Belfast to Greenwich Peninsula

On the 3.00 am ferry from Larne to Cairnryan after the show and then 438 miles to the Greenwich Peninsula: a long haul that requires two drivers doing shifts at the wheel. The three buses arrive in convoy at the Intercontinental hotel at 4.30 pm. I had managed to sleep on and off for 14 hours and was glad not to have taken the option to fly. (Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly given the carbon footprint of internal flights, neither had anyone else in the band.) After checking in, a brief wander around the environs was enough to send me back to my lodgings, lodgings that might be better described as a "stylish and spacious one bedroom home offering well planned accommodation arranged off the central hallway'', than a hotel room.

I wasn't entirely convinced by the "surrounding brilliant mix of independent cafes, bars and restaurants, as well as shops, pharmacies, and local schools'', or "the acres of outdoor green space'' which just seemed to be what was left over after the developers had made their millions and bankrupted themselves. The "elevated 5km walking/running route along the Thames'' was just metres from the 24 hour concierge but behind a security fence with locked gates that entailed a 1km walk to get to get back to where you started. I certainly had no use for the local golf driving range.

I did consider the possibility of cooking myself a meal in the well appointed kitchen; induction hob, integrated fridge, freezer, washing machine and wine cooler but a search of the fitted kitchen cabinets revealed only two plates, two mugs and two tumblers. There was no cutlery to be seen (or, oddly, even a cutlery drawer which is hard to interpret as a 'feature'). And no pots and pans. Are these surplus to requirements for modern living in Greenwich Peninsula? I satisfied myself with a selection of snacks retrieved from the bus and settled down to watch a movie in the spacious living / dining area with sizeable balcony.