It's the moon.

GAT outing South Beach, Greystones.

We are braving the unsettled weather and going east. Franciska found some second hand solar panels for sale so we are going to pick them up on our way up to a full moon gathering.

We just got a portable power station so we can keep our cool box powered (cold beers) unfortunately it only last so long, so we are going to invest in solar panels in our quest to become more off grid.

We debated where to spend the night and the choice fell on Wicklow mountains. Found a car park that catered for campervans and set up the tent. There were no amenities but that's ok. It was a gorgeous place to stay and we watched a beautiful sunset. We meet some nice people that were happy to chat a little. It was too windy for a fire and we were both cold so we went to bed early. During the night the wind picked up. It was a rather exposed area and the wind gusts exceeded the recommended limits for the Tentbox. We weren't quite sure how to best protect the tent, but ended up closing it all up and even took the summer awning off. Hoping that was enough, we tried to get some sleep. Franciska ended up going for a walk around the car park and watched some boy racers doing donuts up the road. It was impossible to sleep. By 5 am we decided it was enough. The poor tent needed a rest from the relentless wind. We packed up and went to a nearby gas station and had coffee. Well deserved we felt.

We had seen some signs on the way down the mountain to devil's glen wood. We wanted to check it out and Google got us there. It was very quiet and beautiful. We decided on making coffee and scrambled eggs before walking the trail. Soon we could hear the river far down below in the gorge. The trail led us along mossy rocks, ruins and of course lots of trees above and underneath us. Unfortunately the trail ended before we reached the waterfall. It was closed and too dangerous to continue. It was a nice walk though and we felt much better afterwards.

A little lost to what to do we thought we could just as well go to the beach. Further down the mountain the weather seems okay so maybe the beach will be a nice place to spend the day. Greystone is a sweet little town that we soon had explored. Some starlings joined us for coffee at a cafe, probably because we shared an oat cookie with them. They were very funny to watch and they would jump up in the air to catch the crumbs we through at them. We tried for a nap on the beach but only managed half an hour so we were quite miserable. At least the weather wasn't too bad. Rain, windy and sunny. I guess on the road, not everything is glamorous.

The rest of the day, we spend chilling and going for walks. There have so far been no signs of the gathering. We went to sort out our recycling. Bottles and cans were easily done, but the glass bank were at the other end of the beach.

We wanted to walk along the beach back and enjoy the lovely evening. As we came down onto the beach we spot a group of people, who we think might be the full mooners. We approach them shyly and it quickly turns out we are the right place. We were welcomed, offered food and we had some nice chats with some lovely people. The moon took a while to show, but it was well worth it. It was beautiful. The color of the moon, shining onto the water, the fire on the beach, and best of all, watching it with some lovely people, it was magical. Thank you for a lovely evening. Well worth the wait xx

We had a quiet night despite being in a car park, next to a train station. There are a few other campers but haven't really met any of them. Watched a beautiful sunrise in the morning and made coffee. Wondered about going for a swim. The water looked very inviting, but nope. We had a visitor for coffee. A man had been stranded the night and was looking for coffee. We sat and chatted for a while. he had been homeless for a few years, living in a tent up the mountain. He seemed like a nice man and he didn't complain or felt sorry for himself, but it made us appreciate all the more what we have. The opportunities we have, the choices we have made and that we are fulfilling our dreams. We camp and we want to do it full time, but it's a choice. We love the freedom it gives us, the experience of it and the exploration of new places, meeting people and being exposed to different cultures.

Although urban camping is very handy, and this setting was definitely gorgeous, we have discovered it's not really us. We like the open quieter places.

For this trip, it's over. Back home for a shower and dealing with kids and reality