'How you doing?’
In May 2019 we left England in our Campervan and spent two months in Ireland during which time we competed ‘Wild Atlantic Way’ (WAW) along the west coast of Southern Ireland.
The year before we had visited Scotland, also in our Campervan, again for two months, where we followed the ‘North Coast 500 miles’.
In both countries we met with Servas hosts and stayed in our camper van overnight outside their homes, where we had some of our best memories, and precious moments during our trips.
This account is about our journey, this year, around Southern Ireland’s West Coast and spending time with Irish Servas hosts.
I (Val) have been in Servas for over 40 yrs being not just a host but also an international traveller. But when I met my husband, over 20 yrs ago, he was not so sure about hosting or even day hosting while travelling the world together. That was until we toured Peru. While there we met a few Servas day hosts, where we learned much more about the culture of the Peruvian people. One of our host’s had a family engineering business, and as Art is an engineer, they invited us to take a tour of their factory, Art was in his element. The second host was a Doctor who helped Art when he was unwell. It's then he understood their kindness and agreed, when we get home we would become hosts as well as Servas travellers.
Before we left for Ireland we decided we wanted to travel the WAW. It’s then we sent emails, with a possibly of visiting the Servas hosts who offered camping along the WAW. Everyone we contacted responded.
It took us a few months to organise our trip in more detail, which would suit us retirees. We needed to purchase maps, join facebook campervan groups in Ireland and spend time asking for their advice. Also downloading and update ‘Mapping Apps' to enable us to find where to stay on campsites and do some ‘wild camping’ (camping with out electric etc. or camp site support).
As Southern Ireland is in the EU and because were were travelling at a time when BREXIT was uncertain we knew we needed have up to date passports and a green card to prove our camper van was insured. We also had to have travel insurance as well as check make sure European health card were up to date. Collect our International drivers licence and paying for roadside assistance in Europe to cover the time we were away, and of course sort out how much Euros we will need. Then we booked a ferry one way, got anti sickness tablets, sort out our data roaming for our phones, and so on and so forth. And last but not least, ask a friend to cut the front lawn and check our house weekly, while we were away.
Just before we left we decided to make clearer arrangements with our first Servas host who lived near the ferry terminal. Immediately they responded and agreed to host us. They told us they were a couple who lived on an organic farm and were heavenly involved in Servas, but had never hosted a Servas couple travelling in a Campervan.
On the first of May we drove our heavy laden campervan with our clothes and equipment for all weathers to Pembroke dock from our home near Bristol. We had arrived early afternoon to catch the 2.45pm ferry to Rosslare. It took about four and a half hours. While driving off the ferry we set our Sat-nav for New Ross where our first hosts lived. What we didn’t know is that post codes were not recognised on Sat-nav’s in Ireland. So while trying to find out first host we got lost and travelled down a very narrow road with line of grass in the centre of it, not good when you were tired and hungry. We stopped and went onto google to set up coordinates but this still did not help. After a while we decided to phone our hosts and she fortunately responded and guided us step by step to their farm. Apparently we were on the wrong side of New Ross town and had travelled a lot further than we should have (or kilograms we should say). We finally arrived to a lovely welcome smile and hug for their weary travellers. They were very welcoming but also busy with their work and social lives.
Plugged in to electric outside their home, we set up our van and settled down to hear about their lives. The farm was in their family since the seventeen hundreds, they had six grown up children and a few grand children. Only one lad was at home about to travel away abroad for a few months. On the farm they grew brassica and kept Aberdeen Angus cows (Scotland connection). They also had farm cats and a non working Collie dog. At lunchtime the next day I made ‘Leek Tarn’, a recipe I picked up on our Scotland trip last year.
After our first nights stay we felt we would then be ready to take off for our long trip. Or so we thought.
The next day we set off for your first wild camping at ‘Hooks Head Lighthouse’ it was on the way to the start of the WAW. We camped on the car park outside the walled Lighthouse with other camper vans and motorhomes. It was a lovely first night ‘wild camping’ hearing the gentle crashing waves and our favourite sea bird we had met in Scotland, the Oystercatcher.
Then next day we travelled on to a famous campsite from a facebook, Irish motorhome group called ’Dicks Field’ near Ardmore (Aird Mhor) it certainly was in a very large field right next to the sea. This site was only 10 euro a night. Also it was a bank holiday weekend. So by the end of the day the field was crammed full of campers. Mind you that was ok as the whole of the field was quiet by 10pm our sleep time. That day we had lovely weather, sun, sun and more sun and soft sand to walk on to the local village. Next day we drove onto the town of Kinsale, wild camping next to ‘Charles Fort’ and the start of the WAW.
