Late August 2019 – Bangor, Belfast, and Dublin

4th August – Sunday
After arriving in Bangor we had a nice few days reacquainting ourselves with the town and carrying out the tasks, which are so much easier in a town marina with good facilities.
On Sunday we walked south to Ballyholme on the seafront from Bangor. 

A beautifully sunny and calm day, we watched the Sunday Yacht Club Racers in the bay.  We managed to track down the café and ice cream parlour, a street back from the seafront.  Once again, more signage required.
7th August – Wednesday – Train Trip to Belfast
Trains to Belfast are every 15 minutes from Bangor.  We were on a reconnaissance to find the coach office for our next day out, so after 50 minutes we got off at the Botanic Station and then walked into town.  We have previously been to all the Titanic exhibits, though whilst passing it was obvious that much building has taken place since.

Our first stop was the Victoria Square shopping centre, as I had read they have a rooftop dome with 360 degree views of the city for free. 

Piccy in the dome.

It is a very impressive centre for shopping and eating.
We did not want to pay to go into the cathedral, St Georges Market was sadly closed (open Fri to Sun), Castle Court Centre was a welcome shelter from a rain shower and then we found Queens Arcade.

Queens Arcade.  I really love an old arcade.

Again, mostly due to the showers we went into the City Hall as there seemed to be visitors milling around.  Sadly we missed the last guided tour, which are at 11, 1 and 2pm.  However there is a free 13 room exhibition about the city which passed the next hour very well.

Inside, under the dome.

There are some really interesting exhibits including this cabinet which missed the boat, Titanic, as it was not delivered in time.
Back in Bangor we ate out at Little Wings Pizza restaurant.  Just as good as we remembered.
12th August – Monday
We had an impromptu trip to Donaghadee.  A friend had told us to go while we were here.  We were just walking through town when we saw a bus displaying the town’s name, so we hopped on. 

It was a 30 minute bus trip, past some very impressive sea front properties.  There is a nice sea front and a couple of shopping streets with a good variety of shops.

The Moat sticks out on the horizon, so we climbed to the top.  After a bag of chips we hopped back on the bus to Bangor.
13th August – Tuesday – Grand Day Out to Giants Causeway
I have to start by saying that Game of Thrones (GOT, which neither of us have seen) is pulling in the punters at present, so any mention of a GOT connection gets some folks very excited.
We woke at 6.00 and caught the 6.50 train from Bangor to Belfast.  During our reconnaissance, the lady at the train station who directed us to Allen's Tours office said that we should arrive early and set ourselves up with an Ulster Fry at the top 10 rated café for Ulsters Fry's which is located across from the tour office.  Rude not to.  We arrived 20 minutes before it opened, hungry.  The Causeway Café is connected to the YMCA next door and opens at 08.00.  We were not disappointed, the full works including Fried Soda Bread for £4.95.  We met an older Canadian guy who was visiting relatives and was staying for £40 for 2 nights. 

Being the people who turned up super early we managed to nab the two fronts seats on the 70 seat bendy bus.   After several delays with people, pickups, the driver selling tickets for tours etc we arrived in Carrickfergus.

Carrickfergus Castle.  This was a short stop for photos so we just walked the prom, while the bus driver did a sterling job extricating the bus from the car park, as he had got well and truly wedged, due to people parking without any thought.  My dad, who was a driver, would have been very impressed.

Next stop, GOT The Dark Castle set, in a quarry.

The coach driver paid not attention to several large signs.  The locals are quite cross at the amount of vehicles being attracted here.  So our stop was more of a slow fly-past.
The coastal road up the East coast of Antrim is beautiful and the morning was quite bright. 
 
Next stop at Carrick A Rede was the Rope Bridge.  It is £9 to walk across.  By this time it was raining and neither of us fancied it.  The people who went said it was a 20 minute walk and then a number of steep, slippery steps.  They were told they had to be back at the bus quite quickly and had to return back quickly, so as not to miss the bus.
GOT fight scenes were also filmed in another quarry near the bridge.  We then advanced to our lunch stop at the Giants Barn. 
We arrived at the Giants Causeway and our coach driver dropped us off with a return time firmly implanted with us.  Some of the coach guests alighted to join a tour, booked on the coach. 
The Giants Causeway is free to visit.  The National Trust have built a substantial visitor centre.

The visitor centre costs £12.50 and we had been advised not to pay as it should be free.  Inside was a large shop and café.  A display and video were the items paid for.

Entry is via this impressive tunnel from the car park.

It is a half hour walk downhill from the visitor centre.  Buses are available for £1.50 each way.  The walk is very picturesque, and a relief after several hours on a coach.

Us and rocks.

We managed to get these pictures, which just like the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, do not represent the sheer volume of visitors which surrounded us.

