The Return to Innisfree - Day 1
 |
| Me at Cairn Ryan |
Cong Ireland
Friday 6th
June 2014
After months of
waiting it was finally time to take on my Irish journey to a place known as
Cong. However, the lone traveller would be taking this trip with his parents.
This place was a special place to us as this would have been the 7th
or 8th time we had been there. This was my mothers favourite place
and for good reason. In 1952 a film was created in this place casting a very
well known duo called John Wayne and Maureen O Hara. The film is called ‘The
Quiet Man’ which became a huge hit and still loved today. It had been a long
while ago since we were last there so we were eager to get going. A very early
rise for a very long day of driving lay ahead of us to a place called Cairn
Ryan. All morning was spent making sure that everything was packed and ready to
set off in the car. Once everything was present and accounted for including the
dog, we wasted no time setting off at 10:30am but only to go to the hospital to
pick up my father from his dialysis session. It got that bit more exciting though
when everyone was in the car and ready to go. We set off for the 176 mile
journey to Cairn Ryan near Stranraer,
Scotland. It
was a great feeling to be driving there myself as it had always been my father
driving with me sitting in the back. We drove along the quiet Cumbrian
countryside looking upon the beautiful green valleys as far as the eye could
see for a long time until we came to our first stop in Scotland, Gretna Green.
It was a while since I was at this marvelous place and it was a beautiful sight
to see. It was a beautiful Scottish village with a romantic history to it as
this was the place for the so called ‘runaway marriage’. This was where a few
century’s ago it was a place for young couples to get married without their
parents consent. It was great to know the story behind this pretty place and at
the time we were there; there were a middle aged couple getting married and
having their wedding pictures taken. After sitting down for a moment enjoying
the beautiful Scottish valleys and beyond, we set off for the second leg of the
journey and from here on, the Scottish scenery and landscape were spectacular
with its rolling hills, beautiful forests and quiet roads. Hours of driving
went by and finally familiar landmarks led us to our destination at Stranraer
with great and fond memories of this place. It was a relief to finally turn the
engine off at Morrison’s car park with my parents and dog praising me. We all
got out the car heading straight for the café in Morrison’s with my parents speaking
to my sister on the phone. Afterwards we had a quick look around the area as it
was getting late and it was great to know that nothing much had changed except
the location of Stena line ferries terminal. We headed into the car setting off
for a very short 2 mile drive to Cairn Ryan where we would be stopping at a Bed
and breakfast not far from the ferry terminal. This place seemed like a passing
through place as it only had a dozen houses set near the waters edge. ‘The Auld
Cairn’ was the name of the bed and breakfast and the room had an amazing view
of Lough Ryan where we would see the ferries going in and out. After getting
comfortable in our overnight stop, my mother and I ended the evening by going
next door to the smallest pub I had ever seen for a pint of Stella. The beer
was nice to have after a long drive to get to this place. We then had a long
walk along the long stretch of pebble beach with the dog and we came across the
Stena line ferry terminal. It was reassuring to know the exact location of the
place so I wouldn’t panic about it in the morning. As we sat down on a picnic
bench, a P&O ferry was leaving its terminal and we had an
amazing view of it with the sun setting behind the hills. We walked back along
the pebble beach and I was freaked out when I came across an army of jellyfish
scattered all the way along the beach which was very peculiar to see. We
arrived back at ‘The Auld Cairn’ where we would all settle down for the night.
Well, when I say settle down I meant trying our hardest to settle down with the
constant creaking above us, laughing and growling from my dog. What a long
night this was going to be. Despite this, the thought of being back in Ireland
tomorrow was the only light at the end of the tunnel which made me happier
though.
 |
| Gretna Green |
 |
| Scottish Quiet Roads |
 |
| Cairn Ryan |
 |
| Lough Ryan |
No comments:
Post a Comment