Fun at the fair

Recently my sister and I spent a week up at the North Coast. I hadn't been there in ages so it was lovely to visit! One of the things I love about Northern Ireland is that you're never too far from the sea. It only took us an hour and a half to drive to the coast, compared with about five hours if you live in the middle of Spain!

Admittedly, the weather wasn't as sunny as we would have liked it to be. But the breathtaking scenery soon made up for all that! 

One day we went to Portrush, one of the seaside towns. It has two beautiful beaches and a couple of independent shops - for example, The White House, a small department store that's good for a browse and The Bookcase, a second hand bookshop on Dunluce Avenue. 

We started the day off with a visit to Barry's Amusements - the largest theme park in NI, according to Wikipedia. It's tiny in comparison to the likes of Alton Towers but it's all we've got! 

It has rides for all types of people - ones that spin around and turn you upside down…..

ones that loop the loop…..

and a slightly tamer one called The Cyclone, which I find very enjoyable! 

It was very windy and so this ride was off limits. It swings you high up in the air, right over the beach. I've been on it once and safe to say that was my first and last time! 

After we had exhausted our supply of tokens we walked across the street to Morelli's Ice-cream. They have a full parlour (with sundaes!) in Portstewart but there are smaller shops dotted around the coast for holiday makers who just want a simple cone. 

The flavours were really incredible! I didn't manage to get pictures of them all (and to be honest they weren't quite as pretty as the French ones) but I'll give you an idea - Jaffa Cake, Raspberry Ruffle, Chocolate Honeycomb, Mr Nico (nuts and caramel)… I chose Lemon Cheesecake and Daim Bar Crunch. If you're in the area, Morelli's is well worth a visit! 

We had an organised activity next on the West Strand - surfing! I'm not the best of swimmers and so I was slightly worried, but I gulped down my fears and took the plunge. (See what I did there?) 

It was so cold and windy that the water felt warmer than the air! 

I had no need to worry - the instructors were all very helpful (and very handsome, too). They stood out in the sea with us, helping us onto our boards and giving us a little push. I even managed to stand up on my board - something I was very proud of considering I hadn't surfed before. 

Smiling and sandy, we trudged back up to the car park and headed home for sausages and mash and a hot shower. What a brilliant day! 

(We booked a two hour group lesson with Alive Surf School. I would really recommend it - I loved it so much that I might have to schedule another lesson!)