Back at the end of February, with the winter weather starting to get a bit boring, my next trip came around just at the right time to get a bit of winter sun. Bilbao would be my destination, located on Spain’s northern coast and as the Basque Country’s largest city, I was looking forward to a trip full of history and culture. But before I could start exploring the city, I had to get there and for that I was trying out a new airline for me, Vueling.
After a wintery couple of days to start our mini-break in North Yorkshire, day 3 dawned much clearer and warmer, and we were optimistic for a less dramatic attempt at reaching Whitby than the day before. We had decided that rather than risk train cancellations again that we would drive directly to Whitby, which would also allow to stop off at other places on the way back if we wanted.
Back in early January, with the Christmas and New Year chaos over and done with, we decided to have a few days away from home somewhere in the UK. North Yorkshire ended up being our destination, with a little cottage on the edge of the North York Moors National Park being our home for a few nights. As it turned out, the start of our mini break coincided with a snowstorm hitting the UK and so on the morning we were driving north, we woke up to a blanket of snow covering large parts of the UK.
Christmas market visited, good food eaten and new city explored, our day in Belfast had been a success, however it was sadly time to head home. We’d once again be flying with easyJet, reversing our route from the morning as we flew from Belfast International to London Luton. I’d tried to get a flight home from Belfast’s other airport, Belfast City, just to see how it compared to its larger competitor, however unfortunately the timings didn’t work. Therefore, we ended our time in Belfast as we started it, at Grand Central bus station.
Having arrived at Belfast International Airport on an easyJet flight from Luton, it was time to head into Belfast itself to do some exploring. Two express bus routes, the 300 and 300a, provide an every-15 minutes connection to the city, with the journey to Grand Central bus station scheduled to take around an hour. In reality, our rather packed journey into the city took around 45 minutes, although I’d recommend waiting for the second bus at the airport, as the one that arrived at Grand Central shortly after us was pretty much empty.
With Christmas market season well underway, and my previous trip to Düsseldorf beginning to feel like a distance memory, it was time for another trip. Beth had a spare day’s leave and with me being on my rostered week off, we decided to have a day out to visit a Christmas market that is supposedly one of the best in the UK and also visit a new city for us, Belfast. So, on a Monday in December, we had an early start to get to Luton airport, ready to catch an easyJet flight across the Irish Sea to Belfast International.
Flights & Times 