Dublin to Sligo We left Dublin, driving towards Boyle Abbey – a monastery founded in the 12th century by the local ruling family ‘The MacDermotts’. Although currently in ruins, it is being restored using interesting engineering techniques such as stone numbering to ensure each particular stone that comprises the Abbey is returned to its original position. The lush green Irish countryside rolled on and on, and we came across Tobernalt Holy Well where legend has it that Saint Patrick used this sacred area to bring the Christian God to a pagan people. We drove along the coastline near Mullaghmore Castle and stopped at Sligo for the evening. As we were planning to cross the border into Northern Ireland, we made sure we had pounds handy rather than Euro’s which is the currency of Southern Ireland. ... read more

Runcorn to Dublin Today we went for a drive along the Welsh Coast through Conwy – a small medieval town founded by King Edward I in 1283. The town is enclosed by a 1.2km circuit of walls, with the castle guarding the river nearby. It was this small town that we found the smallest house in Great Britain, a little red shack with barely enough space to turn around inside! Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch was our next stop – this was a little village in Wales that seemed to have more of a sentence than a name, it’s meaning is ‘The church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the church of Tysilio by the red cave’. After skirting the Snowdonia National Park, we crossed to the Island of Anglesey then ... read more

Glasgow to Runcorn We had a quick look at Glasgow after a bit of a sleep-in, so had a late start setting off for George Square. Here we found the statues of James Watt, Robert Peel, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to name a few. Following more bitumen we arrived at Gretna Green - a quaint little village although very tourist orientated, most famous as a wedding venue for eloping lovers who would come north of England into Scotland to legalise marriage for several reasons including avoiding arranged marriage, or sometimes a shot-gun wedding for religious or other reasons. Who knew the laws of Scotland could be so different to those of England? Continuing south back into England towards the green rolling hills of the Lake District. Here our tour group joined a cruise along ... read more

Exploring the Scottish Highlands The weather forecast has not been too favourable the past few days, and so we set off early for the Isle of Skye. First stop was at Carr-Bridge where we came across an old pack-horse bridge crossing built in 1717 for the convenience of travellers and local people wanting to cross the River Dulnain – thought of mostly as a ‘coffin crossing’ to transport the departed to the nearest church for burial. From here the tour guide took us to the battlefields of Culloden, a pivotal moment in Scottish history where Jacobites unsuccessfully fought the English government army with the battle only lasting 45 minutes. This fight was all in the name of Bonnie Prince Charlie – a catholic Royal Scotsman whos’ father was forced to abdicate his throne during the ... read more

Edinburgh The morning was spent on a tour of Edinburgh, followed by some free time for sightseeing of the town. We started in by taking the Royal Mile towards Holyrood House where many of the Scottish Monarch lived in the summer months before moving to higher (and warmer) ground at Edinburgh Castle in winter. Along our way we noticed ‘The Worlds’End’, an alley-way (close) along the Royal Mile adjacent a pub. Apparently in the 16th century the city of Edinburgh was walled off from the outside world, with the only gate being located outside the pub. As far as the people of Edinburgh were concerned, outside the gates was considered the end of their world! What would a visit to Edinburgh be without a visit to Scotland’s famous Edinburgh Castle? It was here that Mary ... read more