Campervan Chaos

If you’re looking for the freedom of hitting the road without worrying where to sleep – kinda… a camper is probably your best bet. 

Just so you understand what it’s like to travel in a van like this, I’ll explain this action-packed day of exploration.  

My day started in Galway where I took the 9:30am Irish rail train to Heuston Station.  My mate picked me up and took me to the Wicked Camper depot in Dublin.  Then, with no concrete plans set, I said ‘adios’ to my mate and started to headed north.  The sign said ‘Trim Castle’ and from what I’ve heard, is a great place to visit, so I veered off at the exit and away I went.  

“Fang Face” and I coasted the highway and I got to experience some of the side roads using my offline Google Maps that I previously downloaded.  This made it pretty easy to get where I needed to be.  And was quite surprised to see that the castle is smacked dab right in the middle of town.  Parking was a bit of a pain, but eventually I found a spot cleverly placed around the corner. 

At only 5€ for a guided tour, checking out Trim Castle was an absolute bargain.  I love the fact that prices are low enough that everyone can enjoy the great things that Ireland has to offer. 

After wandering the inside of the castle and learning that if I lived during the Middle Ages I’d probably be dead by the age of 30… I decided to head off again to see what else I could find in the Boyne region.  

Coasting though a few more winding roads… I found myself at the Hill of Tara.  A lot had changed from when I was first here 20 years ago, but it still felt as magical as the first time I was there.

I parked the van, wandered up the hill to the little church and was happy to hand over another 5€ to learn about the region during dramatic video.

With kids playing ball and chasing sheep in the distance, I walked up and down these ancient little magical and historic hills.  I can see why they chose this hill.  You can see as far as the weather permits and with a light breeze, it’s a pleasure to take a deep breath of fresh Irish air and imagine all the cool stuff that once happened on this little hill.  

As a fine mist enveloped the area… I deemed it time to set off once more. 

Being a solo-female traveller, I was a bit weary spending the night in the van so I decided to go with what I knew and book at the local hostel.  I had been at this hostel before without an issue… But, this time was a little different.  

I’m normally really ok with hostel life and cramped conditions, but this room was waaaay more camped than before and a random dude in the room creeped me out.  With nine guys and me in the room, I packed up my stuff and headed back to the van.  Tonight, I’d stick it out in the car park and I’m pretty thankful.  I felt a lot safer.

The only thing that creeped me out sleeping in the van was was hearing the footsteps on the gravel but besides that, it was great!  Somebody did smack their car door pretty hard which rocked the entire van…. but Wicked told me not to worry about that.  As long as all the windows are still intact, I’m set.  

So at 7am when the rest of Ireland was still sleeping, I set off once again to explore.  

Have a look at #MyIrishDay –  it’s one second of everything that I found interesting! Enjoy!