How Getting Stuck in the Irish Wilds Became Our Favourite Trip

There’s a certain romance to hitting the open road in a campervan: the freedom, the spontaneity, the endless scenic backdrops. But no one really talks about what happens when Google Maps gives up, the roads get narrower than a wheelbarrow, and you end up eye-to-eye with a curious cow.

This is exactly what happened to us on a soggy Tuesday morning in County Kerry.

The Plan (Which Went Out the Window)

We’d set off that morning with grand ideas: drive along the coast, stop at a hidden beach, brew a coffee with a sea view. Armed with playlists, snacks, and a slightly overconfident sense of direction, we rolled out of a sleepy village in our trusty campervan—rain already spitting sideways across the windscreen.

About 45 minutes in, Google Maps froze. Just a spinning circle and a screen that wouldn’t load. No signal. No backup plan. But we figured, how lost can you get in Ireland?

Turns out, very.

The Road Less Traveled (and Probably Meant for Tractors)

We turned off what looked like a decent country road and into what was probably an old cattle path. Hedgerows clawed at the van as the road narrowed with every twist. Then—dead stop. A cow. Standing right in the middle of the lane, unfazed, chewing and blinking like we were the ones out of place.

We waited. She stared. It became clear this wasn’t her first standoff.

Eventually, she wandered off in her own time, but not before giving our wing mirror a love tap with her backside. The rain, meanwhile, had turned from drizzle to full-on horizontal Atlantic warfare. It battered the side of the van with a rhythm that felt personal.

The Turnaround (Both Literal and Emotional)

There was no turning back—literally. The road was too narrow. So we kept going. Slowly. Laughing at how ridiculous it had all become. Shoes were soggy. The gas hob was refusing to light. One of us (not naming names) dropped a wet sock into a frying pan.

But something shifted.

We pulled over near a field, cracked open a tin of beans, and sat in the back of the van with the doors flung open. Rain poured off the roof like a waterfall, and a rainbow crept across the valley below. We were soaked, lost, and happy.

That evening, we found a safe but secluded woodland area to park up in. We poured hot chocolate into enamel mugs and played cards by fairy light. Somewhere between the downpour and the detour, the trip became less about where we were going and more about the sheer joy of being exactly where we were—nowhere, together.

Lessons from a Rainy Road

Would we recommend losing GPS and getting stuck behind livestock? Maybe not. But we will say this:

• Always bring a paper map.

• Pack twice as many dry socks as you think you’ll need.

• And most importantly, embrace the chaos.

  
  

Because sometimes, the best memories are the ones you didn’t plan at all.

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