This adventurous journey was made with the sole purpose of getting to a “good spot” on Curracloe beach on our holidays in Co. Wexford, Ireland. Strange then, that my journey on this day would remind me of the beach, when the nearest sea is over 500 km away. This adventure is today being experienced by my sons: Antoni (7), and Adam (5). Today’s goal is not to find the elusive “good spot” on the beach, but to find Góry Pieprzowe, mountains near Sandomierz in Świetokrzyskie, Poland. Hard to picture a mountain in this area, which is as flat as a pancake with overgrown bushes and wild unkempt trees, “it is here” my wife Iwona promises. “A mountain, here? Are you sure?” I ask. As we make our way winding through wild trees and sandy paths, which only get smaller, I realise it is not just the landscape which reminds me of Wexford but the emptiness and stillness of this place. A quietness only broken by joyful shouts from my children, who are creating an imaginary adventure of their own. I wait for their joyful shouts to turn to miserable moans and groans. “I’m hungry”, “I'm thirsty”, “can we have a rest”. All questions I asked of my father, and all answered by me in the same unsatisfactory way that he answered. “We will stop in a while”, “your mother has the water bottle”. I crack on relentless , the cruel father orchestrating the march. Knowing full well the pain my children are experiencing but also knowing that when we reach our goal their frowns will turn to smiles, their boredom to amazement.