Day -1 Getting to the start.
Train to Euston then a short cycle to Paddington to catch the afternoon train to south Wales. Went through the tunnel under the Severn. I was supposed to change at Newport but the train was late so stayed on til Swansea by which time the this train had 'overtaken' the slow train I was connecting with. Got the little Arriva train to Fishguard and luckily there was space for my bike. Got a few bits in town and had some fish and chips. Then cycled the 5 miles to the YHA which is at a remote clifftop location. And up the steepest hill imaginable! The warden at the YHA was a rather rude woman and there were the typical hostel types. Amazing sea views.
Day 0 Ferry across the Irish Sea.
Not a great sleep at the YHA - I'm not a fan of dorms, and it's raining. Leisurely cycle down the steep hill back to Fishguard Harbour. Waited at the ferry terminal for a few hours sheltered from the increasing rain. Met a couple of mature cycle tourists from Kent. They said it was 30C in Kent, a far cry from our conditions in the extremity of south west Wales. They were going the other direction in Ireland though, from Rosslare to Dublin. Got on the ferry without any passport or ID checks (this was to become a theme on my trip!) It was a very rough and stormy crossing and the World Cup quarter finals were showing in the lounge with some very rowdy Germans. A few hours later we exited at Rosslare and still raining pretty hard so I decided to give the campsite a miss and check in to Rosslare Port Lodge Hotel where the couple I had met earlier were staying. Not cheap at 45E per night and no breakfast. And very thin walls as I discovered later! Had a very filling pizza and chips from the local chippy.
Day 1 Rosslare - Dungarvan 76 miles
Hurrah! The rain has stopped. Headed towards Wexford but took a left turn on to a smaller road. There was a diversion at Duncormick. Got the ferry across to Waterford. There was a headwind all the way and then it started pissing down when I reached Dungarvan. It took me a while to find somewhere, but found a decent cheap BnB run by a very friendly lady and only 30E. Bike in the garage. Google Maps said there was a McDonald's in town but the location was wrong. Sadly, it was a few miles out of town. I passed it the next morning, but by then I was full of Irish breakfast!
Day 2 Dungarvan - Blarney 53 miles
A big hill out of town to start the day. Met some friendly local cyslists at a petrol station near Youghal. Lots of helpful tips. Eventually made it to Cork. It started raining again but was only a shower so took some refuge under a tree. Headed north to Blarney. The campsite was at the top of a very steep hill. My first campsite in Ireland! And the local take away delivers here - excellent! Nice spot but a family of upper class 'glampers' rock up next door and a very unfriendly.
Day 3 Blarney - Skibbereen 63 miles
Went in to Blarney village. Found a launderette and a wonderful new café for breakfast. I went to check ou the famous Blarney stone, but too expensive and I didn't want to leave my loaded bike outside. So I picked up my washing and then carried on the cycle. Retraced my steps back to Cork, then southwest to Skibbereen. had lunch at a nice delicatessen at Innishannon. Skibbereen campsite was lovely, very secluded but not too far from town. A Cornish pixie was playing Celtic folk music and I met Arnaud, a French cycle tourist who I also met later on. Another fish and chips for supper and then a good sleep and quiet.
Day 4 Skibbereen - Bantry 62 miles
First section to Ballydehob, then Goleen and Mizen Head. Spectacular scenery and lovely weather. Got my photo taken at Mizen Head (the Irish equivalent of Land's End) and I also got to Malin Head (the equivalent of John o' Groats). Retraced my steps back to Goleen. I had had headwinds all the way so far, but now as I turned north, they were now tailwinds! I met an Ulsterman doing Malin to Mizen and he was complaining of headwinds all the way. Bad news for him, good news for me! Beautiful sunset in Bantry. Eventually found a complete dive, no breakfast but only 20E run by an old woman. It was the night when Germany thrashed Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup but frustratingly I missed it because I couldn't get in anywhere that did food and was showing it!
