Scotland and Ireland Day 9

Day 26 - Scotland - Day 9 Morning (September 24)

Up at 5:45 AM, I took my shower and relinquished the bathroom to Tina. It was overcast and chilly. With bags packed and ready to go we got the car loaded and went back inside for breakfast. Our hostess had prepared fruit, coffee and cereal per our request and by 7:30 AM we were in the car headed for Glasgow.

I had prepared fairly detailed driving directions last night but on one of the first roundabouts we missed a turn and headed out into the country. We passed through several small towns until Tina saw a sign for Glasgow. More small villages, small roads and morning traffic but eventually we managed to get back on course and onto the A9 heading south.

Since we had to go to the airport to return the car, we connected with the M8 to bypass the center of Glasgow. Looking at the airport map provided by the car rental company, we determined that we needed to get off at the second exit to the airport. Only there was no second exit, so off we went to the town of Paisley, SW of the airport, made a circle on the next big roundabout to get back to the M8 and finally off at the airport exit. Luckily, Tina was able to properly interpret the signs and we were only 50 yards fro where we were supposed to turn in the car - and we made the trip by 9:00 AM, per plan - heheheh!

Once we squared away our rental, we got a cab to Glasgow Central to connect with our train which was scheduled to leave at 11:42 AM for the trip to Stranraer and our connection with the Stena Line ferry to Belfast. Since we were early we spent the next two hours watching trains leave and the big schedule boards for departures. Our train came in on time and we wheeled our luggage to platform 11 and boarded a day car. After stowing our luggage and getting seated it was a quiet twohour ride to the coast.

Arriving in Stranraer the train terminal was right next to the ferry terminal so it was a short walk to the next leg of our journey. After giving over our baggage for loading we spent fifteen minutes in the waiting room before boarding an absolutely huge ship with three car decks, eight or nine food service stations, several bars, a gaming area, teen area and a quiet lounge at the front of the ship which is where we went to watch the sun play on the waves and review our travel plans.

Day 26 - Ireland - Day 9 Afternoon (September 24)

The ship docked in Belfast harbor around 5:10 PM. Leaving the ship we picked up our luggage and got a taxi to the car rental agency. Well, we got a ride to the Belfast Harbor Airport terminal where we could go in and get our car. Once the paperwork was done and with keys in hand we wheeled our luggage out to the lot where the car was parked. At 6:00 PM, after loading the car and checking the map we headed for the M1 south to Dublin and the Fitzpatrick Castle our lodging for the night. If you look at a map it‘s only about a 120 mile drive.

About thirty miles from Belfast we pulled into a McDonalds for dinner. With the sun fading in the West we drove on down the M1, onto the A1, through construction sites, back to the M1, through a massive roundabout onto the M50 to go around Dublin, finally exiting south of Dublin onto a small residential road where we promptly made a wrong turn.

After several phone calls for more instructions, we eventually arrived at the Fitzpatrick Castle. At the registration desk, the manager was very nice and gave us an upgrade to the “Bridal Suite” with a sitting room, separate bedroom, two bathrooms and a balcony overlooking the gardens. By this time it’s just after 9:30 PM and we’re bushed. Tomorrow we plan on going across to Galway with several stops for sight-seeing. We’ll add our photos tomorrow evening. We’re going to bed now.

Nighty, night!