The day before I left Belfast I looked at the weather and for the next week it looked very wet and windy, so I decided to head back to Scotland – and home. I would have liked to go down the west coast of Ireland for a week or ten days but I didn’t see the point as it was going to be wet and windy for the next week. So, catching the ferry from Belfast to Stranraer I headed home.
It was raining when I rode to the ferry in Belfast and it was raining even harder when I arrived in Scotland. The rain was biblical. Also, which was another kick in the lunch-box, the coast road up to Ayr was also closed, so this meant a lengthy (and wet) detour via Dumfries, then north to Glasgow on the motorway. By the time I got home it was about 5pm, and I was very cold and also very wet. The rain had started to leak down my back, so I was pretty glad to get home, to be honest.
So, that was it. Another trip done, which I think was around 22 countries. I look back now and I still cant believe I did it. I’ve had such a brilliant time, from Germany to Italy, then the Balkans, and then Greece to Turkey, and then north all the way to Scandinavia. It just seems unreal. Like a dream. But life can do that to you sometimes, especially when you’ve done a lot of things over a short space of time.
One thing I’ve realised is that over the past few years my trips are getting bigger and bigger. So much so that I’m now thinking about living on the road full time. Its a very tempting prospect and something I’m going to think about during the winter. I love travelling, and I feel happier when I’m seeking new horizons. And now that I’m retired and have no ties to Scotland, who knows what the future holds…