Day 5 Bantry - Sneem 45 miles
Long climb out of Bantry over a mountain pass, through a tunnel and into county Kerry! Down to Kenmore, a bustling market town, then headed west on the ring of Kerry. I was finding it hard on the bike today and it started raining so stopped at Sneem for the day. A nice little place, but the BnB wasn't great. It was run by an old Dutchman of dubious personal hygiene. A big room but not very clean and piss stains on the loo. Not nice! A found a nice pub for an evening meal and was able to watch the football. The BnB was noisy as Holland were playing and my host had decided to invite some friends round to watch the game. Perhaps they could do a spot of cleaning afterwards.
Day 6 Sneem - Carhisveen 33 miles
Easy day today around the ring of Kerry. I stopped at Waterville for a crappy and expensive lunch. The place was run by an older guy who obviously hated tourists, particularly American ones. He actually had a sign in his window saying "no loud American's, no coach's" sic. This went viral on Twitter a few days later! Nothing to do with me - honest! The Carhisveen campsite was highly recommended and did not disappoint. They have a jam night in the lounge every evening and it was pretty cool. I did a rendition of Sunny Afternoon to a multi-national audience and then went to bed.
Day 7 Carhisveen - Tralee 43 miles
Round the ring of Kerry to Castlemaine. Decided to miss out the Dingle Peninsula and headed over to the mountain pass to Tralee with French guy Arnaud. Found campsite in the middle of town. Headed in to town with Arnaud. Speaking Spanish with a Frenchman in deepest Ireland! My Spanish was better than my French and his Spanish was better than his English as he had spent some time working in Spain! We went to a trad Irish pub.
Day 8 Tralee - Kilrush 43 miles
Heading north to Listowel on cycle path next o the road, pissing down, Got the ferry across the Shannon and arrived in County Clare! A few miles to Kilrush. A strange boy on a weird reclining bike followed me. The tourist info was signposted but non-existent! Found the Central BnB, decent and friendly. Bike goes in the hallway. A cracking Chinese restaurant opposite, I was the only customer! I was expecting the scene from the Chinese pub in Father Ted ;)
Day 9 Kilrush - Kinvara 54 miles
One of the best days of the trip! Beautiful quiet roads in Co Clare and saw all the Father Ted landmarks. Headed on a quiet road to Miltown Molby. Cliffs of Maher signposted but I'm heading inland so I didn't see them, Ennistimon - the first of the Father Ted filming locations. Then took even smaller roads inland to Kilfenora - saw the Chinese pub (dreams/reality!) and had lunch at the Burren Centre, Stupid Americans - "uh what exactly is a toasted sandwich?" reply - "it's a sandwich that's toasted." I turned left at a crossroads up a tiny road in to the heart of the Burren. Strange lunar landscapes and there it was in the middle of nowhere - the Father Ted house! A few tourists present, got the obligatory photo then a staggered junction and along an even tinier road to Kinvara. There was grass growing up the middle of the road, hardly any traffic and stunning landscapes. Found a lovely BnB in Kinvara.
Day 10 Kinvara - Clifden 68 miles
After a rest day at Kinvara, I headed to Galway but didn't pass through the centre. I headed out to the stunning Connemara National Park. Beautiful lakes and mountains. I stopped for lunch at Oughterader. A friendly local man asked me about my cycle and said very specifically that it would rain at 6pm! For now, there were beautiful blue skies without a cloud in sight! Eventually I arrived at Clfiden, there was a choice of campsites - one several miles further out to the coast which sounded really nice, but mindful of my weather prediction, it was now 5pm and still sunny, I decided on the campsite just a mile out of town and up a steep hill. I erected my tent fnarr fnarr and sure enough, right on cue, the heavens opened! if I'd gone to the campsite on the coast I would now be soaked. Now I had the problem of how to get an evening meal without getting drenched. The more organised campers all had the food with them. I phoned a local Chinese takeaway who arranged to have my food sent by taxi! I dived in to my tent to take refuge and it poured all night, but my tent stayed dry on the inside.
