Woke to what looks like a lovely day sun trying to shine through the grey clouds a slight touch of pink on the ocean horizon a beautiful backdrop with the small islands off the shore. Walked along the seafront the air is crisp and fresh, tide looks like it is out the seagulls are roosting on the sandy beach, as a flock of smaller birds fly by so lovely and peaceful.

Time to say goodbye to the Republic of Ireland we have had enough of the rain, mist and fog, took a drive round to Red Island Scenic Park to see the Martello Tower, which we could see from the beach front yesterday. These towers were built by the English in the Napoleonic period when the English though Napoleon was going to invade England saw a lot of these on the English coastline.

Skerries is another beautiful seaside town with a prosperous fishing harbour that we drove by to reach Red Island only to find the height restriction barriers, which are so annoying when you want to look at any beautiful scenery. The Martello Tower had no access which was a pity so it was a quick look from the pathway and a view across the water to the islands to the other tower and back to the town along the long sandy foreshore in the distance you can see a windmill. Richard wasn’t too interested in seeing the windmills as there is a watermill, a 5-sail windmill and a 4-sail windmill with associated mill races, mill pond and wetlands. The history of the mills can be traced to the early 16th century and a bakery was established on the site by 1840. While stone-ground milling declined in the 1930's, the bakery continued to flourish for a further fifty years.

The sun is trying to shine through the clouds as we drive round the coastline of Skerries by the railway line through farmland, woods on R127 to Balbriggan and the roadworks on R132 and it is taking a long time to reach the M1. Richard should have cleaned his ears this morning he is in dreamland and has missed every turn to the M1 where we had to pay a toll €1.90 to cross the bridge that bypasses Drogheda (what a rip-off).

Cheats way of leaving South Ireland is on the M1 not the scenic route round the coast had enough of that and the potholes. Now we are cruising on a dual motorway not much scenery as the road is lined with thick trees and bushes to buffer the noise. Just get the usual glimpses of farmland, houses, crops of grain and vegies, views of Dundalk Bay in the distance, small villages as we bypass the larger towns of Dundalk and Newry. Passed through a few different counties now with the constant views of mountain ranges in the distance as we get closer to Northern Ireland travelling through the Ring of Gullion.

At some stages all you can see passing towns is a mass of roofs of homes, still on the dual motorway but now the A1 with views of farmland, animals grazing and there are homes right on the dual motorway wouldn’t want to come out of their driveway with traffic whizzing by at high speeds. Seeing lots of motorhomes, caravans and tour coaches coming the other direction from Northern Ireland.

Coming into built-up areas of Banbridge, Dromore, now in the County of Lisburn and Castlereach passing Hillsborough where we change direction at large shopping centres on the out area of Lisburn. We are staying the night at Six Mile Water Caravan Park on the tranquil scenic shores of Lough Neagh way past the International Airport.

Rest stop at Texaco to top up the tank €1.159lt and have lunch. The satnav seems to be taking us in a roundabout way to the caravan site passing through farmland, marshes seems like eternity getting there and finding the site no real signs on the road. At the end of the road is the Antrim Lough Shore Park on one of the six rivers that flows into the Lough Neagh. It is Saturday and very busy with families enjoying a day out in the beautiful sunshine and what a glorious day it has turned out to be a lovely welcome to Northern Ireland.

Of all things the entrance to the Six Mile Water Caravan Park is off the carpark and thankful a security entrance. So lovely to sit back in the sunshine enjoying a cuppa, beautiful scenery and a river behind to explore with a path leading to the town centre of Antrim.