Gosford

We arrived in the early evening so there was plenty of time to get settled. Once the tent was up, we all set off for the reverse walk through the forest, to the animal paddocks and eventually the mill race and wheel next the entrance to the site.

As we came out of the woods, in the corner of a paddock, a crows of female deer were grazing. We created as much an occasion for them and admire each other mutually. As the rest of the paddock came into view, the males arrived with their antlers bristling. Their interest certainly seemed slightly less than curious.

By now the temperature was dropping and eventually the overcast sky began to shed its burden whipped along by a cutting wind. The rare breeds of black bulls, multi-horned sheep, poultry and other random farm-yard beasts did not get much attention as we sought shelter.

The next day was seriously sluggish. We all must have needed a good break because we all struggled to find any motivation instead preferring to chill, read a book or whatever. When the sad news came that the Planetarium event we wanted to see was booked out, well we just collapsed in a heap of inactivity.

Eventually we got the energy to prepare for home. Before leaving I set off on at least one decent bike ride through the grounds. Following the supposedly "easy cycle trail" for 6K I wandered round the edges of arboretum and into the forest. Although the trees were only getting ready for the spring, the birds were singing loudly about it; hoping about the branches and flitting between trees. By Greer's Fort - a rath - I decided to pause and see if I could get some pictures of these birds who were proving very elusive but tempting with the flashes of yellow, blue and red feathers.

The rath is fairly large with a variaty of trees surrounding it. In one corner I caught a nest of primroses nicely in bloom. In another while tracking some finches I caught sight of a bushy gray squirrel's tail but by the time I had navigated the puddles and water-logged field I lost its owner up a tree.

Emain Macha

We struggled up this morning and took our time breakfasting and packing up to leave. Headed back into Enniskillen to have lunch down by the Castle where we could watch the long boats and cruisers drift by. The wind was up today so the kids launched their kite in the playing fields by the Forum. Not a very photogenic arena: the back-side of the town and the Forum derelict and being renovated.

After lunch we all agreed to head for Armagh and hopefully visit the Planetarium; the sight of Mars had obviously whetted our appetite for some astronomy. On our way we passed Navan Fort so paused for the visitors centre. Proved to be more expensive than we were prepared for; instead walked up to the fort to be blown away. Enough of an incentive for the kite to come out again. This time it was slightly more photogenic with a wild, overcast sky; it needed Ru's SLR to capture the kite as well as the flyer.

By the time we reached Armagh and the Planetarium, the presentations were over so we booked one for the next day and headed for Gosford looking for a curry shop - something Markethill lacks it seems.

White Island

Well, its Easter Saturday and we hurtled down quick as we could with all 3 kids on board. First stop Omagh to take on refreshments and then a final spurt to Kesh and Clonelly just in time for enough light to setup a tent for the boys. The night sky was remarkably clear and according to the sky-atlas on my netbook,we were able to identify both Mars and Saturn - Mars was especially red and quite distinct.

Next day we headed for Castle Archdale. Arrived in the car park with an open-air religious meet in progress; could not rent a boat for while nor even extra bikes so we went a dander till it rained and we retreated to the van for lunch. Timed it well as by then the boat was free.

Tootled off in the Oyster, all 5 on-board. For me, driving, everything felt very strange. Engine was really sluggish - even flat-out - which meant the steering was not responsive and the boat had a tendency to wallow about quite easily. The balance of the boat was easily upset when someone moved or shifted seats or even just hitting the wash of a passing jet-ski.

First stop was White Island. A ruined 9th Century church had a number of carvings mounted on the wall. Several of the faces were quite grumpy. Gave us plenty of photos, in and around the church walls. But the island was more an excuse to land the boat and recover our confidence than anything so we were all eager to get afloat again.

Having docked pointing the wrong way, took some deft heaving by Niall to haul us right-way-round so we could power out without any special tricks. By now Pauline was loving it, yelling how much she wanted a boat. Quite a surprise given her prior aversion to water craft. We headed round a larger island and behind a third. All the kids taking turns at steering the boat. Reckoned there was nowhere else worth traveling to so we just docked at the largest island and decamped.

I am positive this is an island I took the kids to last time we had a boat, way back in the 80's; the remains of an old house was very familiar. The weather today was a bit quieter than it was the last trip.

