Island to Ireland

 * this blog was written before we’d made the decisions shared in our previous blog.

Agy is on the move again! Leaving our house the rain started to fall, but arriving at the ferry port the sun came out and the water turned blue. It’s sure to be a trip of more rain than we would like, but a journey we have been looking forward to for a long time.

As we sailed away, I noticed a very familiar boat that just looked out of place. I couldn’t work out why until I saw the name. The City of Westminster dredger was our ‘local boat’ when we lived in London. Ian used to be able to recognise her from the sound of her engines alone as she passed by our house; and here she was crossing our path once again as we left our new home on the island. It might not seem much to you, but to me, it was a positive sign of happy days past and future. 

As we often do when  we travel to the mainland, we spent a few days with family, sadly forgetting to take photos again, except for dad who we took out shopping and for a coffee. For those who know him, he’s doing OK, but is definitely not in as good health as he has been.

As we left family, our journey took us north, passing Paddington on the way (we still aren’t sure why he was there!) towards The Wirral. Stopping overnight at a campsite with fabulous views, but very tired facilities, we were up early heading to Liverpool docks to await our ferry To Belfast.

We do love a ferry, but have never sailed with Stena Line before, so didn’t really know what to expect, but we certainly weren't disappointed! We’d booked a cabin, so we could have a rest and a shower (a great shower means a lot when travelling). What a cabin it was! Spacious, light, snacks and TV. A very comfy bed too, which we made good use of catching up on the sleep we’d missed due to the crack of dawn start.

A calm crossing felt like a gift as much of the UK was battered by storms. A good omen for our Irish adventure?