Day 2: Scouting for (Derry) Girls

Day 2 started off with some spontaneity - though weirdly for us, not of the book buying kind! We took a lovely scenic drive through County Antrim (made more scenic by Hyacinth the Car taking us off the main road and down some country lanes because we insulted her sensitivities) to the Giant's Causeway, where we were delighted to discover a heritage railway!

The Giant's Causeway and Bushmills Railway is a 3ft Narrow Gauge heritage line (can you tell this bit was added by Fraser?) which traverses the three miles between Bushmills and Giant's Causeway, taking roughly half an hour each way through beautiful countryside and coastal views. We didn't know it was there until we passed a sign for it, and when we were funnelled down to the carpark next to the ticket office we promptly took it as a sign to take a trip on it.

After satisfying our tiny-train appetites, we resumed our true purpose for heading North - the hunt for Giants. They were admittedly thin on the ground today, possibly scared away by the sheer quantity of tourists and their disregard for queues, but the windswept coastline provided a glorious backdrop for scrambling up and down the stepping stones and taking artsy photos of puddles and columns of varying sizes. Though I will say that in my head the stones were quite a bit bigger than reality - but maybe when you visit alongside someone with size 15 feet it redefines what you consider to be Giant...

After our encounter with the Giants, we paid a visit to Northern Ireland's second largest city, where we went scouting for Derry Girls, took in the city walls, experienced our first double decker bridge, and treated ourselves to a cheeky Nandos in a (potentially) award winning branch.

Lastly, we ticked off "driving in another country" from Hyacinth the Car's bucket list by taking a trip out of NI and into the Republic of Ireland to a small town called Muff. She got her revenge promptly by taking us back along the narrow country lanes that still somehow count as a two-way road even as you rush to steer into a hedge to avoid oncoming traffic. But hey, if she wants to risk her paint job!

Day 2 Roundup:

Miles Driven: 182 (293km for our metric friends in ROI)

Doggo Count: 35

Level Crossings Crossed: 4

Giants Spotted: 1

Giants Spotted (Who Aren't Fraser): 0

Cow Weather System: 7 Fields Laying, 8 Fields Standing (Verdict: Weather Changeable)

People Waved At Through Tiny-Train Window: 8

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The Queer Book Tour

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