The iconic shot!
The walk down and back and the stones themselves were incredibly busy.  Any thought of a spiritually deep experience need to be shelved.  Though drier now, the stones were slippery from the previous showers. 
Ireland has been very successful in attracting Chinese visitors and GOT has attracted another audience.  Laura and Damien came here on a bleak January day, which might appeal if you want the place to yourself.  There are currently 2,000 people per day visiting and due to travel schedules I suspect they arrive at similar times.
We did not expect the place to ourselves and found the comings and goings very amusing.  The walk back up hill takes a bit longer.
Our coach could not park anywhere near and appeared on the dot at the time advised, then became hemmed in.  By now we were running quite late.
The last stop was another GOT location.

The Dark Hedges.  There is a Throne from GOT in the Hedges Hotel nearby and photos can be taken.  (The King’s Road, Series 2 Ep 1).
The end of the day was a 50 mile dash down the motorway back to Belfast.  At the last set of traffic lights before the tour office the bus stopped, and would not start again.  We were asked to get off and make our own way back to the station.  We had already tipped Rodney the driver and felt he deserved it even more at this point.
This trip was the best value £20 trip I have ever been on.  We travelled the length of the beautiful coast line and saw many new and interesting sites over a 11 hour marathon.
Back to Bangor for another late Pizza.
17th August – Saturday – To Dublin to visit Laura, Damien and Evie
The only hiccup in the day was the bus replacement service from Lanyon Place, Belfast to Newry.  The buses were very plush and our trolley was placed in the hold with the suitcases.
We took the opportunity to celebrate our wedding anniversary in Dublin and had a terrific Chinese meal at the Good World restaurant as recommended by Laura.  We were collected by Damien on Sunday morning.  Excitement was high.

Very Proud Grandad with Evie

Beautiful Evie.  Yes we are biased.
We had a very good visit to their new house.  Sunday lunch at Fallons in Kilcullen.  Lunch at the Merry Plough Boy and another lunch trip to Avoca, a lovely lifestyle pavilion, full of lovely things.  Laura made us some great food and we watched films and played games.  So lovely to see them all.
23rd August – Friday – Back to Bangor
The bus replacement service finishes after today, lucky us.  More Little Wings Pizza on our return.
It was the Open House festival last weekend and The Specials were playing on the seafront as part of their 40 year anniversary tour…….40 years since Ghost Town.  We could hear the band very well from the boat and the weather was kind.

We enjoyed the Bank Holiday sunshine on the coastal path at weekend.  A great end to our Ireland adventure.
Sailors Info: Bangor Marina
We have been here before and having experienced the full range of marina facilities since our last visit, we appreciate a well run and welcoming yacht haven.
Visitors are generally pointed to pontoon E, which involves a circuit around the marina.  Fuel is located on the pontoon on the left was you enter.  Wifi is good.  Facilities are good inc Hairdryers and sockets. 
Asda is the nearest shop at the top of the main High Street.  Lidl and the Bloomfield Shopping Centre are a 30 minute walk, and have every type of shop you may require. 
Washers £4.50 and Dryers 70p but require two cycles.
Maud’s Ice Cream is a local delicacy which is found all around Northern Ireland.  Poor Bear a honeycomb flavour is the local favourite.
Next Stop Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland.

Early August 2019 – Oban, Gigha to Bangor N.I.

27th July  - Saturday – Tobermory to Oban

The forecasted rain was lighter than expected as we left Tobermory at 09.30.  The Dutch Armada had departed very quietly at 05.00.  The Sound of Mull was relatively quiet, except for the regular ferries.  Big ones on this route.

We went through the overfalls with no problems and arrived back in Oban at 15.00.  Just under 6 hours for 25 miles.  It was a good day for wildlife with 5 seals and 1 dolphin.

Fish and Chips at the Oban Fish and Chip shop, as previous.  It was much busier this time but just as good.

The evening view from the boat looking towards Kerrera.

28th July – Sunday

Big stock up today for our next island stop and a Wetherspoons breakfast.

Sailors Info:  Oban Transit Marina

Although this was a return visit to Oban we stayed in a different marina.  The transit marina has only been open a few years and allows boats to stay for up to 3 days.  Literally in transit.

£30 per night, very convenient to the town centre.  The facilities are new and excellent. 

29th July – Monday – Oban to the Isle of Gigha

It was a sunny start as we left Oban at 10.00am.  But the showers soon came. 

We caught a glimpse of the castle on the south of Kerrera, which had eluded us on foot.

One of the reasons we left Oban after only two nights was the imminent arrival of 72 boats on their way to take part in the Highland Series of Yacht Races.

We met them before the narrows and they were quite a sight to see.  They just kept coming.

The Flabba Lighthouse.

