We set off early this morning from Holyhead, marking an unusual moment as the boat and shore team parted ways for at least two days.
The boat was bound for Northern Ireland, while the shore crew couldn’t follow due to the tight schedule. To bridge the gap, Andy and Peter from the Wetwheels Foundation flew over to Northern Ireland to support the boat on the other side of the Irish Sea.
The boat and crew spent the morning preparing for the Irish Sea crossing. After passing the Isle of Man, they navigated into Belfast Lough and made a brief stop at Bangor, Northern Ireland, to refuel.
With tanks topped off, they continued along the coastline, passing the Giant’s Causeway, and arrived in Portrush to a warm reception.
Geoff and the rest of the crew were absolutely blown away by the welcome and friendliness of the people in Portrush.
The spectacular scenery along the route added to the day’s enjoyment.
While the boat sailed across the sea, the shore crew faced a mammoth road journey of over 400 miles to Oban.
Fortunately, they are able to break the journey into two days. For this part of the trip, we were joined by a couple of friends and colleagues from Wetwheels Solent. Elaine, along with Wilf the dog, led the convoy, heading for Gretna Green as their overnight stop. However, feeding Wilf haggis for dinner might not have been the best idea!
Elspeth decided to take a detour to visit some of her family’s ancestral areas in North Wales before heading north. She planned to overnight in Penrith and then meet up with the rest of the team in Oban.
Overall, today was filled with beautiful scenery, warm welcomes, and a sense of adventure as both teams made their respective journeys toward the next leg.