This is the real start of the trip, leaving Wales and getting the ferry to Ireland.
We woke up in Wales to rain. And it had rained heavily in the night. We’re not used to this wet stuff. We also ended up getting out of the van at about 1:30 am for a first-day-of-the-trip “schoolboy error”. The wind had got up after midnight and we both came to the conclusion that what sounded like someone slamming a side van door next to us was actually the awning flapping in the wind.
The awning material is probably a bit loose on the frame, which doesn’t help, but the wind was slapping it around:
- keeping us awake and
- probably going to damage the awning.
We also hadn’t pegged the awning down. The pegs were buried somewhere and I forgot about them until too late. A real first-night problem. You really don’t want to wake up in the morning with the awning hanging off the side of the van ‘cos the legs have been sprawled by the wind.
So we got up and pegged the awning poles down.
Then five minutes later we decided that wasn’t enough and got out again and wound the awning back in.
That did the job: much quieter, even in the wind, and peace of mind that we weren’t going to be doing the rest of the trip with no awning.
We woke up one morning on our Greece trip to find the awning full of water. Probably 20 litres. It had stretched it and split one of the seems too. You don’t want to be complacent about awnings!!
Mental note to self: check the wind forecast. Anything over 5 mph means it’s time to wind the awning in.
First night’s sleep
So neither of us slept well. That’s not to say we won’t, but there’s always a settling-in period, as well as working out where all the gadgets will need to be charged without us tripping over the leads through the night.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better night.
The Starlink worked really well in the evening and overnight. There was no campsite Wi-Fi and the phone signal was weak. So the first night Starlink was already giving us some payback. The next couple of nights are going to be off-grid, so we’ll have to switch the Starlink off when we’re not using it to save the leisure battery. Until we know what our usage is like, it’s best to play it safe.
Sue had a wander around the Hilton gardens while I did the washing up.
Over to Fishguard
Just a quick 30-minute drive from Hilton Court to the ferry terminal in Fishguard. Signposting was good on arrival and everyone was friendly. The coffee at the terminal cafe was poor, but we arrived early and didn’t fuss too much about it at all.
The ferry was fully booked, but there still seemed to be space on the decks as we crossed.
The three-and-a-half-hour crossing was a good opportunity to get further into the guidebooks and map. We’re travelling with Lonely Planet Ireland and Take the Slow Road: Ireland. Both are useful, but the TTSR book is invaluable in a campervan for the tips and tricks.
The ferry trip wasn’t as nice as, say, Igoumenitsa to Corfu… just saying!
And of course, seeing as we’re on a trip hundreds of miles from home, we got recognised. One of Sue’s reception kids spotted her on the ferry. 🤣
Rosslare to Bannow
After a quick 30-minute drive from the ferry, we got to our first night’s stop in Ireland — Bannow Farm Campsite. Not the best of sites, but we knew we weren’t getting off the ferry until 5:30, so we needed somewhere within a shortish drive.
There must be 100+ pitches on the site, and only two unisex loos. And no showers. Glad we’re doing this in Ollie-2.
Another one of those shots of Ollie-van-deux doing what he does best… keeping us dry.
You see all sorts of electrics on campsites, but I don’t think I’ve seen a power tree to match this one…
We had a quick mikro-warvey meal that we’d brought from home: homemade bean chilli, boil-in-the-bag rice and of course salad and coleslaw.
Then a quick walk to “The Beach”. To be fair, there were people on the beach and two women in the water, but it’s not going to win any awards.
On the way to the beach we came across the derelict St Mary’s Church and took some great pictures at golden hour.
And then the beach…
We then spent the next hour back at the van trying to work out where we’ll be staying for the next few nights. Most of our stops are going to be car-park-style “aires”, which we’ll have to get to early to make sure we get a spot. But that should allow us a full day in Cork either Friday or Saturday, as we progress across the southern coast.
J
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