Trip from Ireland to Scotland

On Monday, the 13th of May, we left for the long trip to Scotland. I was barely able to get everything packed in the car. Actually, I couldn't get everything in the car, so I ended up shipping 3 boxes to our new home in Ladybank. To accommodate my purchases since I arrived in Ireland, I bought a roof box for the Skoda, yet I still found it hard to fit everything in the car.  So much for living a simpler life!

Packed and ready to go.  Riley just barely fit in the backseat and the 2 kitties are in their travel carriers in the front passenger seat.

We left at about 10 am for the 4.5 hour drive north to Larne in Northern Ireland.  As mentioned in my last post, I decided to split the trip into 2 days. My hope was the cats would do better with an overnight stay.  We were booked into a B&B in the small town of Larne where the ferry was set to depart the next morning at 7 am.  The road trip took us up to Dublin, then north to Belfast, then 23 miles to Larne.  There is no border control when you cross from the Republic of Ireland (ROI) over into Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom.  I must have missed the "Welcome to Northern Ireland" sign and only knew I had arrived in the new country when a received a text from my mobile carrier saying my phone would no longer work in Northern Ireland.  Since I was counting on Google Maps to get me to where I was going, I stopped into a Tesco grocery store to pick up a UK micro SIM card for my iPhone.  The scenery in Northern Ireland was beautiful and I wish I had time to explore more.  I hope to be able to visit again, sans pets, when I return in the Autumn. 

My copilot wasn't interested in being my navigator, so I had to rely on Google Maps.

The B&B in Larne was called Derrin Guest House and was easy to find.  Because I was a single (and yes, it costs more to be a single than a double), the room was small, but fine for 1 person.  Except I was 1 person plus a large fluffy dog, 2 cats, and all their paraphernalia.  With a large bed filling most the room, there was little room to walk.  

After settling in , I took Riley for a walk to a local park.  He was happy to be out of the car after the long journey.  I then parked him in his crate in the car, before heading into a local pub for dinner.  At the local Chequors pub, I had a nice large burger with chips (french fries) and chatted with some lovely people who were visiting from Australia - 2 adult sisters and their parents. They were on a 6 week, 5 country trip.  It was sweet when a young boy, with his Mum, came to my table to offer me a piece of his chocolate birthday cake.  He had turned 7 years old that day.

Riley at the park with the Union Jack flying in the background.

I planned to put the cats in the bathroom for the night to prevent them from hiding under the bed where I would have difficulty removing them at 5:00 am the next morning. My plan was not as brilliant as I thought it was.  Rather than being tired from the journey, Livvy and Bell ended up being wide awake and started to meow - very loudly - as soon as I had closed the door to the bathroom. Not wanting to disturb my neighbors, I finally let them out at about 1 am to roam free.  When the alarm sounded at 5:00 am, I had had no more than 2 hours of sleep.  On a positive note, the kitties hadn't discovered the under-the-bed hideaway, thank goodness. This made it easy to catch and crate them.    

Livvy on the left with Bell on the right.  They rode in their small crates that were situated inside the large crates they came over from the States in.

I wasn't certain how many other cars would be at the ferry landing, so we left at about 5:45 am.  I had paid extra for priority loading. This allows you to be the first to disembark.  At the security checkpoint, the guards checked the underside of our vehicle for explosives and used a wand to check me.  They weren't interested in using the wand on Riley. The gentleman in charge took one look at how full the car was and thankfully, did not ask to see inside the vehicle.  

Trucks disembarking from the ferry so the passengers traveling at 7 am could load.

The one way trip from Larne, Northern Ireland, to Troon in Scotland cost 130 euro ( about $170) and took exactly 2 hours.  It was a huge ferry with the passengers spread out all over the ship, so it felt as if there were few people on board.  The captain announced that it might get choppy once we were out to sea, but the only time I noticed the ferry's movement was when we arrived in Troon.  When I lived in Washington State back in the late 1980's, I loved taking the ferry to the different islands off the coast.  This was a much larger version of those ferries and still just as enjoyable.  I read a book, tried to sleep (unsuccessfully), and wandered around the ship, enjoying every minute.  

My view out the ferry window.

The photo above shows the large rock/island called Ailsa Craig.  It is 219 acres and located in the outer Firth of Clyde, between Ireland and the UK, just 10 miles from mainland Scotland.  It is sometimes known as "Paddy's Milestone" as it is the halfway point of the journey from Belfast to Glasgow, a traditional route of emigration for many Irish laborers seeking work in Scotland.  Much earlier, it was a haven for Catholics during the Scottish Reformation in the 16th century. Until the 1970-80's, it was inhabited by a few quarry workers, farmers, and lighthouse keepers.  The last inhabitant left in 1990 when the lighthouse became automated.  It is now a bird sanctuary and owned by The 8th Marquess of Ailsa of Scotland.  There is a ruined castle, small cottage, a lighthouse and a granite quarry that once provided the blue hone granite used to make stones for the sport of curling.  Since 2012, it is been for sale for 1.5 million pounds (about $2.2 million), a discounted price from the original 2.5 million pounds ($3.8 million). Quite a hefty price for a place with no running water, electricity or any other utility.  

Ours was the 2nd vehicle to disembark in Troon.  Just outside of Troon, I stopped to let Riles out to do his business.  It was cold and very, very windy, so Riles was happy to jump back into his crate for the last 2 hours of the trip.  We arrived at our new home at about 11 am.  The owner of the flat we are renting, Mike (one half of "Mike and Sharon") was there to welcome us.  Little did he know what he was getting himself in for!

The view about a mile before we arrived at our new home.

Riley happy to be almost there.

View of the annex (to the right of the main house) taken by a friend and posted on Instagram.  He was laughing that I came here, thinking I would have peace & quiet, and not knowing it was a haven for boys working on their toys in the garage.

Riley soaking up the sun in the garden.

First walk in the woods just a few houses down from where we are now living in Scotland.