Friday 13 September – Bushmills

Unfortunately Jamie was restless again, despite (or maybe because of?) the long walks yesterday but, after three excursions, he finally settled curled up with Bren on one of the seats – which are actually quite comfortable however, being convertible to a single bed if necessary. So it was a late start to the day with, despite the fine sunny weather, nobody feeling over-enthusiastic.

However we were in Bushmills, which everybody knows is the location of the oldest whiskey (with an “e”) distillery in Ireland so of course must be visited! Just a little too far to walk we drove up and parked in a corner then booked onto the 12.10 tour with an excellent enthusiastic guide. To be fair there are really only three parts to the process of making whiskey but Andrew made it all very interesting with the occasional quip, such are the Irish. Just for the record, the difference between the Irish and Scottish product is that firstly the fermented grain is heated with peat smoke in Scotland, giving the earthy taste. Secondly Irish whiskey is distilled three times rather than just twice to make scotch, making it a stronger smoother taste – and a trifle more expensive too!

The hour and a bit tour inevitably ended up in the 1608 bar, named after the year the distillery was officially licenced, for a complimentary dram (non-alcoholic beverages also available for non-whiskey drinkers, but then why the heck are you on this tour?). It was almost sacriledge to see two Japanese lady tourists taking the dram then leaving without drinking it!

The exit is, of course, through the gift shop where, surprise surprise, you can buy all their products including Distillery Reserve which is only available here at Bushmills itself. Naturally it would be extremely rude to not buy anything, but even more souvenir T-shirts? If you come round at Christmas we might let you have a look at the rather special bottle Terry was treated to.........

A leisurely lunch was taken in the carpark then once the driver had sobered up a bit, and as we didn't feel all that inclined to carry on anywhere else today, we returned to the P & R carpark where we all caught up on an hour or two of sleep. Tea was take-away fish and chips, not the best we've eaten but at least no cooking or washing up.

We'll move on tomorrow.