Bangor

Well, we arrived safely in Bangor, GI.
After our Monday ferry was cancelled we were re-booked on the slower Ulysses super ferry. This is variously reported as the largest ferry in the world and the largest on the Irish Sea routes.
Anyway, we arrived at Holyhead about 4 hours before our ferry was due to sail. Try as we could, they would not allow us on the 12:00 fast ferry. I guess it was full, but I still think it was unfair not to have been offered the option of the fast ferry since that is what we paid for. I shall be sending a stiff e-mail to the booking company! This has lost us a whole day and over £150 in unplanned costs.....

More pleasantly, fuel is really cheap in Eire. Around £1:00/ litre for diesel. Needless to say, we topped up before crossing the border into Northern Ireland. This must be the only border in Europe where you can drive across the border, changing the speed readout from MPH to KPH or vice versa, as you go!

I'm relieved to see there is no water shortage problems here in Bangor, unlike large parts of the Province. It is getting serious in some areas, from what we see on TV!

The car temperature gauge was reading 10C as we arrived in Bangor. That must be the warmest it has been for months.

More tomorrow.





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Location:Northern Ireland

North Wales

Now in Bangor. A pretty smooth drive up except for the M6 which was very slow from around Stafford to Sandbach. It was just the volume of traffic that slowed it, together with spray from the persistent light rain.

Of course it is raining more heavily this morning, in Bangor.

We are off to catch the ferry at 14:10, so a little bit of time to check out Brunel's Britannia bridge on the way over!

There was some sort of emergency in the Straits last night with the Air Sea Rescue helicopter out looking for the source of an emergency call from close to the bridge. The bridge is about 1/2 mile from this hotel, but no noises to awaken us......

More words from the ' other side'.

Sam




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Location:Falkenham Rd,,United Kingdom

New Year

Tomorrow we head off to Bangor, Northern Ireland. But, since Irish Ferries informed us this morning that they have cancelled the 17:15 Holyhead to Dublin ferry tomorrow, we have had to re-book onto the 14:10 on Tuesday. This is a bigger, slower ferry than the cat we were booked on.
As a result of the change in crossing we have decided to travel as far as Bangor, North Wales tomorrow. So then, Monday night in Bangor and then Tuesday night in Bangor! Just different countries....

More from Bangor!

Sam




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Location:Falkenham Rd,,United Kingdom

Home

A good flight from Vancouver to the UK, only marred by the fact that my car battery was flat when I retrieved my car from LHR Long Term car park. The guys there soon sorted that out with jumper leads.
I could see no obvious reason for the flat battery. Nothing was left on?

I was far too tired to get on for the UKAC this evening.

I'm not sure when I will blog again, but I have been contemplating making this a regular place for thoughts on my radio activities.

Thanks again to everyone who read the blog over the last 12 days. I hope you enjoyed the 'trip' as much as we did.




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Location:Felixstowe

Finale

About to go QRT from Vancouver.
I will update the blog when I get home. Thanks to everyone who read my words. From the comments received, it appears we had at least a few people along with us on the trip.

Those whales......wow! They made the whole trip worthwhile.

Sam and Shirley on Granville Island and about to check out and lose WiF...........






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Location:Vancouver

Granville Island

I swear I didn't know!
Leaving our room last evening, I happened to look over the glass balcony outside the room. Not 8 foot from our room door.......a Micro Brewery.
Yes, just 8 foot from the top of one of about 15 fermenting tanks.
It appears that this hotel is also the location of the island's Dockside Brewery!

Sam




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Location:Vancouver

To show there is some radio content...

Mast on Mount Seymour



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Location:Granville Island