Fix unsuccessful

Sunday, July 29th

The overnight stop at the Spade Mill

Heard on the news this morning that 74mm of rain fell in Belfast and surrounds last night (about 3inches and all in 3 hours). Pattersons Mill is about 7-10 mile as the crow flies from Belfast so no wonder we had that horrendous storm. As for the saga of the leaking skylight, the rain stopped by about 8.30pm so armed with leather, kitchen towels and silicon gun, Ian went up on the roof and did his best to seal the edges. No more rain has fallen so we have no idea yet if it has worked. But Ian being Ian doesn't leave anything to chance so this morning the first port of call was to Screwfix for Sikaflex 512, an all-weather sealant suitable for campervans, boats, caravans etc, and white spirit to clean the old stuff off.

By the time we left Screwfix in Bangor the drizzle had started again and on arrival at Grey Point Fort, Helens Bay, Co Down it was coming down heavier. Before leaving to see the Fort we had a spot of lunch and almost to the second of congratulating ourselves that the leak was no more, a steady drip started again. Looks like the temporary fix didn't work after all.

Leaving the bowl in position to catch the drips we walked to the Fort. No entrance fee was asked for, which was surprising as the whole site was run by volunteers and enthusiasts. The purpose of the Fort was to protect the mouth of the Belfast Lough from enemy invasion. A very well stocked museum was a fascinating look into the past. Consisting mainly of WW11 radios and receivers, the chap that showed us around told us that 80% of the stock had been collected by just one man. He started the collection at the age of 12. Two Mark Vll six-inch bore naval guns overlooked the lough with a firing range of seven miles. One of these guns were bought from Spike Island, Cork Harbour, a place we visited on the 2nd July  

Next stop was a 30-minute drive to NT Mount Stewart. A house and gardens which was once owned by the Marquess of Londonderry. The gardens were created by Edith, Lady Londonderry, who loved nothing more than to plant rare and tender plants. The mild climate of Strangford Lough meant the plants thrived and are now a wonder to behold. The house and its contents reflect the history of the Vane-Tempest-Stewart family, who played a leading role in British and Irish social and political life.

It must have been well after 6 when we left. Taking the coast road to Portaferry, finding a stop for the night was easy. Plenty of harbour parking areas was shown on 'Park for the night' and the first one we came to we stopped.

By 8pm we had settled down for an evening of film watching when suddenly that dreaded noise of a thumping base started up. Oh, no...not more youths playing loud music in a car. But no...not in a car. This time it was two youths pulling a huge speaker on a trolly and they were wheeling it to a galleon in the children's playground. Then when about half a dozen more joined them, it was time to move on!

So 4 miles, further along, was another harbour carpark. Very quiet and what we hadn't realised until the morning, it was also the most easterly point of Ireland.

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Oh, and you'll never guess....we found another waterfall. Nearly at the fort, we stopped at Crawfordsburn Country park to ask directions. On the notice board, the only word that stood out for me was a WATERFALL.