Final stretch, Lund to Åkersberga (north of Stockholm). The weather forecast indicated rain. So, we opted for highway driving to get home. 630 km among caravans, mobile homes, and the usual trucks on the highway. Not our definition of fun driving, But an effective way to get home. We did take a look at the Calimoto app though. Then it would have taken us 12 hours instead of 6 hours. Maybe another time.
We stopped for lunch in Jönköping, at the A6 golf course. There used to be an artillery regement there, thus the name.
Always lot’s of parking spaces On the grounds of a former artillery regiment, A6A decent lunchE4 along lake Vättern
Once we got home, we didn’t do much. But in the morning after, the luggage rack was removed, the BBS wheels fitted and the car got a much needed wash.
Hoek van Holland to Lund, 912 km through the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Based on our experience from day 2, we were a bit sceptic. We’ve driven this route many times before, so we know that anything can happen. The good thing was that we didn’t have a specific ferry to get to in time.
Early morning outside Hoek van Holland Rotterdam harbourPacking the cars
It was warm when we arrived in the harbour. For once, getting off the ferry and through the border controll went smoothly. Last year it to more than an hour. We bravely set off with the softtop folded. Despite some very dark clouds above is. We quickly had to reconsider a couple of kilometers later. The dutch weather gods gave us a wet welcome back.
Waiting at the boarder controlWet, wet, wet
Raindrops keep falling…
We had breakfast at a service station once more (better than the ferry though). There were more intense showers along the way towards Germany. The weather then shifted to blue skies and 34 degrees!
Shell breakfast StauThe car needed something to drink as well
Two road works and one accident caused some stau. But all in all, the drive went well. We even managed to catch an earlier ferry from Puttgarden than the one we had booked.
Puttgarden
There was very little traffic on the roads in Denmark and we arrived at the motel in Lund just after 20:00. A cold beer at the terrace was very welcome.
Farø bridgeBack in Sweden againMotel corridor, nothing fancyA cold beer after a long days drive
Tomorrow we’ll drive the last part back to Åkersberga, just north of Stockholm.
We left Douglas and Isle of Man in the early morning. The roads were almost empty. Quite a difference from the chaos when we arrived.
Douglas in the morning Waiting to get onboard
We had to skip the breakfast at the hotel in order to catch the ferry. So, we had a light breakfast on the ferry. We had booked seats in front of the boat. The views were great snd the sea calm. There were a few fishing boats, many wind turbines, and some gas/oil riggs.
Breakfast Wind turbinesOil or gas platform?Heyesham harbour
Once we got off the ferry in Heyesham, we set off towards Harwich. Some 515 km across England. We only had one roadwork with some queues. A quick lunch at a service station and finally an excellent cod & chips at the Pier in Harwich. It’s our goto place for dinner where we’ve been several times.
Mostly highway driving todayRoadworkFunny looking building alpng the highwayGloves, of course!Cargo ships in HarwichCod & chips at the Pier
We are now waiting to board the ferry to Hoek van Holland. Tomorrow will be a long drive, the plan is to get all the way to Lund in Sweden.
Waiting with the campers in order to skip the rampsToday’s driving
Misty mountains, that summarice today’s activities. Based on the earlier weather forecast, the weather today should be better than yesterday. However, the weather gods decided differently. It was cloudy and windy in Douglas. As we embarked on the train from Laxey up to Mount Snefell the weather detoriated. There was a dense fog/low cloud over the mountain. The prerecorded guide told us about various views. Which got the whole train laughing. We could hardly see the ground next to the train!
Tram to Laxey Laxey stationNot much of a viewSnefell stationPlattform
After a light lunch at the top station, the weather got worse and the rain poured down. Even the train cars were leaking.
A pie and an IPA since we weren’t driving today
Rain and wind at the top of Mount SnefellFog and rainThe views on the way down the mountain
Once we got down to Laxey, the rain stopped. We decided to walk to the waterwheel while we were there.
Laxey stationThe waterwheel in Laxey
We took the tram back to Douglas and did some shopping. A cap, a t-shirt and some stickers as memories of being at Isle of Man.
We opted for an indoor seat back to DouglasMeeting another tramDouglasWe stopped for an Aperol Spritz while shopping
We had dinner at the Terminus tavern, which was good. Now we need to go and pack our stuff and get ready for an early ferry to England tomorrow morning.
Cloudy, windy and rainy day today. So, we decided to explore various museums. We had noted down a few already during the planning of this Grand tour. Which happened already late last year. There was a thick fog up in the mountains which made for some slightly scary driving.
Foggy morning across the mountains
First stop was Peel on the other side of the island. We had noted down three things to do there. First out was the Peel castle. This was outdoor, but the rain had stopped briefly. Despite the state of the castle now. It’s easy to get an idea of how impressive it must have been back in it’s golden days. The second quest was to visit the location of the Peel factory. We found the road but no indication as of where the factory had been located. We’d read about a plaque that eventually should be there. The third quest was to visit the Manx Transport Heritage museum. Which turned out to be open on Saturdays and Sundays only.
