Dublin to Ballymena

Oh but leaving Dublin was as sad as ever, but we were all appeased by the thought of seeing the Stone family later that day.

Taking the Mourne Coastal Route as the scenic route between Dublin, Malahide and Ballymena instead of the motorway seemed like a good plan....but we were dafties for forgetting it was a saturday...it was totally mobbed and the sunday drivers were very prepared (of course they were) and had come out a day early.

Now to be fair we were a smidgeon on the travel weary side so our tolerance levels were admittedly at "over sensitive flower" level....so upon crossing the border into Northern Ireland and on the promise of the Mourne Coastal route itself, when instead of glimpses of majestic mountains we found ourselves stuck behind large vehicles, in village traffic jams or not able to catch sight of any scenic village scenes or lovely quaint buildings or height of summer colourful flower gardens (of which there are no doubt many) on route because every blimmin lamp post was adorned with at least three massive flags flapping like lumbering cowslicks obscuring everything, we were scunnered. Got to the point we cheered every time we saw a naked lamp post, inventing a new version of car bingo to amuse kids when travelling. Then thanks to our continued planning incompetence we drove through Newcastle's bay just as thousands of people had arrived at the beachfront for the Festival of Flight; I thought Dave might implode at that point of being traffic jammed up, but the thousands of people we drove past seemed very happy.

Onwards, upwards and northwards and eventually we get to Bangor for Dave to take in the sights and sounds of his first decade and more on this planet of ours and after some emergency late lunch, our unreasonable diva levels subsided and we became almost human again. A wee drive by Dave's childhood home west of Bangor near Belfast loch and we were fully rehabilitated...just in time to arrive in Ballymena to the wonderful hospitality of the Stone family and their beautiful home, at which point any residual first world problem car journey angst dissolved away immediately. So very good to see them all again and have a richt, guid news. Getting a pic of the reunited Wood Cottages Infamous Four was tricky without Tess pulling a gype face, so here they are, gype face included.