TeamChallis: Ireland Holiday!!! Days 1-3 in the Burren

Saturday 30th July

We were up pretty early this morning (even by TeamChallis standards), M and I were up at 4.45am, getting dressed and busying around before prizing the kids out of bed, feeding them some cereal, getting them dressed and into the car.

M had been out on the Thursday night previous on a bit of a mission to buy DVD player and screens for the car after we had thought through the implications of our journey. We had chosen a unit with a player and a slave monitor and all had been tested and working fine. So this morning – kids in the car…

“isn’t this exciting children you will be able to watch Mary Poppins and this will make up for getting up at stupid-o-clock”…

“mmm – one screen seems to be working, but not the other – mmmm” …

“oh dear, given that we have to drive a rather long way we are going to have to get going and leave it as it is”….

child with non-functioning screen: “arrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhh – I want my computeerrrrr to worrrrrrrrk!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH”

“well – isn’t this jolly”

(continuing howls and screams from one side of the car and wrapt attention and smiles for Mary Poppins from the other)

We had to set off but soon figured that it was because our cigarette lighter power point didn’t work (since Squidge had jammed a penny down there – which M had removed, but I guess it just wasn’t the same). So the DVD unit was running on it’s batteries but the slave unit had no batteries and couldn’t run. Squidge (of the jammed penny crime) happened to be the one set up with the master DVD unit, so got to enjoy M.P, while Fidget calmed down and craned her head over – fortunately it is a story she knows well.

The drive to Holyhead was long but uneventful, we arrived at about 10:30 and didn’t have long to wait before being let onto the ferry. We had gone for the lunchtime (12 noon) fast ferry crossing, which worked out really well, as it was a good time for a break and to have lunch on the boat. We had some sandwiches and the girls had a gingerbread man.

Then we tidied that away and Fidget had a go at her travel journal – we collected up some leaflets and magazines and Fidget cut out some pictures of boats and cars to make a collage showing our modes of travel.

I had got Squidge a travel sticker book, which included a page where she could add cars to a ferry (in slightly less orderly fashion than we had experienced ourselves), she also did a page where she was able to create a traffic jam, (which fortunately we did not experience).

We had a couple of jaunts out onto the deck, the fast ferry was definitely fast and so very windy, but fortunately the crossing was really smooth.

After only 2 hours, it was time to get back in the car and head on. I had promised Fidget that we would set up the DVD master unit on her headrest for the next leg of the journey and she could watch happy feet while Squidge had a nap. However Fidget fell asleep so I didn’t set it going, and when she woke up we were on the move – the first screen it came to was to set the languages. I was trying to work out which language while sitting facing backwards in my seat, looking at the screen reflected in the convex mirror of the kiddy-watch mirror – impossible. So instead they watched Father Christmas which was very well received.

Finally arrived at Craggy Cottage at 5:30 and found it just as we had left it 3 years ago. We stayed here on our Ireland holiday just before Fidget turned 1. Fidget took some of her first proper steps in the sitting room here and said her first word (apple). By the time our week here had ended she was running up and down the beach!
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Got sorted out and gave the girls some food, struggled to get them to bed (they are still monkeying about at 8pm as I write these notes), then M and I sat down to enjoy a bit of food, a very fine red wine and a spectacular view.

Sunday 31st July

The mission for today was to get to the shops to buy provisions for the week. We decided to go to Ennis as the nearest big-ish place. It was quite a drive, Squidge was none too happy about it but finally fell asleep.

We arrived about 10:30 and parked up, we had a wander to the tourist information where I picked up a huge amount of leaflets, also thinking about giving Fidget material to cut out and collage for her travel diary.

It being a Sunday the town was only just opening up, it was a character-ful place but perhaps a bit too aware of it’s character. Feeling that we were unlikely to find the authentic Ireland, for lunch we plumped for the authentic Irish version of Pizza Express. We were rather stuck in a corner (considering the place was empty when we arrived I did wonder at this), but the girls were delighted to have the under-stairs alcove to play in – perhaps this is why it was the best table in the house.

We had a very nice lunch. Squidge went to visit the chef and helped out. She was given a chef’s hat as thanks.

We then went on to the supermarket and got the shopping.
We drove home, enjoying the scenery along the way. Back at the cottage it was time for tea.
After tea we walked down the beach, it had been a pretty damp and drizzly day and it still was, but we got our raincoats on and walked down. It was great fun the girls loved digging around in the sand and exploring the pools in the rocks.

Then it was back to the cottage for a bath and bed for the girls.

Monday 1st August

Today was a bank holiday in Ireland and the sun did it’s best to come out so the beach was pretty busy. We walked down to the beach.
The walk to the beach is a bit of a zig-zag. As the crow flies the cottage is really close to the beach, but you have to go along the road about 20m, then back along the beach path. The road is quite busy and narrow, yesterday I had carried Squidge on my shoulders and Fidget went on M’s, but today we loaded up the carrier for me to carry Squidge in which was easier.

We pitched our camp on the beach, it was a great day, the girls really enjoyed making sandcastles and exploring up and down the beach.