Gate in PeelPeel castleBoat leaving the harbourRabbits at work Mill Road, where the Peel microcars were builtThe transport museum was closed
Next stop was Port Erin and the railway museum. Once we managed to find a parking space, we walked to the museum in the rain. This was a small but very well maintained museum.
All the train lines that once were in operation
Next stop was Manx Aviation and Military museum in Castletown. It’s located next to the airport. On the outside it doesn’t look like much. But inside it tells an extensive story of Isle of Man during WW1 and WW2.
Various finds from the oceanThe weather has taken it’s toll
Time to get some lunch. We saw a small sign along the road that pointed towards a café on the other side of the airport. It turned out to be very good!
Café TWO-SIXSoup of the dayMGB GT
We then drove to the northern part of the island. That’s only 50 minutes drive. There we visited the Isle of Man Motor Museum. It contains a rather impressive collection of motorbikes and cars. There are quite a few microcars including several Peel models. More surprisingly is a rather large collection of american cars. It’s unclear to us why they have ended up on Isle of Man.
We found a dutch Miata on the car park!Peel microcarsMore microcarsA greyhound busBarn findCitroën transporterAlfa Romeo RZ
In the evening, we drove up the mountain again to Creg-ny-baa. This restaurant sits next to the TT course.
Out of orderAle pie
Tomorrow we plan to catch the train to mount Snefell.
Today we left Ireland behind us and took the ferry to Isle of Man. We’ll have two full days to explore the island. If the weather gods are with us, we plan to take the train up on Snefell. We’ve booked one of the sea front hotels in Douglas for the stay. Apart from driving the TT course and going up Snefell. We have planned a few other activities as well.
We had a 30 minute drive from the previous hotel to the ferry. It turned out that the traffic in Belfast was a lot easier to deal with compared to Dublin. So we had a lot of time in the harbour waiting to embark on the ferry.
Waiting to embark the ferryA fancy looking building in Belfast harbourBelfast harbourSecond breakfastLeaving Belfast behind usA first glimpse of Isle of ManA supporting lighthouseDouglas
We arrived in Douglas at Isle of Man around 13:30. After checking in at the hotel, we went out looking to get some lunch. It turned out that many of the restaurants and cafés were closed. Either permanently or just because the tourist season hadn’t started yet. But we got the impression that Douglas is struggling a bit. We saw several cancelled building projects as well as empty houses and stores. Even the railing along the promenade was in a state of disrepair, despite being just over 20 years old.
In need of some tender, love and care Plenty of bikes A classic in need of some paintLow tideIn need of repairsPlenty of MG cars including this rarity Electric railway Hotel SeftonOur hotel roomLate lunch
After a late lunch, we decided to have a go at the famous TT course. Too bad that the road wasn’t closed for us to use. We had to stay behind busses, a tractor and general afternoon rush. Nevertheless, weather an incredible drive. All respect for the motorcycle drivers who compete here. It took us 1:08 to drive the full course. They do it in less than 20 minutes! The current record, according to Wikipedia, is 16:36.114.
We use Calimoto app, this was someone elses lapSigns telling where you are on the trackWe caught up with another MiataUp on the mountain course
Once back at the hotel, we went to a fish restaurant and ate a delicious curry.
Lots of bikes in the parking garageCyberpunk fish at the restaurantA nice Scottish lager
Today we left Ireland and drove into Northern Ireland. But before that, we had a wonderful breakfast at Harvey’s Point. Including locally baked bread, a chef that prepared omelett on order, fresh orange juice etc. Something you would expect from a much more expensive accomodation. Check them out at https://www.harveyspoint.com (no, we don’t get any kick-back from this link!).
The first stop was still in Ireland, Malin Head. This is the most northern point on the island. Apart from a chaotic parking situation, it was s nice place to explore. We walked around the area for a while before we continued out journey.
Driving up to Malins HeadChaotic parking with cars everywhereWe found a spot for our car
We took the ferry from Greencastle to Magilligan Point. Once we entered Northern Ireland, we started to look for somewhere to eat lunch. The restaurant in Magilligan was closed. So was also several other restaurants that we passed. In the end, we ended up at a camping site where we found some Ceasar sallad which was ok.
Seems to be an operational fishing fleet
After the lunch, we set off towards the Gigants causeway. As expected, the parking was fully occupied. So, we drove on to the dark hedges. Although they didn’t looked as impressive as they might to on film. It’s still worth a visit. Beware that the parking fee is 6 GBP at the moment which micht be a bit to much.
