Planning a UK road trip? Want itinerary and destination ideas for staycations or self-drive UK tours? Here are 12 of the best...The post Unmissable UK Road Trips & Scenic drives appeared first on Wandering Bird Motorhome Travel Blog.

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Solo walks are perfect for clearing the mind, but there's something truly special about sharing the journey. Walking with a friend doesn't just lift your spirits; it's also proven to boost physical health ...

Walking trails all over Northern Ireland were seriously effected by Storm owyn and the impacts are still being felt almost one month later. With hundreds of thousands of trees down, major sections of trails uprooted and destroyed, and resource spread thin across Northern Ireland, it is assumed full repairs will take months to complete.The following are a list of all the locations we know to still be closed following the Storm. Please note there be others which we havent been updated on:Co. AntrimTBCCo. ArmaghDarkley Forest ClosedGosford Forest Open, with some walking trails still closed. All MTB and horse trails are also closed.Keady Glen ClosedLoughgall Country park Open, however some trails remain closed. Please follow any signage.Lurgan Park Open, however some trails remain closed. Please follow any signage.Oxford Island Open, however some trails remain closed. Please follow any signage.Portadown Peoples Park Open, however some trails remain closed. Please follow any signage.Co. Derry / LondonderryPortglenone Angling Facility Riverside walk NOW OPEN.Portglenone Forest ClosedMoydamlaght Forest Fire road to Eagles rock is open, all smaller trails remain closedDerrynoid Forest (college site) OpenDerrynoid Riverside Walk ClosedIniscarn Forest Walking trails closedMaghera Walled Garden Walk Largantogher walkway openCo. DownKilbroney Park Open (Walking trails and XC MTB Trails remain closed, forest drive open at weekends only)Slieve Gullion Forest Park Opened but remote walking trails, Giants Lair and the forest drive remain closed)Drumkeeragh Forest ClosedDelamont Country Park REOPENEDWarrenpoint Park OPENGlendesha Community Trail ClosedSeaforde Woodland Walking Trail ClosedTievenadarragh Wood ClosedCarlingford Lough Greenway ClosedCorry Wood Trail REOPENEDCastlewellan Forest Park Park is open however walking trails, MTB trails, horse trails & Annesley Walled Garden & Arboretum remain closedCo. FermanaghTBCCo. TyronePomeroy Forest Park Nursery Trail & Playpark open. All other trails remained closed.Davagh Forest Trailhead and green walking trail open. All other trails remain closed.Knockmany Closed, but due to reopen soonCoalisland Canal OpenWashingbay OpenAugher Riverside Walk OpenPlantin Wood OpenLough Fea OpenThe post Trails Affected by Storm owyn An Update appeared first on WalkNI.

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Planning a trip to Europe with your motorhome, campervan or caravan? Want to use campsites and are able to travel outside of peak season? Then the ACSI camping card is perfect for you.The post ACSI Membership REVIEW- is it worth it? (& how to use) appeared first on Wandering Bird Motorhome Travel Blog.

Its one of the questions I get asked alot- How do you wash laundry while travelling? Admittedly, some of us pack more than others (cough cough, what...The post How to Wash Laundry While Travelling appeared first on Wandering Bird Motorhome Travel Blog.

