This picture is taken from last year's trip around the northern half of Ireland. This was on the beach at what was my favourite spot and one I had not even heard of, Achill Isle. Bizarrely, every year whole families travelled right across Ireland to Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow, for the tattie howking. I learned this from the shop keeper who was married to someone from my own home town. Apparently there had been a famous incident when many Achill Tattie Howkers had been killed in a big fire while staying in a hall in Kirkintilloch... Small world.

So what is planned for this trip? Good question. Nothing at all really, except the return ferry trip Rosyth-Zeebrugge and the first 2 nights accomodation in The Vosges town of Gerardmer.

After that who knows? Just go where the sun is shinning, the tarmac sound and the roads bendy.

Realistically though, we have two spots in mind, Grindelwald under the Eiger and Chamonix. If the weather is inclement then we may head south and drop into family near Cannes.

We have maps, GPS and some Euros, a tent on the back (emergencies only!) and hopefully our sense of humor matching our sense of adventure.