Aug 11, 2012

Snippets / Memories / Photos of the day:

• Spoke to a gentleman in the car park at the hotel this morning who told us the Apprentices March was on in Derry today (they would be expecting around 15,000 people) commemorating the march of the Apprentices which closed down Derry and then they had defended the city.(At least I think that’s what he said…I was a bit surprised and didn’t really want to ask clarification). He told us we would likely encounter police barricades and diversions if we were heading for Derry as many busloads would be heading in to join in.
• Thankfully our hotel was on the fringe of town so we were quickly directed away from the activity.
• Huge numbers in buses and cars were heading in so we were definitely heading in the right direction.
• Found it chilling coming across a Police yard with what looked like riot vans peeling onto the road and heading for Derry.
• Much intensive farming evident today as well as forest areas and as far as new build houses …conspicuous by their absence. No EU money here being directed to that enterprise apparently.



The Gatehouse as we left the Beech Hill Country House Hotel this morning. Very cute.



Carnival in full swing at Portrush. There is a lovely new public space to the right of the carnival happenings and we particularly liked the reference to the bow of a ship to the right. The whole town looked well cared for and clean and fresh. Port Stewart the town before this one in comparison looked very sad and drab.



The ruins of Dunluce Castle along the cliff face as we progressed along the coastal route to the Giants Causeway.



A view of the tessellated rocks at the Giants Causeway with a giant of a man!



And then his queen sitting in another spot. Ha ha. This is something I wanted to do for some reason and we both sat and reflected on our trip and the enormity of that and the area we were in. There were literally hundreds and hundreds of people scattered along the cliff face tracks today.



On our trek to find our hotel we discovered this lovely view back along the coast to what looks like a very reclusive spot. Very nice.

Bits and Bobs:

We hadn’t been on the road for long this morning before I saw a reasonably decent building behind really high fencing (between 20 -30 feet) ready for demolition I thought. I was surprised at that. A short time later I spotted another in a similar state at an intersection and as we stopped Norm drew my attention to a big number of CCTV cameras strategically placed all around it. As I was about to ask him why he thought they were there I spotted the rear of a police car protruding from behind the building at the same time Norm said “it’s a police station!” Very unsettling. We have seen a number more of them today.



A notice we found in a shop window at Carnlough where we had an ice-cream and hot chocolate this afternoon. Makes the tensions experienced by the locals (one would hope in the past) seem very real and sad but great to know that they are striving for ongoing peace. Hope it all comes together for them.

Last nights’ Accommodation:

The Beech Hill Country House Hotel, Londonderry (Derry) Northern Ireland (UK)

A building set in 32 acres of mature trees and woodland, a beautiful genteel space no matter how you look at it. We felt the quiet ambience fold around us as we wound our way in past the gatehouse and along the driveway to the main building. Such a treat to experience the building and the space. Both were used by the US Marines in WWII and there is much memorabilia and historical commentary to that effect and the US connection since with photographs of President John F Kennedy and Bill and Hillary Clinton (on a number of occasions). All of which is significant to this site and the democratic process in Ireland we have discovered in our brief stay, but back to the hotel. Room very roomy and comfortable, the staff is an enthusiastic delight, the bed was beautifully comfortable, the shower just great and the food to die for. What more can I say…come and stay!



The Beech Hill Country House Hotel.