{"id":2229,"date":"2026-07-21T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/?p=2229"},"modified":"2026-07-19T20:53:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T19:53:22","slug":"a-couple-from-mullingar-converted-an-old-ambulance-into-a-camper-and-have-spent-the-summer-chasing-headlands-along-the-causeway-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/a-couple-from-mullingar-converted-an-old-ambulance-into-a-camper-and-have-spent-the-summer-chasing-headlands-along-the-causeway-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"A couple from Mullingar converted an old ambulance into a camper and have spent the summer chasing headlands along the Causeway Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

They left Mullingar<\/strong> in a white van that still whispered of bandages and blue<\/strong> lights. By the first week of June, it had become a home<\/strong>, and the siren\u2019s old wiring was feeding fairy<\/strong> lights. They pointed the nose toward the north<\/strong>, chased weather apps and tide tables<\/strong>, and kept asking the same question: where does the land turn to sky<\/strong> the quickest.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

From Siren to Slow Lane<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

The rig began life as an ambulance<\/strong>, square-shouldered and stern<\/strong>. They stripped decals, patched holes, and dressed the box in pine<\/strong> and patience. \u201cWe wanted a space that felt quiet<\/strong>, even when the sea was loud<\/strong>,\u201d says Aoife, running a hand over a countertop they sanded to a soft sheen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

They kept the bulkhead<\/strong>, but cut a pass-through for rainy mornings<\/strong>. Two solar panels feed a leisure<\/strong> battery; a diesel heater waits for Atlantic moods<\/strong>. \u201cIt\u2019s not fancy,\u201d Ciar\u00e1n laughs, \u201cbut the kettle boils fast<\/strong>, and the view changes every hour<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A Tiny Home With Big Windows<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Inside, the palette is light<\/strong>, with open shelves and latches<\/strong> that click like commas. A pull-out bed becomes a sofa<\/strong>, framing cliffs like postcards<\/strong>. Hooks carry wet jackets; baskets carry books<\/strong> and butter; a narrow drawer guards maps<\/strong> and spare fuses.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

They kept one medical cabinet<\/strong>, its frosted glass now holding mugs<\/strong>. \u201cWe wanted traces of its past<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife says, \u201cnot to erase the story<\/strong>.\u201d When the door slides shut, their world is six metres<\/strong> long and as deep as a tide<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Rhythm of the Causeway<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t chase beaches; they chased edges<\/strong>. From Downhill and Mussenden Temple<\/strong> to Torr Head\u2019s tight lanes<\/strong>, they learned to park early and breathe<\/strong>. Wind writes the daily agenda<\/strong>; squalls turn cups of tea into little theatres<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cOut here, you read clouds<\/strong> like books,\u201d Ciar\u00e1n says, watching a front peel off the Atlantic<\/strong>. The cliffs absorb mood<\/strong>; the basalt holds its own soft heat<\/strong>. Evenings drift into torches and tidelines<\/strong>, gulls stitching silver through dusk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Headlands That Hooked Them<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

They found a rhythm of arriving late, leaving light<\/strong>, and walking just far enough<\/strong> to feel the cliff\u2019s slow pulse<\/strong>. Three places live in their pockets<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n
  • Torr Head, where roads turn spinal<\/strong> and the sea turns steel<\/strong><\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Kinbane Head, a chalk-white finger<\/strong> pointing at old stories<\/strong><\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  • Magilligan Point, where dunes hold wind<\/strong> and ships draw rulers<\/strong><\/li>\n

    \n<\/ul>\n

    <\/p>\n

    At each, the ambulance curled into a lee and let the body exhale<\/strong>. \u201cThere\u2019s a moment when the van settles<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife says, \u201cand the whole headland seems to listen<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Learning Curves and Quiet Joys<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They learned to ration water<\/strong>, smile at midges<\/strong>, and cook with three flames<\/strong> and two spoons<\/strong>. A folding table lives in the rear door<\/strong>, and dinner finds its way to sand<\/strong> if they push the knives too fast<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    They never wild-camped on fragile ground<\/strong>, always asked locals<\/strong>, and packed out more than they brought<\/strong>. \u201cRespect isn\u2019t a rulebook<\/strong>,\u201d says Ciar\u00e1n, \u201cit\u2019s a set of small habits<\/strong> repeated until they make a place<\/strong> better.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Missteps happened: a low branch scraped a vent<\/strong>, a wheel kissed a soft verge<\/strong>, coffee erupted in a slow motion<\/strong> geyser. Each time the fix was part toolkit<\/strong>, part humour<\/strong>, and part long walk to let tempers cool<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Moments That Stay<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    One dawn at Benone Strand<\/strong>, a fog line lifted like a curtain<\/strong>, and the sand turned mirror-flat and endless<\/strong>. Another evening, they stood under Dunluce Castle<\/strong>, where swallows cut black script<\/strong> against a sherbet sky<\/strong>. \u201cI kept thinking of pages<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife says, \u201chow every cove is a margin<\/strong> where notes get brave<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    At the Giant\u2019s Causeway<\/strong>, they waited past the last coach and noise<\/strong>. Basalt grew tender<\/strong> in the hush; hexagons warmed to a dull ember<\/strong> under bare feet<\/strong>. The van lights were off; the stars were on<\/strong>; the road back felt carved from quiet<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The Cost of Freedom<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The purchase was a battered steal<\/strong>, the work a long evening<\/strong> repeated for months<\/strong>. They learned 12-volt logic<\/strong>, bought a multimeter with more patience<\/strong> than they had, and trusted YouTube as a late-night teacher<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Fuel was their biggest line<\/strong>, ice cream their sweetest sin<\/strong>, parking their frequent puzzle<\/strong>. \u201cWe spent less on rooms<\/strong>, more on routes<\/strong>,\u201d Ciar\u00e1n says, \u201cand we traded plans for weather<\/strong> without feeling we\u2019d lost a thing<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Why They\u2019ll Keep Going<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    The map is now furred with sand<\/strong>, the logbook clipped with dried sea<\/strong> pinks, and the van carries a faint hospital echo<\/strong> that somehow sounds like a lullaby<\/strong>. They came for headlands; they found a slowness that holds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cWe thought we were building a camper<\/strong>,\u201d Aoife says, \u201cbut really we were building a different clock<\/strong>.\u201d The ambulance, once built for urgency, now measures only presence<\/strong> and the distance between kettle and horizon<\/strong>. Tomorrow\u2019s plan is simple and bright<\/strong>: drive until the cliff says stop<\/strong>, and let the day finish the sentence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2229","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2229"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2247,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229\/revisions\/2247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2229"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2229"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.farmersforum.ie\/trends\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2229"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}