With all the travel disruption over the past few weeks, we gave ourselves plenty of time for the journey. It has never gone more smoothly, starting with Mark and Maggie giving us a lift to the airport, and some very friendly and helpful airport staff, flight crew and coach driver.

Kevin thought we’d need more time as we travelled with a toaster in our hand luggage. Whilst home, we bought one to use when ‘plugged in’. Kevin had visions of the bomb squad being called when it was scanned. In the end, security thought it hilarious. Lots of banter including where’s the marmite?

A slightly hazy view of the entrance into Malahide and the marina, showing the narrow, shallow channel.

A long, but pleasant journey, ended with another lovely surprise. As we walked past The Happy Pear vegan shop and restaurant, the owner gave us one of the loaves he hadn’t sold that day…

… do you think he knew we had a toaster in our bag?

We no longer hold our breath seeing the youngsters jump off the high sea wall into the marina, but my stomach did lurch looking out of the coach window in Dublin, when a young boy jumped into the canal, narrowly missing a pontoon.