Our Last Summer Picnic

We had our last picnic of the summer just ten minutes drive from home at the beautiful Gortletteragh Waterfall. 

I have really loved being at home during the summer holidays with the children and having our little days out. 

After the older two had a lie in we packed our picnic of sandwiches and juice before we set off. On the way there we decided to stop off at the village cafe for some homemade chips to have with the rest of our food - not very healthy I know but totally delicious and well worth the stop.

After eating we did some exploring. 

Our Little Fella loves being outdoors and being pushed about in his buggy. When we were climbing up to the viewing point though I must confess I put him in the sling because I wasn't feeling fit enough to push him up the steep hill.

There is lots to see here, we couldn't resist throwing in a few pennies to make a wish in the Wishing Well and our Teen and Inbetweener took a great interest in the Murder Hole and Priest's Rock which date back to medieval times.

We had a great time just chatting, eating and laughing. The best things in life really are for free.

 It is such a lovely quite place to spend an afternoon and it's days like these that you just don't want to end.

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Our Day Trip to Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge

On Saturday we headed off on our monthly day trip to the Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim to walk in the footsteps of giant's.

It's been a few years since we've been here and it was great to go back again with our Little Fella in tow. The drive along the famous Coastal Route is simply stunning and luckily enough the sun was shining for us yesterday.

When your driving along taking in your surroundings there's something calming about the landscape around you and it really is a great day out.

The first stop of the day was Dunluce Castle. This medieval castle was the headquarters of the MacDonnell Clan and dates back to the 13th Century. The views here are stunning and we all enjoyed taking in the scenery and having the wind blow through our hair.

The Giant's Causeway is truly beautiful and even though it was packed with visitors you still get a sense of peace and calm here and you would be surprised to find that a few hours go by in a flash.

It is great to see so many tourists from all over the world flocking here in vast numbers to appreciate the natural beauty of the area. 

As most of us know the Causeway was formed by an ancient volcanic eruption however it's much more fun to follow the legend of the great giant Fionn MacCumhaill. You can read the legend here.

The audio guide that was provided at the entrance was really well put together and our Inbetweener had great fun spotting all the features on the walk down and enjoying the story. On the other hand I'm really a child at heart and never grow tired of hearing this story myself and who's to say it's not real?

After we had some light refreshments in the visitors centre we drove towards the famous Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.

Now this is not for the faint hearted. Here is the link to some more information about this fantastic place.

The bridge which is about 20 metres across and 30 metres above the sea links the mainland to the island of Carrickarede. We paid our entrance fee and walked just under a mile towards the bridge.

Mr P had our Little Fella in the baby sling and he was happy to be outside having the wind blowing in his face while the rest of us deliberated whether or not we were brave enough to actually cross the bridge.

I've said before I have a fear of heights and water. It was a bit stormy and after some time and assurances from the tour guides we all apart from Mr P and our Little Fella made our way across.

Our Inbetweener almost buckled when he first set foot on the bridge but we had come too far to turn back. The people who had already crossed the bridge were brilliant encouraging everybody along.

There's nothing like fear - fear of falling, fear of dying to make you move.

My legs were like jelly when I got across and I was a sickly shade of green. Our Inbetweener threw his arms in the air and shouted 'We've done it''. It's funny now writing this but all I could think of was that we would have cross it again to get back.

Anyway we lived to tell the tale it was truly a thrilling experience, not that we were in any real danger, nobody has actually ever fallen off the bridge!

After all that we drove into Portrush to have dinner, homemade ice-cream in Morelli's which is a must if your in the town and a bag of candy floss.

So all in all we had another great day out. The Giant's Causeway is one of the most beautiful places, right on our doorstep and perfect for a family day out.

Everybody was exhausted on the way home from all the walking and with our lungs full of lovely fresh air we had a great night's sleep.

Don't forget to check back next month for our latest adventure.

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Summer Holidays - Part 1 Tantallon Castle

This post is a week late but better late than never! I have finally found the time to sit down and go through our holiday photos there are quite literally loads but I have scaled down as much as I can.

The blog this week is dedicated to capturing our holiday memories, our first holiday as a family of five and our Little Fella was great and enjoyed being out and about every day getting spoiled by his big sister and big brother.

One of the first places we visited on our holiday was the very beautiful Tantallon Castle just a short drive from Dunbar.

It was such a lovely drive despite the rain and I will always remember gazing out of the car window at the beautiful yellow fields full of corn thinking to myself that this really is the life.

Thankfully the rain stopped not long after we arrived at the castle grounds.

Tantallon Castle is truly in the most beautiful setting on the edge of the coast opposite what is known as The Bass Rock and the sight of this as you drive towards it is breathtaking.

The castle was built in the 14th century by William Douglas, the 1st earl of Douglas, whose family was one of the most powerful in Scotland. 

We spent ages here enjoying the views, exploring the ruins and walking around.  Our lot had a great time which is always an added bonus especially after spending way too much time travelling the previous day.

The staff here were so friendly and helpful to us and I just loved the accents - so soft and gentle.

Here are some of our pictures from Tantallon Castle and The Bass Rock.

And if you are ever in this area I would recommend a visit because it's well worth it.

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