Travelling by ferry did mean that Anthony and I were driving together for what felt like days (the ferries to Ireland leave from the west coast of the UK and we live in the south-east, so we had to drive the whole way across England and then along the top of Wales to get to Holyhead; we then had to traverse the entire width of Ireland from Dublin to Clare) but we managed to survive the ordeal. The most 'exciting' leg was when Anthony insisted on taking a short-cut (ha!) through the back roads of the Fens to get onto the A14 towards Birmingham... driving through the Fens in the pitch-black dark, kind of in the middle of nowhere, is probably not something I would like to repeat again in a hurry, which I communicated in my usual calm and measured manner to Anthony.
Anyways! It was so lovely to go home and catch up with everyone, and we also managed to fit in a visit to Salthill beach in Galway. I miss the sea so much, along with mountains and hills... East Anglia has its own beauty, with its openness and huge skies and general flatness, but I think my heart truly lies with the coastline of the west of Ireland.
5th April 2016: Check out my map of Wales that I finally got around to publishing yesterday, and see the A55 in all its glory!