Everywhere on the island, wild garlic was getting ready to bloom and the aroma already filled the air in still spots. Found a purplish flower that Niall said was very rare and only found in Crawfordsburn; seemed quite happy where it was here. Walked a fair bit into the island hoping to find picnic seats (as informed by the boat people) hoping to reach another jetty currently out of commission. But to no avail - after at least a mile of following what was left of a wide track deep into the island surrounded by silence, we turned back. Along the way we found numerous examples of a rather odd fungi: very firm with a bright red inverted cap and clean white stem. Thought it very odd to be growing in the spring.

Returned to the jetty where we settled in a clearing for a picnic and to paint our eggs. Climbed the hill beside the ruined house to "roll" our eggs down; more a question of finding a target to aim at to ensure the eggs did not survive. A lake warden came by later to check up on things. Gave us a wave but that was our adventure on the "high seas" of Lough Erne.

Back on land, we headed into Enniskillen to re-provision and finally out to the site near Florencecourt. The evenings already beginning to lengthen for it was quite late now but still plenty of light for the tent to go up.

Down by the Quoile

Instead of just wandering around Castlewellan, we decided to go for a drive and since it was more or less St,Patrick's day, why not head for Downpatrick and visit Saul and related places.

We arrived in Downpatrick and picked up some usefull information in the Centre just below the church. This gave us enough information to head out along the Quoile to Saul and Raholp. The roads got very narrow round here and the traffic annoyingly busy so rather than try to park and visit on foot, we back tracked to the Quoile estruary for lunch.

Parked by the water-side and later walked up to the old quayside; this had been the main landing stage for sailing ships delivering goods into Downpatrick. Now with tidal barriers further down, the quay was surrounded by fresh-water and what had been the Quoile estuary was now a peaceful fresh-water lagoon, a thriving habitat for swans and other wildlife.

We returned to Castlewellan driving through Strangford just as the ferry was rushing to unload its cargo, Ardglass, where Pauline retraced her footsteps from a summer long gone, Killough, still unchanged from what I remember from my first outdoor experience in the youth hostel at Minerstown. and finally past Tyrella House to Clough.

Pre-spring Castlewellan

Our first outing for the season with a new bike for me.

It had taken us much longer than we expected to get organised and issues with the van needing charged did not help. Something up with the electrics had been draining the battery till it was virtually flat while resting over the Winter. Several charges did not seem to wholly rectify things. This was going to be a "careful" trip as we judged how well the van was holding together.

First major test of the bike was the route round the lake; not at all too testing. The bike passed with flying colours, amazingly easy to ride even up the steep incline at the far-end. Despite its 18 gears a low-6 seems more than sufficient. Even able to get up the steep incline into the campsite.

The forst remains starkley naked though. So many of the solitary trees in the parkland showing quite clearly their characteristic shape. Some, like the Weeping Willow, just looking really cool. Took an age to get this image and it still does not really work to show the tree in its full glory.

We finished up checking out the Arboretum, I especially wanted to have another go at the Sequoia thinking the Fibonacci spiral would be further exaggerated with minimal foliage; which it was but images were not much better than the original.

Found still further surprises even at this time of the year with blood-red rhodadendrons well in bloom, a storm struck cedar broken in half and a variety of beautiful barks that normally go unnoticed, normally over-powered by their foilage. Discovered a marvelous Japanese maple which illustrates this well. This particular shrub had three sides draped, like a willow, with a network of fine, bare branches. On the fourth side, the normal growth receded and we can see into the main trunk. As far as I know, these maples are not trained, they are just naturally twisted and gnarled. Clothed in moss just enhances the image with better shadings. Struggled to get any other colour in though, perhaps a good thing to leave the focus on the trunk.

Autumn Colour

Sunday turned out to be grey and damp; rain was not far away. We didn't plan on staying too long as P wanted to get back for her mother's birthday.

First thing, Pauline was up and out on her bike. A sycamore on the far side of the lake had attracted her attention; the yellow colour and surrounding trees were quite autumnal - so I was dispatched for a photo.

Unfortunately I got lost following the "black" trail through a planting area where large numbers of tree species were planted close together and a name plate planted before each set. Mostly common species that didn't look special, but a big group of Chilean Pine looked quite bizarre.

The path out this way was barely fit to walk on. While struggling up one of several steep hills I bumped into a local who thankfully chittered away as I got my breath back. He told us, Donegal has joined the ranks of "No Overnight Camping" sign-posters just like the Scots. Mind you, this was round Bunbeg so maybe its not a generic thing.