This nights hotel is Ballygally Castle Hotel. The room is great and so is the location and service. The restaurant isn’t so impressive though. We wanted to order some monk fish, but that was no longer available. So, we ended up with a dry hamburger instead.
We continued our journey north along the Atlantic coast. Through the counties of Mayo and Sligo. The first stop along the way was Downpatrick Head. Yet another impressive cliff that drops off into the Atlantic ocean.
Not kidding!Lot’s of sea birds on the cliffs
The second stop was the Devil’s chimney in Sligo. But this was clearly the wrong season since there was no water in the waterfall. Looks cool on the internet though. Beware that there are very limited parking spaces along the road.
OrchidThe Devil’s Chimney, sans eauDripping water, not so impressive
The next step was another waterfall that we got as a suggestion from one follower of the blog to visit. There wasn’t a lot of water, but sufficient to get an idea at least. We also had lunch at the tea house there as well.
View from the car park at Glencar Waterfall LunchGlencar Waterfall Waterfall with a bit of filter appliedLamp post
After refueling we drove to the hotel. We’ve opted for the cheaper The Lodge @ Harvey’s Point. In the main building there are proper hotel rooms whereas the Lodge has smaller rooms and is situated a bit further away. But the whole facility is very nice, super friendly staff, clean rooms and amazing food. We had dinner in the bar, there are also fine dining in the restaurant for those that want that.
The LodgeHarvey’s PointWe drove approx 250 km today
Today we continued our journey along the Atlantic coast. Primarily on the Connemara peninsula. Again, the roads and scenery where stunningly beatuliful.
We started the day with an excellent breakfast at the Water Country House. This had been the best ackommodation so far on this trip. Check out https://www.thewaterscountryhouse.com if you are in this area.
The first stop of the day was the Connemara National Park. The parking was a bit chaotic. But the lunch was really good. We went for a walk up the mountain, approx 3 km along the blue track. It still offered some great scenery. The rain started to come down when we were heading back to the cars.
The next stop was a waterfall the popped up in the list of places supposedly worth a visit. It turned out not to be… Maybe it is more impressing after some heavy rainfall. But now it was rather disapointing.
Aasleagh Falls
The hotel for the night is located in Westport. When we arrived, our room was not ready (despite arriving an hour later than the stipulated check-in time). After a while we got another room. We asked about the menu for the restaurant, but it was not available. So, we went for a walk to the harbour. It was a rather depressing sight with rusty fishing vessels and an abandoned factory. We looked at a couple of restaurants but decided, foolishly, to go back to the hotel.
Westport Woods Hotel & Spa
The hotel bar offered ”fish of the day” which sounded promising. It turned out to be the ”fridge of the day”! By far the worst dinner so far. So, avoid eating at Westport Woods Hotel & Spa!
Fish of the ”day”…
Tomorrow we’ll continue north along the Atlantic coast.
We had breakfast at the same little french café this morning as we had the day before. The city was very calm this morning, compared to the buzz yesterday evening.
An empty High Street in Killarney Breakfast at Petit DeliceLookout post for the priest, to keep an eye on the parish?
After breakfast, check-out and a visit to the petrol station. We set off towards Kilkee Cliffs. This involved a short (and rather expensive) boat trip from Hobart. But credit to the staff for ensuring that we got safely onboard and disembarked by directing us at the ramp.
Ferry from Hobart
Kilkee Cliffs are well worth a visit. Not to much people and stunning views. Keep an eye to where you put your feets. Especially if it’s wet and windy. There are no fences or such to stop you from falling into the ocean below.
Next stop was the Cliffs of Moher. As we suspected it was a tourist trap in capital letters. Chaos at the car park as a start (no control on how many cars are let in or how they park). We managed to find a free spot after a while. Then there was a myriad of people around the visitor center and on the viewing points. We went up to a couple of the spots to get some photos. But we quickly decided to go elsewhere for lunch.
On the road to the Cliffs of Moher Chaos at the car park with cars searching for free spotsCliffs of Moher Crowded to say the leastView to the North
We recalled that we passed a place on the way up to the Cliffs of Moher. Said and done, we drove back a couple of kilometers to The Rockshop.
After lunch we decided to take a slight de-tour to the hotel. So we drove another backroad to avoid Cliffs of Mohar and ended up at R477. This road follows the coast all the way to Ballyvaughan where we stay for the night.
The Water Country House is a charming B&B just outside Ballyvaughan. They do not offer any dinner, so we went into the village. The seafood restaurant that was recommended turned out to be fully booked. After all it’s Saturday. So we went to the local pub instead. Too bad that there was some sort of football game going on at the TV with some enthusiastic followers. But the food was ok.
BarLibraryDinner at the Fountain barGuiness 0.0 was surprisingly goodLocal wildlife
Tomorrow we’ll continue north along the coast.
Approx 197 km today, although we changed the last part. Make a note of R477!
Europe by car 