Tired and exhausted we climb the stairs to the upper Lounge area of the P&O Ferry and like the few other people find a long lounge to curl up on and get some sleep on the two hour crossing to Larne.

Between the noise of the employees stocking the bar, moving trolleys, bright lights, no pillow or blanket to keep you warm (our legs were freezing) we managed to get some sleep before being rudely woken once the ferry arrived in Larne. Not many vehicles on the upper deck, I paid priority to be one of the first to drive off the ferry, which was great. Being two in the morning in a strange country (can’t see through the fog) lots of semi’s parked on the dock with no place to go to, we took the advice from the staff at Cairnryan and wild camp at the Shopping Centre in the ASDA carpark just down the road from the Larne Port.

Waking at 8am feeling a little more human and less tired after a pot of coffee and breakfast we wondered into ASDA to use their Restrooms plus get a few extras. A quick call to Graham to sort out our problem with the fridge can’t get the gas started forgot we had to hold the gas knob on light for 10 seconds and the orange light doesn’t come on like when we hook-up to power or battery when we drive.

Lovely people in Ireland met a chap in the carpark who was helpful with directions for sorting our other problems wanted us to call in to his home in Ballygallery up the coast on our way to the Giants Causeway, but we are a bit wary of people being too friendly could be Gypsies.

Great roads in Ireland a hell of a lot better than the UK much easier to follow and you can see the road signs on top of the poles. Took the A8 motorway to Newtownabbey topped up with diesel £1.159 while we waited for the police escorting two semi’s transporting wind turbine blades. Still heavy dew or fog from the rain last night the countryside is very similar to the UK as we drive to Newtownabbey with the rolling hills, small towns, and fields of sheep, cattle, agricultural farms and the terrible high voltage powerline towers.

Newtownabbey doesn’t look a very clean town drove through the outer suburbs lots of semi-detached homes to the big shopping complex of Abbey Centre. Sorted out our worries with Vodafone and the EE WIFI we weren’t sure if we were covered in the Republic of Ireland had poor Margaret running around yesterday as the EE WIFI is in her name. Bought a roadmap book of Ireland as I don’t trust the Satnav, but the streets of Northern Ireland are easy to follow no stress like in the UK nice wide roads no lanes.

With all problems solved and site booked for the next few days we head off on the M2 motorway to Armoy bypassing the large town of Ballymena. The views are once again similar to this morning as we travel along the two lane A26 then smaller A44 diary and cattle country. Even the small road of B417 through the farms to Charlies Camping and Caravanning Farm site is not a narrow lane like in the UK.

Lucky us are the only motorhome and we have the small five pitch site to ourselves and for £17.50 a night we have FREE WIFI and laundry. Wish the showers of rain would stop.