Overview: Distance: 165kmCounty: Roscommon - Longford - Westmeath - Meath - Kildare - DublinFormat: Linear TrailTime: 5 - 8 DaysStart point: The National Famine Museum, Strokestown, Co. RoscommonStart point on google mapsEnd point: Dublin Docklands The end is both/either EPIC (The Irish Emigration Museum) and/or the World Poverty Stone, depending on your choice. Trail difficulty: EasyThe trail follows quiet roads, canal banks, with a small percentage of farmland. Way-marking: Yellow arrows / walking figure on a black background (affectionally known as Elvis on this website).Read about trail grading in Ireland here.Trail quality: 3/5This trail uses a lot of hard surfaces along the canal. This means that its also a very lovely cycle route, but sometimes tiring on the feet. However, it is also very easy to follow, with towns spaced nicely along it. Views: 2.5/5A wide variety of terrain and landscapesBuggy/Wheelchair friendly: NoDogs allowed: No Accommodation / Camping options: There is the official list of accommodation options on the National Famine Way website. While we camped along the Royal Canal when we first walked it, its become much more developed and is a widely used cycle path. I am doubtful camping would be possible along this route currently. When did we walk it: The Royal Canal Way Dublin - Cloondara: April 2017 The National Famine Way Cloondara - Strokestown: September 2019 Maps: Download free maps from Sport IrelandAccess the map digitally on HiiKERTypical Route Stages: Strokestown, Co Roscommon to Clondra, Co. Longford 20kmRichmond Harbour in Clondra, Co. Longford to Abbeyshrule, Co. Longford 32kmAbbeyshrule, Co. Longford to Mullingar, Co. Westmeath 27kmMullingar, Co. Westmeath to Longwood Harbour, Co. Meath 30kmLongwood, Co. Meath to Maynooth Harbour, Co. Kildare 28kmMaynooth, Co. Kildare to Famine Scupltures in Dublins Docklands 27kmThere is the option of filling out a passport by collecting stamps along this Way. Find the Stamping locations here. Cloondara, Co. Longford OverviewFrom 2017 to 2019, Carl and I walked the 42 National Waymarked Trails of Ireland, exploring everything from open mountain sides to wild river banks and quiet forest floors. However a list of trails is never a static thing, as the people and land that it interacts with change over time.Which is why, only a couple of months after finishing all of the trails, we were back out again on a new Way.This is the National Famine Way, a 165km historical trail from Roscommon to Dublin. Starting at Strokestown House and the National Famine Museum, it connects to the Royal Canal, which you then follow the whole way to Dublin and the famine statues at the World Poverty Stone in Dublin Docklands. Its a new trail, but an old tale.The National Famine Way traces the footsteps of the Strokestown tenants, men, women and children who were marched from Roscommon to Dublin in 1847 after they failed to pay their rent. In Dublin, they boarded a ship to Liverpool before journeying to North America on board some of the worst coffin ships of the time. Not all of them made it alive. They became known as the 'Missing 1490'. Developed around the stories of those who had to emigrate en-masse from rural Ireland, the National Famine Way focuses on the experiences of individuals from the time to help us see past the numbers to the personal. One of the key stories is that of twelve year old Daniel Tighe, who was part of the Missing 1490. His story is told along the walk by the bronze shoes youll find. There are some 30+ shoes installed along the trail, and at each one you can listen to the next part of his story reimagined by author Marita Conlon-McKenna. Bronze shoes installed beside a bridge, Co. Roscommon Having previously walked the Royal Canal from Dublin to Cloondara in 2017, Carl and I decided to walk the remaining 20km to the National Famine Museum, and learn about this trail and its development. It was mid-September in 2019, and is often the case in Ireland, we were having a back to school heatwave. We had only finished our original Tough Soles list of 42 National Waymarked Trails that July. It was strange to be back out again so soon, but also something of a relief to be doing something we knew so well. Was this list ever going to be over? Did we ever want it to end? However, we didnt need to solve such questions, as our good friend and long-time Tough Soles supporter Jen had made the trip to Roscommon with us, and as such was providing the perfect distraction from our own introspection. We wanted her to have a true Tough Soles Experience. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Starting in the tiny village of Cloondara, its a short 1km walk up to the next village, Termonbarry. This is also the last town or village you will pass through until Strokestown some 19km away, and so it also meant reliving the age old Tough Soles tradition of finding our one chance at coffee. As we sat in the classically dimly lit Irish pub with our mid-morning snacks, we got to watch Tarmonbarry Bridge (one of the narrower crossing points of the River Shannon) raise the middle section straight up like someone lifting both ends of a table moderately up, as if to move a rug in underneath.Continuing on, we were predominantly on small lanes for the rest of the day, taking as close to a straight line as back-country roads can offer. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize The National Famine Way is an interesting trail. As Ive mentioned, we came to this having walked the Royal Canal Way before. The canal was a perfect starter trail - the terrain is very flat, and its almost impossible to get lost. But it lacked a story to connect you to the places you passed, resulting in a bit of a monotonous few days.The creation of the National Famine Way gives you context and lens with which to see the landscape around you. This trail engages with a dark part of Irish history, and those quiet in-between sections of trail provide time to reflect. The emptiness of the bogs in the midlands takes on a new silence.Reflecting on the two experiences, I think that the Famine Way is the better way to experience this route through bog and waterways.It gives context to land, connects people to history, and reminds us to care for the people and world around us. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Thanks to Caroline Callery from the National Famine Museum for talking with us and sharing how this trail came to be. Thanks to Jen for the company!To learn more about this trail, visit nationalfamineway.ie Watch our video of this walk on YouTube Further exploringLong distance trails in this area: The Royal Canal WayThe Suck Valley WayThe Miners Way & Historical TrailRelated Locations:The National Famine MuseumStrokestown HouseEPIC: Irish Emigration Museum