The Six Counties Challenge

So how do we spend Bank Holidays? Today poor Neil had to go out and work, but the rest of us were off, so after a nice lie in, we set off. On leaving home, we couldn't decide where to go, so mum decided on a mystery tour.

En route, I then decided to see if we could make it into all six counties of Northern Ireland... Getting the five big counties isn't too hard - a lap around Lough Neagh gets you Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Londonderry and Antrim. But how to incorporate Fermanagh???

Before we had decided on the 6-counties, we went in round by Donaghcloney, Dollingstown, Lurgan, Portadown, then out by Drumcree and onto the back roads by Derryanvil and into Maghery, Derrylee (which seemingly isn't where the cheese comes from...) and to Moygashel.

Then the challenge was on... so off we went down the A4 towards Enniskillen - but it would be too far to go, so we went instead by Augher, Clogher and Fivemiletown - all of which were still in Tyrone. Rage! But from Fivemiletown it was onto the backroads and in by Clabby, to Trillick, then back into Tyrone to show the folks the 'other' Dromore (seeing our same address over there - whose mail we sometimes get...) and to Omagh. The next challenge was to get to Londonderry, by crossing the Sperrins - by Cookstown or by the Glenelly valley?

Having loved the Sperrins, I decided we would go by Gortin, Plumbridge and up the Glenelly valley into Draperstown, Desertmartin and into Magherafelt. We stopped for a while there, then headed back home via Toomebridge, Antrim, Dundrod and Lisburn to get our final county - Antrim!

So all six counties can be visited in one day. The next challenge is... what about all 26 District Councils? Although to prove it, we would need to get a photo of a sign welcoming us to the borough... I think it would be a great laugh.

Anyone up for the challenge???