We got Toddy back from the garage & awaited our MOT re-test date with bated breath. It was different here as the welding was left as bare metal so the test centre can see its been done then it goes back to the garage for sealing. this time we had to up towards Belfast for the re-test as it was only centre we could get in within our 21 days timeframe. We spent the first night on the way at Lough Ross. Although a nice spot the weather was abysmal incessant rain.
The next day we headed north & spent the day in Newcastle. It was actually mums birthday so her being her treated herself to a trip on the big wheel there so she could get aerial shots of Toddy. Thank God she didn’t take us. Newcastle is a lovely seaside town though yet again we were dodging the rain showers. Mum was happy though as she managed to find an open air swimming pool for a swim.
For the evening mum had booked a newly opened campsite which promised spectacular views & we weren’t disappointed. Called The travellers Rest at Castlewellan we even got treated to a rainbow.
Finally the dreaded MOT day dawned & we headed off to the test centre. There was much relief when Toddy passed mum was very happy again. We’d planned if he passed to make a few days out of our break but if he hadn’t we’d have had to go straight home. So with a spring in our driving we headed northwards up the coast. We stopped for walkies at Carrickfergus which had a great aire section for campers in the car park. We didn’t use this as we were all sorted having just been on a campsite. We had nice walkies past the marina & castle. Carrickfergus Marina is situated on the north shore of Belfast Lough overlooked by the town’s medieval 12th century Norman Castle. There’s also the Radar Tower; an abandoned shipping control tower looks like a satellite perched at the end of a pier.  Unlike many other castles of this era, Carrickfergus Castle sits in excellent condition. In fact, despite being besieged in turn by the Scots, Irish, English and French, and playing an important military role until 1928, it’s one of the best preserved medieval structures in Ireland and the only preserved castle of its age open to the public.Â
It was a big busy car park here so we chose not to stay overnight but instead headed out to Whitehead which was a perfect spot. A great location with pretty coloured houses & a great coastal walk that mum did between the rain showers. She deemed it too far for us & is probably right! We got both a beautiful sunset & sunrise here.
The next day dawned even more wet & miserable. We planned to drive up the coast & stop along the way but we just drove straight to our end destination of Ballycastle. By some miracle it actually brightened up. Ballycastle was packed & we shoehorned Toddy into a carpark. Mum went on a wander to get her bearings & came back proud as punch having booked herself into the seaweed baths there. Mum Started her experience in a steam cabinet for approximately 5-10 minutes to open her pores to aid absorption of the many minerals and vitamins of the seaweed then immersed herself in a seaweed bath and relaxed while enjoying the North Coast views as it had a one way window while in the bath. Mum ssid it was funny watching people walk past luckily they couldn’t see mum!
After her pampering session she watched the Rathlin ferry come in as she’d booked that for the next day. Then she managed to move Toddy to a better car park for us right by the park by the beach. Ballycastle had just been nominated as one of the best beaches in NI so it was a great spot for the night before mum caught her ferry.
So the morning dawned & off she went on her ferry trip on a mission to see puffins. They breed in May/June & were still around in July so her visit was well timed. The ferry to Rathlin Island travels just six miles across the Sea of Moyle. This island is six miles long, one mile wide, “L” shaped and home to a slowly increasing population of around 140 people. The waters of Rathlin have many tales lying beneath the surface: a popular place for wreck divers, Rathlin Island has over 40 shipwrecks dotted around its coast. Three of the most famous; the HMS Drake, SS Lugano and HMS Brisk, were sunk during World War I, with the HMS Drake having the title of a listed monument to that war. The ferry took about 40 mins & on arrival mum jumped on Bert’s puffin bus up to the RSPB Seabird Centre. It was quite a long way down (mum was mindful she’d need to come back up) but well worth it as mum saw loads of puffins. Unfortunately no photos as you could only see them through binoculars. Mum also got to visit the quirky upside down lighthouse there too with the light at the bottom of the tower. After her visit mum caught the fast ferry back & came in looking rather bedraggled!
Once back after quick walkies we headed off to another car park at Portaneevy that mum had her eye on. She’d grabbed some tea from Moran’s in Ballycastle as it was billed as one of the best chippers. Fortuitously for us she’d bought extra sausages which we monitored very closely!! It had an amazing view there & we had an extra surprise when a convoy of classic cars turned up on their way to a golf dinner.
Next day she was off on another of her hair brained adventures & again we were glad we weren’t taken with her. We visited the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge where we’d been before during covid but the bridge was closed Luckily this time it was open so she was chomping at the bit to cross it. The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge has woven its way between Carrick Island and the County Antrim mainland for over 250 years. Swaying 30 metres above the ocean might not seem like the most relaxing way to undertake this 20-metre journey, but things have come a long way. Back in the 1970s, the crossing comprised just one handrail and a handful of gapped wooden planks. Today, although there’s a subtle shake to this sturdy bridge – just enough to thrill you – you’re in far safer hands. Mum absolutely loved it & the rain held off.
In the afternoon we had a quick visit to The Dark Hedges from the Game of Thrones then found a perfect pub car park for our last night as mum had run out of food.
All too soon our little break was over & we headed back to a very wet Golden Boyz. We spent the next couple of days moving the boat & mum cycling back for Toddy in what is now being billed as the wettest July for 82 years in Ireland! Mum felt like she was permanently soaked as the cruising was hard going as there was so much weed in the canal so she also spent a lot of time down her weed hatch. Anyway we made it to Thomastown which was our destination so we were in position to join a convoy of boats going to to Mullingar fleadh the next week.
Golden Boyz Narrowboat Blog 