Finally the rain has come. After being so lucky with the weather for so long, the heavens have opened up. I'm not complaining though as I have my car so can keep dry. It rained a lot during the evening, and kept raining all morning - usually light rain but heavy showers at times.
I decided to have a cooked breakfast this morning - bacon and poached eggs..yummy. I ate them in the cute dining room whilst watching the lambs in the next paddock bouncing around, and the birds coming to eat from the feeder. Really great way to start the day.
Packed up and loaded the car, then headed into Carlingford for a final look around before heading north. It really is a really quaint town - shops and homes interspersed with ruins of old homes, castles and churches.
I followed the east coast of Ireland (listening to Celtic music on the way) and crossed the border into Northern Ireland - this means that I put the Euros away and take out the pounds, and speed limits are indicated in miles not km's (only problem is that the speedo on my car only records km's...reminds me of the time I drove from Melb to Bendigo in record time as my speedo wasn't working!!) It was all a very lovely drive, picturesque at times even. I then made my way further north to Portaferry.
Nicola had suggested this route, and I am so pleased she did. I followed the signs to the ferry at Portaferry and had a giggle as I drove onto the ferry - have never done this before! The trip only took 4 min...I just got use to not driving before I was off again. By this stage I decided not to stop anywhere further as I had taken awhile to get this far north (not far in km but takes a lot more time with windy roads, being caught up by tractors on the road, stopping for kodak moments).
I was close to Newtownards, and was busting for a toilet...my eyes were swimming!! I pulled over at ths sign that advertised Mount Stewart...a National Trust Property, and I am so pleased I did! Apart from clean toilets, the house and it's gardens were stunning. The property is 18th century, and you will see from the photos that they put a lot of work into the garden. Family members still live at the site, but tours are held in other rooms not occupied. I was concerned that I did not have enough time to do the tour, and admittedly, did not know if it was worth it. Once I paid the entrance fee though and explored, I was in love with the place and would've put in an application to be one of the gardeners..if I could. There was light rain the whole time I was there, but I didn't care!
After Mount Stewart, I found my way into Belfast central and quickly realised that my address and directions to the B&B were wrong...note to self...pay a lot more attention to details on the map of my accommodation as this reduces stress and time. Why is it always the way when I want to find a coffee place or pub with free wifi I can't find it? Anyway, lesson learnt.
My B&B is lovely, and once I found it, and they upgraded my room (very quiet during the week), I unpacked and settled in. It was at this point I realised I left my electricity adaptor at the previous B&B...another note to self...be more careful when packing. It wasn't a big deal but I did a Fred and kicked myself.
I had a quiet night in catching up on emails and booking B&B's for next week. Nicola helped me decide on a plan of where to go on my tour of Ireland, so I was keen to book in accommodation for the next few days at least.
I decided to have a cooked breakfast this morning - bacon and poached eggs..yummy. I ate them in the cute dining room whilst watching the lambs in the next paddock bouncing around, and the birds coming to eat from the feeder. Really great way to start the day.
Packed up and loaded the car, then headed into Carlingford for a final look around before heading north. It really is a really quaint town - shops and homes interspersed with ruins of old homes, castles and churches.
I followed the east coast of Ireland (listening to Celtic music on the way) and crossed the border into Northern Ireland - this means that I put the Euros away and take out the pounds, and speed limits are indicated in miles not km's (only problem is that the speedo on my car only records km's...reminds me of the time I drove from Melb to Bendigo in record time as my speedo wasn't working!!) It was all a very lovely drive, picturesque at times even. I then made my way further north to Portaferry.
Nicola had suggested this route, and I am so pleased she did. I followed the signs to the ferry at Portaferry and had a giggle as I drove onto the ferry - have never done this before! The trip only took 4 min...I just got use to not driving before I was off again. By this stage I decided not to stop anywhere further as I had taken awhile to get this far north (not far in km but takes a lot more time with windy roads, being caught up by tractors on the road, stopping for kodak moments).
I was close to Newtownards, and was busting for a toilet...my eyes were swimming!! I pulled over at ths sign that advertised Mount Stewart...a National Trust Property, and I am so pleased I did! Apart from clean toilets, the house and it's gardens were stunning. The property is 18th century, and you will see from the photos that they put a lot of work into the garden. Family members still live at the site, but tours are held in other rooms not occupied. I was concerned that I did not have enough time to do the tour, and admittedly, did not know if it was worth it. Once I paid the entrance fee though and explored, I was in love with the place and would've put in an application to be one of the gardeners..if I could. There was light rain the whole time I was there, but I didn't care!
After Mount Stewart, I found my way into Belfast central and quickly realised that my address and directions to the B&B were wrong...note to self...pay a lot more attention to details on the map of my accommodation as this reduces stress and time. Why is it always the way when I want to find a coffee place or pub with free wifi I can't find it? Anyway, lesson learnt.
My B&B is lovely, and once I found it, and they upgraded my room (very quiet during the week), I unpacked and settled in. It was at this point I realised I left my electricity adaptor at the previous B&B...another note to self...be more careful when packing. It wasn't a big deal but I did a Fred and kicked myself.
I had a quiet night in catching up on emails and booking B&B's for next week. Nicola helped me decide on a plan of where to go on my tour of Ireland, so I was keen to book in accommodation for the next few days at least.
No comments:
Post a Comment