Just as I was coming back onto a known path, I came across a batch of possibly Lime trees whose vivid green leaves had turned yellow and sometimes bright red. The forest floor was a carpet of yellow and as rain began to fall, more leaves fluttered down from the branches. I tried to capture the falling leaves but it didn't quite work out.

Shrooms

The woods around the touring site are home to a huge variety of fungi; or so it seems to me.

When we were last here a few weeks ago, I snapped quite a few interesting specimens. This time there are even more. Most often growing either on fallen trees or growing trees perhaps diseased. I caught this little fella peeping out all alone in the leaf litter.

Some look like chanterelle and definitely good to eat. Others were dangerous for sure, looking like decomposed meat - dark and probably very smelly.

I should put all these fungi pictures up somewhere so someone can name them for me...

Misty Morning

Saturday morning and the previous nights forecast turned out to be accurate. From 7:00am or earlier, a fog covered the land. Bands of mist floated above the lake. Trees hid amongst swirling cloud just waiting for mysterious horsemen to gallop from nowhere.

There was a lot of activity toward the field above us, cars and vans to-ing and fro-ing. While P drifted down toward the lakes, I cycled up the hill to see what was going on.

I didn't need to go far before I discovered crowds of PS kids making a racket just standing still in groups. Several tents were being erected in the field; looks like some was expecting to camp over-night!

Continued up through the forest and after turning left off the road onto a track barely visible beneath the copper carpet of leaf litter, I came across a fine view through the trees to the sun forcing its way through the mist. The forest bordered farmland here; the grass was covered in so many spider webs glittering with dew, it looked as it snow had fallen or an extreme hoar frost had hit. On the brow of the hill, six trees were dimly visible through the mist.

Some very atmospheric pictures like this one of a web spun between hawthorn branches in the hedgerow.

Sloes in Drum Manor

This weekend we went hunting for sloes down Cookstown way.

We rushed off so quick we had hardly any food to eat; not at all like us. Paused in Magherafelt for what P reckoned should be the finest chips in the province - well, West of the Bann anyways. Sadly they did not live up to expectations. While P fetched the chips, I went in search of some wine to accompany them. Searched through a local mall and not a whiff of a bottle shop; I had to ask in Dunnes where the nearest offy was and suddenly my head sprouted horns. Oops

Arrived fairly late and had a panic refill of water as P had emptied it all on her last trip. The regular Drum Manor site was full to capacity - must be the final weekend of the "Caravanners Club" (we bumped into them last year about this time in Gosford). It promised to be a cold night - not a cloud in the sky but a wonderful view of the Milky Way.

The Drum Manor Triffid

Off to Cookstown this weekend searching for the elusive Blackthorn. We spotted some down in Fermanagh but there were not many; I suspect we were parked beside a sloe bush in Cookstown then so we will have to check...

Yip, it was a sloe bush - so we now know of two new sources (in addition to the Nendrum tree), all we need is the first frost and we can start picking.

Encouraged by this first bush, expected there would be more nearby so I wandered off through the forest. Found loads of mushrooms - or toadstools.and what appeared to be blackthorn but with no berries. Next to the field just above the site, a hedgerow formed the boundary between the forest and the open space - a mixture of hawthorn, holly and blackthorn. But still no berries, not even haws.

Kept walking through the trees as the light began to fade. Came across this wondrous tree sprawling with branches all akimbo. In the twilight it looked most impressive but despite various attempts with and without flash and even in the clear light of day (this picture), I couldn't replicate that moment I first encountered it.

Castlewellan

It seems like a long time since we were away, but its only a couple of weeks.

Zoomed quickly to Castlewellan planning to take the bikes up the long path over the hills.

As preparation, skirted the lake as usual and caught this amazing view with the lake almost as still as glass with near perfect reflection of the trees and hillside.

Next day we set off up the hill this time with Erinne's picnic backpack getting its first airing. After the entrance to the Arboretum, the starting hills were extremely steep forcing us to walk only. The first viewpoint was a welcome recovery point. But it seems my recovery rate is not what it was - not much further on, a group of visiting Poles made fun at my expense as I stood gasping for air. Soo embarrassing!

Finally made it to the top, even up to the trig point.

Along the ridge to spectacular viewpoint looking across the forest, the lake and beyond with Slieve Donard just visible in the distance. Very difficult to get a photo to do justice to this sort of view.

After this is was downhill all the way and it did not take long to descend, the hills were steep with bikes racing at dizzying speeds - began to make notes to self about buying a helmet.