It's a wanderful life, so it is

Mhairi has wanted to visit the Outer Banks (OBX) for years and we were finally in a position to explore the area. It’s quite a drive from most everywhere, but worth it when you arrive. The drive through Virginia would normally have been fairly bland, you’re basically just driving through a corridor of trees, with nothing much else to see. However, making the journey in late October was stunning. The Autumn colours were just on a different level.

Rural North Carolina, before we reached the OBX, provided scenery of a different kind. Suddenly there was a plethora of Trump advertising everywhere and it was quite aggresive in nature. Not a nice feeling.

Once on the OBX, which is basically a spit of land consisting of sand dunes that has been developed into a holiday maker’s dream, we had a blast. The Wright brothers made their first powered flight here in Kitty Hawk in 1903 and, given the amount of travelling we do, we are eternally grateful to them for their achievement

There is a great memorial to them and the commemorative sculpture even has the locals cheering them on. We joined in, cheering with as much joy as if Celtic had won the European Cup – again!

The biggest draw to the OBX is the beaches. Niall wanted to go in the sea. We thought he was mad because it was the end of October and this was the Atlantic without the protection of the Gulf Stream. It would be freezing! Actually, it wasn’t too bad and we went for a dip a couple of times. We never got beyond knee-depth though, as the strength of the surge was like nothing we’d ever experienced. Although only knee-deep we both got floored by waves and we all emerged soaked through both times. It really brings home the power of the sea and we want to live long enough to enjoy our travels, so we weren’t taking any risks. Gerry’s not sure how insured we are for that!

We would definitely recommend a visit to the OBX. There are even wild horses roaming the beaches at the tip of the island but we didn’t have the necessary 4×4 vehicle to drive onto the beaches to see them. Maybe next time.