Go for it! It could be your best holiday yet

Remember this website is about sharing the fun of travel. Maura Bawn is first to send in a story about the ingenuity of sending the cases on by train at a time when hitching was an accepted way to get around. Choosing a solo holiday can be like tossing a coin. But, going with someone you think you know can have its flip side too . I like to think that things have a habit of turning out just fine.Would you agree? Do share your story. 

A Choice Holiday

(in my own words) Lily Anne

One of my better holiday choices began with a radio comment from the late popular RTE radio presenter Marian Finucane and an ad in The Evening Press. The ad was from a Dublin lady whose husband did not like to fly ; she had decided it was time to do something if she wanted to spread her wings. The idea of a solo holiday suited me perfectly and when I learned that a new business had emerged as a result of this topic I was very keen to sign up for The Happy Wanderers Club.

The sailing trip began at Kinsale harbour on a 42’ yacht on a beautiful sunny day close to the milennium. There were six people on board, an English couple who were experienced sailors, three single women including myself and a skipper. Apart from the couple we were strangers to each other. It was a memorable trip. The weather was a real bonus as we passed the Fastnet Rock* and later stopped off at Union Hall. We had a joke about going to the disco on the mainland trying pathetically to take off a *‘culchie’Cork accent.

 Somewhere between Union Hall and Castletownbere the cable snapped on this magnificent looking yacht and somehow  we three single females were stranded, more or less, on Bere Island. Repairs were meantime being carried out on the mainland. Our fantasy disco was realised that night as we partied with the Irish army and the FCA (young hopefuls). Next morning I had a dream dive with an experienced army officer and a gentleman, a young private in tow whose job it was to carry my gear to the point of entry. It was one of my most relaxed dives ever.

On the day of our departure from the island the army band serenaded us as we set off on the ferry to Castletownbere still in Co. Cork to re embark en route to Dingle Co. Kerry. On account of the rather minor inconvenience caused by the broken cable we were offered a second weekend, sailing the same route two months later. Sometimes when things go pear-shaped the dividends bear fruit, like non-stop laughter and friends for life.

* a culchie is a mix between an affectionate/ sometimes considered a pejorative term for someone living in rural Ireland

*The Fastnet Rock Lighthouse was known as Ireland’s teardrop as it was the last part of Ireland that 19^th century emigrants saw as they sailed to North America.