The lighthouse indicates the narrowest point in the Flabba narrows.  Todays calculations had to be particularly precise, as we had to arrive here and then punch the tide for an hour.  At one point we were only doing 2 knots with the engine at 3,000 revs.  But as we squished through, then the tide was with us for the rest of the journey.  The sea here was very disturbed and a challenge on the helm, not in a rock n roll way, but by the fact that the merging water was in conflict with itself.  Very interesting patterns on the surface of the water.

We past the Gulf of Corryvrecken at a respectable distance.  It is a narrow strait between the islands of Jura and Scarba.  For the braver souls there is a whirlpool to be seen, tours can be taken on powerful motorboats to see it.

As we enter the Sound of Jura the rain and mist descended.  Cold thick fog stayed with us for a few hours, and we emerged from it 10 miles from Gigha.  We had already had a good day for wildlife with 4 seals and 5 dolphins and then we were rewarded with a whale.  We discovered later it was a Minke Whale.  It had a dark black back, with defined lines and a small sickle-shaped fin, which seemed small for such a large creature.  The boat is 10.5m and they grow to about that size, so we think it was a fully grown adult.  It only broached the water once, quite slowly, but sadly not slow enough for a picture.  We did log it with Whale Watchers and they have put it down as a ‘probable’ sighting as we are not professional whale spotters.  We arrived at Gigha at 20.00 at 49 miles in just over 10 hours.

It was difficult to see if there were any spaces on the pontoon and we had to pick our way through the moored boats, but we were lucky to find a space near to the shore.  It is only 1.8 deep at low tide but we were fine with our lifting keel.

30th July – Tuesday – Isle of Gigha

The first thing that strikes you is the clarity of the water.

Photo taken from the pontoon.

The shallow lagoon near the harbour.

A sunny morning prompted us to walk to Achamore Gardens, one of the tourist sites on the island.  Created by Colonel Sir James Horlick from 1944 the gardens are home to a renowned Rhododendron collection.  Sadly it is the wrong season for Rhododendron but the 54 acres are well worth a visit, especially the viewpoint.

Viewpoint looking towards Islay and Jura.  The garden operates on donations and the handsome mansion is currently for sale.

We made up for my birthday meal by eating at the very popular and award winning BoatHouse restaurant near the moorings in Ardmish. Scallops, Lobster Tails, Fish and Chips and Fish Curry.

If you order Lobster, as one of our fellow diners did, the lobster is retrieved from a pot strung from the pontoon.  Very fresh and reasonable at £36 for a whole one.

31st July – Wednesday

We walked North as we had walked South the previous day, options are few.  Lovely countryside like we have at home.

The only shop, the Ardmish Stores does the best and largest ice creams.

We later had a chat to Robert and Liz on ‘Elimi’, she gave us some of her homemade bread and we had a drink prior to their visit to the BoatHouse.  Happy sailing.

Sailors Info: Isle of Gigha

There are regular ferries here, more popular with campers than campervans.  There is a camp site at Ardmish near the pontoon.

The pontoon at Gigha was built only two years ago and is therefore modern and substantial.  Beware the inner moorings are only 1.8m deep.

Fleur at the front of the pontoon.

Mick on the pontoon showing its size and length.

An honesty box system operates for payment.  The box on the right holds envelopes which explain the rules.  £20 for the pontoon, £15 for a mooring.  Some of the bigger ships cannot get into the pontoon.  A chart on the left explains the tidal heights and events and attractions.  Place your money in the envelope and post it into the secured box.

The island was bought by the islanders, currently 160 people live here.  In 2002 with grants and loans, the islanders paid £4million and the island is now part of the Gigha Heritage Trust. 

The facilities are adequate with a £1 charge for a 10 minute shower.  No wifi, no TV.  We really enjoyed our 3 nights here.  The mild climate was a welcome change.

1st August – Thursday – Gigha to Bangor Northern Ireland

We crept away from the pontoon at 5.20 with a couple of other boats heading south.  The light was good enough to dodge the moored boats and make our way out into the Sound, missing the rocks, we had been warned about.

The Mull of Kintyre, had mists rolling in from the sea….da de de….

The Mull is notorious with sailors and demands respect.  We registering 9.8 knots around the lighthouse, which gave us a sling-shot towards Northern Ireland.

The first 6 hours were pretty gloomy and then the sun came out.  The shipping channel was quite busy with ferries and tankers.  We saw 2 seals, 2 dolphins and a final Puffin.  Love Puffins!

 

Technically, we completed our 5 year unofficial circumnavigation today.  Above shows us crossing our track of 5 years ago on the electronic navigation system.

The N.I. coastline is dramatic and beautiful and we enjoyed it in the sunshine.  We arrived in Bangor at 16.00 after 65 miles.  A long but good day, with many renditions of ‘Mull of Kintyre’.

We are now having a break in Bangor.