Atlantic Hotel
after a detour through the one-way system which has the sat nav in a flat spin,
threatening to punch us with the insistent demands for a U-turn! The rest of
the town seems to be a strange combination of upmarket development and kiss me
quick culture. The restaurants all seem to stop serving by 9pm, shame we want a
snack after that time, thank goodness for a bottle of red wine and cheese and
biscuits in the room!
Amazing, it’s another gloriously sunny day for our drive to
Cairnryan and ferry over to Ireland. We say goodbye to Jane and Anne and are
heading north on the M6 by 9.30am. The traffic is light but the scenery keeps
us distracted from the long journey ahead, the countryside becoming
increasingly wild and remote as we pass the northern Lakes, then the North
Yorkshire Moors and finally into Scotland at Gretna Green. It’s then a long
drive through Dumfries and Galloway but the views just keep getting better.
There’s a brilliant blue cloudless sky, rolling green hills in a patchwork of
greens sprinkled with the darker jewels of trees and sparkling sapphire blue
lochs, it is truly breath-taking.
Our pitstop before going to the ferry is Castle Kennedy
Gardens as its only a few miles from the ferry port. It has a long drive up to
the castle that opens out into a stunning vista across the White Loch to
Lochinch Castle which is a beautiful baronial and French style castle home to
the 14th Earl of Stair. Castle Kennedy is the former home to the
Earls of Stair until it burnt down and the 75 acres of garden where created. And
what gardens they are, stunning rhododendrons and azaleas at this time of year
mixed in with a carpet of bluebells and the occasional ceanothus. There are
grand walkways of beech, thuga and monkey puzzle trees, a 2-acre lily pond
surrounded by rhododendrons and a very beautiful walled garden. You might have
guessed that I really enjoyed this amazing garden and was reluctant to leave.
The short drive to the ferry port soon has us checking in
for the ferry to Larne. The car is thoroughly examined, mirrors underneath, bag
searches, explosive detectors and body searches for us. You don’t get that
thoroughly checked when you drive to France, Dave grumbles, maybe they’re just
practising ready for Brexit! The bonus is that we’re only 6th in
line so hopefully quickly off when we reach Ireland. The ferry trip is made all
the more enjoyable as we secure comfortable seats right at the front of the
ship and eagerly await the first sight of Ireland.
Ireland appears after only a short period like an emerald
jewel in the sunlight, maybe this is why its nicknamed the emerald isle. As
hoped we are among the first cars off the ferry and within minutes we’re onto
the coastal causeway driving north towards Portrush. On our right is the
silvery blue glittering Irish Sea, on our left are basalt cliffs topped with
green grass and above us a cloudless blue sky. Every now and then we pass white
or stone cottages scattered along the coast like discarded stones. It is a
beautiful coastline and a brief glimpse of the beautiful countryside that
awaits us tomorrow. At the end of the drive we find the Portrush Atlantic Hotel
after a detour through the one-way system which has the sat nav in a flat spin,
threatening to punch us with the insistent demands for a U-turn! The rest of
the town seems to be a strange combination of upmarket development and kiss me
quick culture. The restaurants all seem to stop serving by 9pm, shame we want a
snack after that time, thank goodness for a bottle of red wine and cheese and
biscuits in the room!
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