Would you be after having any cash?

Day 8 started with the sun shining once again. We had been so lucky thus far, only having the one full rainy day, back in Scotland.

A quick 15 minute blast down the road saw us parked up at The Giant's Causeway. Similar to the rope bridge, there is a fair walk down the cliff path to the causeway itself. This isn't so noticeable, as you have the distraction of the audio guide as you make your way down. It really is quite remarkable, I expect you've seen it on TV but seeing these hundreds, thousands even, of hexagonal stone columns up close leaves you quite amazed at the forces that shape our world.

Grizzly wasn't about to entertain the return trip up the hill on foot. Lucky for him then, that there is a shuttle bus, so we all jumped on board for the short but steep ride back to the visitor centre. Back on the road, we headed for Lough Neagh, the big splash of blue on the Northern Irish map. This is a huge lough but we only just touched the west bank at Ballyronan. To our dismay, the recreation area and car park was devoid of any refreshment place. Strange, you would think they'd have a kiosk or something for drinks and ice creams, they had beach! The beach, as we were to witness quite bizarrely, was man made (see the photo). We stayed a short while, took some photos and then hit the road again to our next fuel stop.

Either it's shallow or Jesus now operates a digger for a living!

The fuel stop, well! This was a little place in the middle of the terrace of shops and hoses, with just two pumps. Standing on the forecourt recording what fuel you had used and how much it cost, on a piece of paper, was an elderlyish woman. As I hung up the pump, she shouted to an elderlyish gentleman in the office how much to charge. As usual, I reached for my credit card. The woman ushered past me telling the man that the machine didn't work. He clearly wasn't aware of this fact, as he'd already stuck the card in the machine. "I can give you cash" I said. The man then opened a wooden 'desk' lid, similar to a school desk, retrieved my change and the transaction was completed. No fancy tills here! Now wise to the fact the machine was broken, when Biggsey entered the office to pay, he was met with the question, "Would you be after having any cash?". Well it was a very small town. Made us chuckle though.