"Once a year go somewhere you have never been before" (the Dalai Lama).
As someone who loves to travel the past two years have been incredibly frustrating but, at long last, I've been able to think about exploring new places and experiencing new cultures.
When thinking about the possibility of new travel adventures it seemed still too uncertain, complicated or risky to consider flying abroad or visiting anywhere outside the UK. Like many other people I've decided, therefore, to explore parts of the UK this year and take an extended road trip - but avoid the crowded tourist hotspots (like Cornwall, Devon or the Lake District - even though they are very beautiful places) and go to parts of the country that will be new to us and follow the path(s) less travelled.
Taking the quote from the Dalai Lama as the inspiration I looked at a map of the British Isles earlier this year and after some route planning and research I settled on a trip to the Scottish Borders - and then a ferry across the Irish Sea to Northern Island.
When I mentioned Northern Ireland to Mrs B. she thought I'd gone slightly mad. Its probably not the most obvious destination to head for - and for people of a certain age and generation conjures up memories of conflict and violence. Growing up in the 1970's meant that 'The Troubles' were an ever present part of the news cycle. Sectarian violence rooted in centuries old division led to frequent terrorist incidents - and appalling loss of life. Thankfully since the late 1990's the divisions have healed somewhat and the different cultures in Northern Ireland have found ways to work together and live in peace, even though below the surface there are still fundamental contrasts of mindset and strong cultural and religious differences. The current impact of Brexit risks reigniting tensions - one of the many reasons why I remain of the view Brexit was and is a fundamentally bad choice for the UK.
So, to an overview of our trip: After an overnight stay on the edge of the Lake District, and a long awaited family reunion, we will continue on to Dumfries and Galloway for a few days. We've booked an upmarket shepherds hut in a garden and arboretum overlooking some lochans for a couple of nights - and will use this time to explore part of Scotland that we've never visited before. Then we catch the ferry to Belfast and head off south to settle into a cottage in the Mourne Mountains. We will be joined there for a few days by our youngest daughter and son in law and explore the nearby places. As there are hills to climb there are a good few summits to potentially visit - weather permitting so I hope to get in a little bit of hill walking. Then we travel on to another cottage on the Causeway Coast - where we will get to visit the Giants Causeway and, hopefully, walk some of the coast. During our time in Northern Ireland I hope to visit Belfast and Derry to get a flavour of the legacy of the Troubles and see some of the Game of Thrones film locations. Our National Trust membership should also give us access to quite a few interesting places.
With the exception of New Lanark everywhere will be new territory for us and if the weather is kind (and the midges stay away) we hope to spend a good bit of time outdoors. This said I know that weather in Northern Ireland can be unpredictable - so the car will be loaded with enough clothing and supplies to keep us warm, dry and well fed. I don't anticipate having to smuggle sausages from Scotland to Northern Ireland but who knows with the way Brexit is working out!
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| Not our travel luggage - but we will go prepared to all weathers! |
It promises to be an interesting and varied trip - stimulating and thought provoking. After what will have been a gap of over 700 days between travel adventures it will be great to be 'on the road again'.
