And so the adventure continues

Neha Holmes, the freelance Journalist who is currently traveling around the world with her family and the iCandy Peach All Terrain, continues her story in part two of this awe-inspiring journey.

Please read on to discover how the family got on during the Irish segment of their adventure. Furthermore, please click here to refresh your memory on the previous chapter of their story which took the family to France.

A three-and-a-half-hour drive away from the Ariege mountains made the legendary surfer's paradise area of Biarritz, our next stop, a manageable escape armed with all our baby clobber, from car seats to a year’s supply of nappies and wet wipes to the trusty Peach All-Terrain.

Walking through the picturesque town of Biarritz, you really get a sense of its glitterati past. You get a feel of why the rich and glamourous have loved the place for centuries. As we walked around the chic-shabby streets, there was the Peach in front of us, gliding through a mass of tourists reminding us why we have grown to love it. From being rugged and versatile enough to go into the mountains to now being so efficient strolling along the beach and up and around the cobbled streets of Biarritz, you really can do a lot of things with it.

After a day of walking around, we settled in to the amazingly positioned Sofitel Biarritz le Miramar Thalassa Sea & Spa and it really didn’t disappoint. With 126 peaceful rooms and comfy cots available for little ones, and an outdoor and indoor swimming pool the hotel is perfect for babies. From the deluxe high chairs at breakfast to the little nursery goodies stocked in our room, our every baby need was catered for. We even had space on our sprawling balcony for the Peach to rest whilst we kicked back and enjoyed the glorious view overlooking the bay and lighthouse.

It wasn’t long until we were off again, this time driving north up the coast of France to eventually cross into Ireland. One of the major bonuses of travelling with the Peach is that it has a quick release front wheel which you can take off to store it away more easily. Highly useful for us parents with an entourage of baby paraphernalia weighing our vehicles down.

It was at the ferry port just as we were about to cross the Channel into Ireland that my husband turned to me with his head looking down. “Erm, I think,” he said nervously, “I think we’ve left the front wheel of the Peach behind.”

“What,” I say, frantically ripping luggage out of the back of the boot in a desperate attempt to find it. “Where? Oh gosh. What? How on earth will be able to function without the buggy for the rest of our journey?!”

After prolonged discussion, during which my husband admitted he was responsible for the blunder and I insisted there was no way we could drive the 5-hour journey back to find the wheel, we eventually decided to call iCandy HQ.

A short call later and iCandy had successfully managed to find us Pitter Patter Prams in Dublin who had the spare part in stock. I sigh. We’ve dodged a marital bust up and saved ourselves from carrying our now nearly 9 kilo son around the whole of Ireland. Phew.

From crawling around the streets of Dublin to enjoy pints of the black stuff to crossing the Irish sea into the Welsh town of Bangor and then into the beautiful mountains of Snowdonia, the Peach really did us proud. Through woodland and alongside streams, up steep hills and through the spoils of a slate quarry to reach an idyllic lake, amazingly, we are still keen to continue the adventure. And there’s no doubt that the Peach will be ready to keep up with us along the way…