Saint Patrick's Trail to Dublin, Ireland

The last day of our journey around Ireland and Northern Ireland we travelled from Belfast along Saint Patrick's Trail. Driving through Newtownards, that sits on the Strangford Lough, we travelled along the shoreline of the Lough ending in Portaferry where we caught a ferry across to Strangford. We travelled to the East of the Mourne Mountains to Newry and finally onto Dublin.

Over the 14 days we have travelled 2,385 kilometres, we've seen beautiful rolling hills of emerald, gold and pink made into a patchwork of colours by the stone and shrub hedges. Viewed a rugged coastline greeting a clear blue green sea. We have had wonderful weather with crisp, fresh days of blue sky and only a few grey or wet days. I've loved the wild flowers that are sprinkled over the roadside and the pink and mauve heather that coats the bogs and hilltops; the black legs and black faces of the sheep that dot the countryside wherever you look. The quaint smaller towns, steeped in a history of churches, castles, ruins and pubs and the large cities that have come a long way towards peace and can optimistically see a brighter future. I love the brogue of the Irish, their humour and love of life, they are such a grand lot and know how to craic. We have only touched the surface of a beautiful country and hope to return to explore her some more.Read more