The Amazing Bray Challenge of James, Aoife and Rachel took place on 5th April 2008. Following reports that FOUR (*show three fingers*), yes FOUR, is the total number of inhabitants of Bray (namely Aoife, her dad, her mum and the mouse), James and Rachel decided to explore this unknown territory with Aoife as guide and protector. They felt safe in Aoife's capable hands, knowing that the threat of the dreaded Number 29 would go before them...

However, as James and Rachel pulled into the DART station, they were momentarily caught off-balance, as there was no Aoife (and therefore no safety) standing on the platform... Having made it over the bridge, avoiding the strange foreigners determined to photograph the strange machine they call the DART, imagine their relief when they found here perched on a wall just outside...

Bray holds many deceiving elements. Firstly, there is no one way of getting anywhere, but rather a multitude - useful for confusing strangers and ensuring that they will consistently get lost... And then there is the town hall, so beautiful outside, but containing a huge secret (namely, Ronald McDonald...) And finally (for all I know, there could be more...) there are the IRA meeting centres which masquerade themselves as church halls and hotels... really, you wouldn't know the difference!!

After a brief tour to familiarise themselves with the town and to obtain provisions for the long journey before them, James, Rachel and Aoife headed for the hills, determined to reach the top...

The following are extracts from their logbook recording their exploits, adventures and mishaps. An honest account, the authors try to recreate a sense of the test of endurance that this adventure would bring and the peril that was held in store for them...

Day the First
All are still jaunty and up for the challenge. The gorse bushes have not yet been set alight. James in particular is looking forward to the thought of a golf course on the side of a mountain.
Past Rest Stop 1. Hard core. No rest.
Here starts the real climb. We pass sinister paths leading to sinister places. Rest stop 2. The first complaint.

Day the Third
James claims a tree stump in the name of the king, but also... "I want to go home, Rachel! I want to go home!"
Photo opportunity. Stories of hill-walking gone wrong don't scare the troops, encouraging as they are. Beauty and the Beast. Is that a wolf? Panic. But no. Don't worry. It's just a bear...

Day the Fourth
Still optimistic. First glimpse of Aoife's house - our ultimate aim. Aoife seeks sympathy for the trek she must make every day. Ungiven. James takes the lead. Aoife and Rachel become dubious.
Bodhrán.
Rachel can't see where she is going when she writes. Could be a problem.
James starts to strip. The first layer.

Day the Sixth
Goal in sight. Putting new heart into the troops. James suffers a near fateful fatal fall
Wilderness. Distress. James tells Rachel she's fun, vanishing her distress.
Clamber. Aoife and James take Rachel's multitasking skills too far. Abandon clambering at big rock.

Day the Eighth
Due to an unfortunate clambering accident, Aoife taken over the recording duties. Brief setback makes the team more determined. James learns to breathe fire.
Possibility of a run-in with a Columbian drug raid. James nearly decapitates himself.

The home strait.

And...exhausted...windswept... we make it.

Scenery and convention don't impress James.

Day the Tenth
Base camp has to be moved as James comes close to explosion
Aoife can't find a hairpin, but James can't help her. Even though he is usually covered in hairclips. Obviously.

Arklow, Arklow, Arklow!!

Strange nodding disease overtakes 2/3 of the group. When the healthy 1/3 proposes a cull, the other 2/3 join forces and shove him off the side of the mountain (see picture. he is later found again)

Downwards
Aoife feels this

Wednesday 2nd Januay. Anna, Joan and James descend on Strabane. Rachel's accent immediately starts to change...by the end of the day she will have become a Dublin girl once more...

Picking James up in Letterkenny, we realised that he is more short-sighted than we thought...but soon we were all safe and sound and home.... and it wasn't long till he had cried. Three times, in fact. In about 5 minutes...

Enchanted. As per Aoife's instructions - nay, orders! - we saw it. Now! What a movie! #I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss#... #how does she know that you love her??#
Proper old-style Disney. Fantastic. the music!!

Making dresses out of curtains... our new aspiration in life.

Pool. Oh yeah. Who was it said Joan was bad? She wasn't put off...we won!!!! Haha!! Although there were many times when we (ashamedly?) missed the ball.... the white one, that is!

Ballroom dancing...ah, all that waltzing, cha cha etc...whirl! James wouldn't lead, and then we stubbed toes, and then he lead and we got it right! James is now going to sue me for internal bleeding caused by a large steel object. My big toe. hmm...

Quite the musical weekend actually!!

The Sound of Music completed James' life education (guys, I'm actually watching TV while doing this and the Skoda ad with 'My Favourite Things' just came on... no kidding! How random...)
#How DO you solve a problem like Maria??# #Cuckoo!# #You are sixteen, going on seventeen...#

Spontaneous rain. Subversive. (and many more...comments?)

Sleep!! (James kindly didn't wake us too early!!) Breakfast!

Asda! Cafe, cheap books, CDs, photo frames, sweets, tea...#Hey Big Spender!!# and then New Look, where we discovered the size of James' hands (bigger than ours!), SpongeBob pyjamas (excited much Joan?) and realised that we were 'still waiting for Mr. Perfect'.

Jelly Babies and ButterMints!

Leona Lewis. Bleeding Love. James didn't talk to Rachel for a while after that. #How does she know that you love her?#

Trampolining!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What fun...

Les Mis (a whole new side to Rachel)

North & South, yes all 4 hours of it!! - amazing. Love the contentment you get when you watch period drama. all is right with the world!

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Driving in a winter wonderland... We're singing in the snow, we're singing in the snow, what a wonderful
Although it was a bit scary at times after dropping James to his favouite place on earth. At least we know now where they got the idea of travelling through time on the telly... So, no more James! Really, you would have thought he'd have been a little bit sad to leave us!! And it turns out Anna and Joan are now my sisters! Yay!

SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TRAMPOLINING IN THE SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!
See the pictures. It was good.

My aunt arriving with random presents!
Strictly Ballroom. Strange but cool.

And much talk about books, films, period dramas... and so forth!!

What a few days! But now all is quiet and you are all gone... #Regretfully they tell us, but firmly they compel us to say goodbye...to you!#
See you guys on Monday! x

During one night of football (less than an hour playing!!), I managed to:
1) Get punched in the nose by the goalie going for the ball
2) Get whacked with the ball in:
a) the back
b) the shoulder
c) the chest
d) the leg
e) the head (well, I actually whacked that one)
3)Hit the radiator with my hand as I ran for the ball (funny, the bruise came up almost immediately, I was impressed! It hurts now though...)
4) Kick the wall (going for the ball...only someone took it...)

And yet the guys there still think I'm a good player. What's the deal with that??