Northern Ireland. October 17

This morning we left our B & B and noticed this poor pet.  She made my bad hair look kind of ok

We travelled through some very rocky and desolate country with actually almost real mountains

The Opal Corsa Airbag (OCA) needed fuel

That's 1.34 Euros per litre ...the OCA is not a class act but she does get 50mpg.  One contributing factor is the limited speed I'm guessing

More country side.

We stop for lunch at Walsh's pub in Charlestown.  Mr Walsh Jr bends our ear on the state of affairs in his life.  He took the pub over from his father in 1983. He and his wife raised 3 children- they are open 363 days a year (closed for Christmas and Good Friday).  He is tired with no succession plan.  It wasn't a happy story.

Today we notice the harvest of bog.  Bog is dried, mixed with coal and burned for heat - one wouldn't want to ask the wrong person about the sustainability of that practise....

We get to Belcoo and find this lovely B & B

The homes we have seen seem quite austere in architecture - made of sandstone - very little new construction in our travels so far.

Sid and I went for a long walk and ended up at the Blacklion Golf Club

So nice and green.  We stop for a pint there and talk to some of the local golfers.  After September they are open 3 days a week until spring.  They have 75 members that golf all winter - this is a small remote area.

So- we are in Northren Ireland....about  500 meters into Northren Ireland.  Northren Ireland is part of Great Britan which means their currency is Pound Sterling....which means our dollar is now worth 50 cents.  1 Pound Sterling = 2 CAD.  Our stay in North Ireland will be brief!

Also our Wild Atlantic Way Project is being compromised.  Even though the island is small it takes at least twice as long as one would expect to traverse.  We are now calling it the Wild Atlantic Way and Short Cut Project