It was our first port day in Cork, Ireland and we’d decided to rent a car to explore the countryside. In Ireland they drive on the opposite side of the road, but we’d driven that way in Malawi and a dozen other countries we’d visited so we weren’t anticipating any issues. The problem with Ireland though, was that the roads were super narrow—so narrow that I was sure we were going to die every time a big truck passed us. We had so many close calls that Nick adapted by driving a bit more on the shoulder (which was pretty much nonexistent). Wouldn’t you know it, one mile from our last stop for the day, Nick shifted onto the shoulder to avoid a passing car and nicked a stone wall hidden behind some overgrowth. In the seconds it took for our front left tire to deflate, Nick deftly tucked us into a little cutout so we weren’t sitting out there exposed in the middle of the road.
After a bit of swearing we stepped out to survey the situation and Nick said, “No problem, I’ll just change the tire and we’ll be on our way.” So, we headed to the trunk to locate the spare only to discover that spares aren’t a thing anymore. All you get is tire sealant, which in no way was going to fix our massive gash. With that avenue ruled out, we reached for our phones. No signal, of course, even though we’d specifically purchased a wireless plan for the British Isles.
At this point we were running out of options, so I told Nick I was going to flag down the next car that drove by. I could tell he was not thrilled with this option, but since he didn’t seem to have a better plan, I went for it. Not a minute later I heard a car coming, so I put on my biggest smile, stepped out into the road and began waiving my hands like a maniac. By some miracle, they actually stopped. It was a sweet older Irish couple and their 20-something son out for a day of sightseeing. I explained our predicament and asked if they could dial the emergency number we’d been given. The 20-something had service and got through to emergency services and handed the phone to Nick to coordinate towing, all while I chatted up the family for the next 10 minutes.
The family soon went on their way and we were left to wait for the tow truck, which we were told would be an hour or so. Nick kindly offered to stay with the car so I could continue on to see what we’d planned in the town of Lismore. I wasn’t passing up that offer, so off I went on a 30-minute-walk to town while he stayed behind. The problem, however, was that the tow truck never came (they were apparently waiting to reach him via phone first but he had no signal).
After 90 minutes of waiting, my problem-solving husband figured out how to activate the international plan for our US carrier and was able to successfully reach the towing company. Then it became a race against time since the car didn’t get picked up ‘til 3:20 and we needed to be on the road by 4 PM to make the hour drive to catch the 5 PM train to get to our boat before it sailed away at 5:30 PM. I was a wreck and was sure we’d have to spend the night in Ireland and catch up with the boat the next day in Dublin.
The mechanics did the change lickety split and we were on the road by 4 PM. It was touch and go whether we’d make it—not to mention that we were both nervous to be driving again on the narrow Irish roads, now with time pressure! By some miracle, we pulled into the rental return at 4:53, threw the keys at the manager, and proceeded to sprint for five minutes to reach the train station. We made it with two minutes to spare and were both still huffing and puffing when we took our seats. ‘Twas a bit too much excitement for my liking….
British weather also lived up to its stereotype—it was overcast, cold, and rainy for every day but one! The worst part was how everyone kept telling us how they just had four weeks of the most glorious sunny weather. :( Good thing we brought our rain coats! They turned out to be our most-used items.
Then, on our third port day in Liverpool, we were anchored to the pier but they wouldn’t let us get off the boat due to the strong currents. We were super bummed because we had tickets to tour Liverpool’s soccer stadium, Anfield, which just so happened to be the day the team was being crowned Premier League champions. Oh well, at least I’ll always have this picture to remember Liverpool. ;)
I am pleased to report that our luck improved as the cruise went on. We didn’t have any more accidents or canceled ports and we even had a few sunny days to enjoy in Edinburgh and Rouen. If you’d like to check out the full gallery of photos from the trip CLICK HERE.
