8.30 am a row of Taxi Vans arrived and took us on our Tour of Belfast (driver Trevor) A very memorable informative tour from the people who lived through the Northern Island Troubles …. Explained the 5 gates still locked every night to this day and wall around the Catholic Area 50 feet high. Bombay street where it all began in 1969 and the grenade conservatories on the back of the houses……10.30 am back on the bus to Dublin arrived 12.30pmwe were all dropped off and had a look around central Dublin and a cuppa tea and scone for lunch ….we found Tower Records !!! What an amazing store had all entertainment and merchandise you could imagine …wish we had one (didn’t realise Tower Records was still around)…. back on bus 2.45 and a very comprehensive ... read more

Up and breakfast once again in the Hotel the Irish Hospitality and Quality far exceeds the English so far ….got on the bus and into town at 9.30am bought up large at a huge souvenir shop and wandered around the streets of Galway…. Was very tempted with all the Aran knitwear but resisted…. (Next winters knitting projects !!!) …. Got a coffee to go (all very good barista coffees here a Latte is the best size £2.95 (6$ NZ) ….. enjoyed the buskers and little stores as in all the towns… back to the bus 11.30am and onto Sligo at 2pm wandered around the town lots of knitwear/tweed and hunting gentleman’s apparel and called into the pharmacy found a bakery and enjoyed a cup of tea custard slice and HOT salty chips … toilet and encountered ... read more

Up and breakfast bit more laid back this morn at 8 am …. Left for The ring of Kerry at 9 am weather was perfect !!! stopped at the Red Fox Inn for an Irish coffee with Baileys to start …. Drove through the National Park and out to the coast certainly the Emerald Isles green and pristine… Enjoyed a lunch stop at Waterville and had tea scones jam and cream a look around and back on the bus stopped for spectacular views over the Coast ….stopped at Sneem a cute little village for half hour and back towards Killarney through the National Park again ….Molls Gap Johnny gave us Baileys or whiskey shots at the look out ….back at the hotel by 4 pm and dinner in the hotel at 7 pm turned in early ... read more

Usual drill and on the bus at 8.10 am, Made the short trip to Cardiff Castle 55 AD …. Weather still quite wet temps around 17 degrees…Henry gave us a very informative guided tour of the castle which took a good hour …. We had a coffee and a look around the souvenir shop and on the bus at 10.30, stopped at a truck stop and had a Maccas burger (luckily we did this) back on the bus and away about 1pm reached the ferry terminal at 2 pmish all stayed on the bus until we parked on the ferry. Much like the interislander and a good bunch of us found a spot in the bar …. Had a very rough and entertaining crossing of the Irish Sea with the company of another bunch of Australians ... read more

Slept until 7.15 yay the best sleep so far !!! Down for breakfast and off on our Plymouth harbour cruise (Devon) at 8:45 had a neat ride of an hour out on deck around the harbour ….saw all the naval sites and citadel. The bus met us at Salt Ash and onto a little seaside village called Looe in Cornwall …unfortunately quite a damp day but village was still quite busy ….we had a traditional Cornish pastie and coffee didn’t think much of the pastie…. had a wander around and got lots of photos of quirky bent houses and little doorways ….back on the bus 12.15 and on to Palmero another seaside village nestled in a valley which runs down to the sea they had the doors shut to the harbour as it was to rough ... read more