Sunday 16 July

 Breakfast was lovely as usual The dining room more palatial than the palace! The guest lounge (WOW) lead through to a very formal dining room and again off that to another dining setting. All incredibly luxurious quality fittings with amazing cabinets filled with Royal Doulton etc. Our bedroom had a King sized bed, 2 large singles, a small lounge, cupboards, dressing table and still room to dance!

Before leaving we asked our hostess her opinion about venturing in to Northern Ireland. She assured us it was perfectly safe as long as we didn't go where we shouldn't go!

Once again it was very overcast, but there was a spot of sunshine on the hills in the direction we were travelling. 20 minutes down the road we remembered our thermos so turned back to collect it.

Gate Post Glenveigh Castle

We drove north to Ballygorman, the northernmost tip of Ireland. The weather improved as the day progressed, except for a freezing breeze in exposed areas. The scenery was beautiful, made more so by the addition of sunshine. We saw many acres of potatoes, (previously we had only seen small fields of them). Early morning we had passed many cottages burning peat, a smell I find as pleasant as a closed room full of cigarette smokers.

At Muff, (on the Northern Ireland border) we stopped at the Garda Station ("Cop Shop" for the non-Irish) to ask the advisability on crossing over. He rang ahead and the verdict was the most danger we were likely to face was from rain. So we crossed over and swung north of Londonderry at 1.20pm. The clouds had burned away as predicted and it was indeed a GRAND DAY.

We visited the 16th century "Dunluce Castle" on the cliff tops east of Portrush, home of the 'Clan MacDonnell' (an off shoot of the Scottish clan MacDonald).
We phoned ahead to a B&B 'Valley View', at Bushmills, and when we found the place it was about 4 miles out of town in a very rural setting. Once again, a purpose-built B&B. This won an award for 'design and architecture' for its accessibility for wheelchairs. The family are lovely, once again the rooms more than spacious. We had hoped to stay here for 2 nights but they are booked out for the rest of the week.

Giant's Causeway

Another view, Giant's Causeway

After settling in here we went out and "discovered" the Giant's Causeway. Now, find a word: magnificent, stupendous, mind-blowing, incredible!

'The Organ', Giant's Causeway

Russ, Giant's Causeway

The weather was magical and we went overboard with the camera, for once wishing we had a video. We arrived there about 6 PM and left at 8 PM in full afternoon sunshine. This morning we heard on the radio the record for today's date in history, was 16 hours of sunlight. Tomorrow we urgently need to find a Laundromat and hopefully 1-hour film processor and Internet café.

Valley View Country House

Valerie McFall

6a Ballyclough Road Bushmills Co. Antrim

Tel +44 28207 41608 ~ FAX +44 28207 42739

Email: valerie.mcfall@btinternet.com

http://www.valleyviewbushmills.com/

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