After our night outside the Fort they next night we stayed with another Servas host and used the coordinates he had given us, he said should find his his home without problem. While driving we had our fingers crossed. Sitting in the van, rain tapping on our windows we were outside his home texting him to say we had arrived. He said he was on his way from work to greet us. But after our other fiasco we were not feeling very sure if we had the right house. Fortunately his car drove into the drive, with a welcoming smile, we were relieved. He said we could stay for as long as we wanted. That was a good thing as we found out we did not have the right gas bottle fittings and could not find any bottles of the same size. Our host thankfully knew of a company that could help us called, ‘Evans Engineering’. So the next day we drove our van to the company as they were close-by. They helped us change our gas bottle and connection. We were relieved, otherwise we would not be able to wild camp or do any cooking on this trip. The next day we still had problems, this time it was with our heating system, but were helped by a technical facebook group who had told us we had to press a certain green button behind the gas bottle for a few minutes to get the Truma heating working as it needed more gas pressure than the rest of our equipment, and it worked.
A couple of days later we were off again. Our next wild camp was at the famous ‘Mizen Head’ where next day at dawn, we were woken by an Irish Mini Car convention of over thirty cars planning to drive together part of the Wild Atlantic way. Off they went clipboard in hand heading north in one days drive. We were glad we were not in a hurry and did not need to drive behind them. Wild camping can lead us to unexpected experiences. Another morning we were woken at dawn by a large group of swimmers slamming their car doors right next to us. Then again we had another early start with the sound of a fitness ‘boot camp’ music. They were excising right next to us in the car park, which was close to an empty beach. There were other strange early awakenings too many to go into here.
While on our journey unexpected experiences was half the excitement as we never really knew what would happen next and at times we came to expect the amazing unexpected. For instance while walking along the coast during the day we managed to glance from our feet out to sea and saw a huge Whale speeding passed at such a range of nots, it became hard for our eyes to follow it. Or meeting our first Puffins, a few feet away, while leaning over the edge trying to take a photographs of the cliffs and the crashing waves. Or walking over rare plants (to us) in the middle of a strange, to our eyes, exposed limestone landscape called ‘The Burren’ which was part of the earths crust bed of a ancient tropical sea, this was near the massive, famous ’Cliffs Of Moher’, had us smiling to each other day after day.
For instance stayed one night, alone, in a car park overlooking the ruins of the Marconi (1907) radio station and landing site of Alcock and Brown (1919). They had completed the first non stop flight from America across the Atlantic and survived a crash landing in Derrigimlagh bog nearby. The views from the car park were mesmerising with mountains and valleys for miles around us. Till the mists came down its then the views were haunting.
The next Servas host we visited was after many amazing nights with wild waves lashing the shore line below us. Or staying on camp sites for a night or few hours to do our chores like laundry and clean the van, filling up with water while also relaxing in the baking sun. We were now in county Mayo half way up the WAW.
As we drove around a beautiful coast which was becoming mountainous we found, yet again, we had problems finding our next host’s home in the Claggan area. We also ended up calling her for help. So yet again we were guided by our phones chatter to her home. But as the Causeway road became narrower and narrower the sea on either side of us, we wondered if it was a good idea to visit her. But it was fine, just. We were welcomed with hugs into her home with her three dogs jumping for attention. We set up the van, made a meal for her and around the dinner table we found out this Servas host also had a mind full of local information about the folk-law and places we have and will hope to visit.
Later in our trip, even further north, we met a couple travelling in their camper van who invited us to their home. Which again was a place down the back and beyond near a lighthouse called ‘Black Sod’. And wow what an amazing place to live. I think they could become Servas hosts with their ideas and attitudes towards peace.
Arriving at the end of the Wild Atlantic Way near Northern Ireland we decided to drive back down again hopefully revisiting some of our Servas hosts and staying again in some of the amazing wild camping areas: in harbours, near lighthouses and castles, busy national parks, and even in a car park next to the famous ‘Poulnabrone Dolmen’ (which was over six thousand years old) where there was a ancient portal tomb beckons us to revisit for the night.
We again we were invited to call on our Servas hosts. We did manage this time without the experience of biting our fingernails thinking we will be stuck and not able to turn around to drive out. This time was easy to find the home of the Servas farmers for the last couple of nights. We finished our trip by staying in a campsite in the fishing town of Kilmore Quay which was only an hours drive to our ferry home. Here we brought fresh fish to freeze and we are still eating the tender morsels to this day.
Basically everyone we met in our journey throughout Southern Ireland were friendly and full of helpful hints and knowledge. Believe it or not the common greeting wherever we were was, ‘How you doing?” This really did sum up our trip. ‘We did well’ with thanks to all our hosts whether they were member of Servas or not. Ireland is so welcoming with an easy flowing ‘crack’ (meaning having a good time with plenty of laughs).
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