Day 11 Clifden - Castlebar 59 miles
Another beautiful day in Connemara, now heading back east. Lunch was at a hotel at the stunning Leenan. Then to Westport. I checked out the campsite but decided against it as no washing facilities (clothes that is, not human! Of course they had showers), and also pretty pricey. So I continued northeast (and uphill) to Castlebar. Google Maps was showing me a campsite but all I found was a council estate, but found the excellent nearby Lough Lanach campus. Washing - check. Cheap - check. McDonald's in walking distance - check. Fridnely and helpful. I came back from McDonalds to find that a group of Spaniards had set up camp ridiculously close to me! Why do people do that, there was heaps of room. Not wanting to listen to their incessant chatter and tripping over my guy ropes all night I simply unpegged and moved my portable home further away.
Day 12 Castlebar - Sligo 54 miles
The BnB in Sligo was the best of the trip, it was absolute luxury, only just opened and not that expensive. I was mostly on main roads today. The lovely hosts made me a snack on arrival, dinner - another McDonald's!
Day 13 Sligo - Donegal 43 miles
Well, the best BnB of the trip was quickly followed by the worst. Only 43 miles but passed through 3 counties - including Leitrim which only has a tiny coastline. And suddenly the accent changed from southern Irish to Ulster. Donegal is still in the ROI, but is in Ulster and the most northerly point is here at Malin Head. I stopped for lunch at the depressing Bundoran, a rainy seaside town. The Rosearl BnB in Donegal was dreadful. The bike went in an unlocked shed which I wasn't very happy about! Not a nice room and the family bathroom was next door and you could hear everyone going for a piss at all hours. It did have wi fi though so was able to book my return journey home. Donegal town though was very nice and I found a great Italian for dinner.
Day 14 Donegal - Buncrana 60 miles
Awful breakfast - instant coffee, white toast with value marge and jam! And only 5 Euros less than last night's luxury BnB, Cycled north through Donegal and Letterkenny and another McDonald's for lunch. Well McDonald's is an Irish name! The ferry to Buncrana was no longer running, so I had to cycle the long way round to the Inishowen peninsula. Pleasant cycling. I arrived in Buncrana but it was busy as there was a wedding on. I was running out of options and it was getting late, but eventually found the Lake of Shadows Hotel which was lovely, reasonably priced and let me take the bike in the room! And there was a bath, plus the Hotel/pub restaurant was excellent and had a very nice curry for dinner.
Day 15 Buncrana - Coleraine 73 miles
Inishowen peninsula. Climbed up over a high moorland plateau to Carndonough, then Malin and Malin Head! Not as nice as Mizen Head but made it up the steep path to the top without stopping - just! Then I retraced my steps back to Malin, then headed west to Greencastle and got the little ferry to Northern Ireland, which avoids having to take the long road route via Londonderry. No ID checks again! There was an immediate difference on entering NI. Roads like GB and distance in miles. The first bit wasn't nice - a prison, army barracks and lots of barbed wire. Plus a pikey site - the first one I'd seen on my travels. They must be all over here in the UK. I joined the coast road to Coleraine. Lots of Union Jacks everywhere. Found a decent BnB in Coleraine.
Day 16 Coleraine - Cushendall 41 miles
Went up to Bushmills. I found a baby wren in the road and rescued him and put him in a garden, I hope he was ok. Then I went to the Bushmills distillery, lots more roads plastered with Union Jacks. They are certainly a lot more patriotic than we are. Then on to the Giant's Causeway. I parked the bike and walked to it. It was pretty cool, but the tide was in. Walked back and continued my cycle. Had lunch at a pub in Ballintoy, then on to Ballycastle. I came lambing here on a farm in 1987. When I got home and looked it up, I realised I must have cycled past it but did not recognise it. Oh well, it was 27 years ago now! I followed the Antrim coast road and a very long uphill through forests, then descended to Cushenden on on to Cushendall. Nice wee town, stayed at Village Hotel, very relaxed and no-one there on arrival. Make yourself at home! There were lots of biked sprayed with bright pink. I thought it was some gay pride thing, but was actually to mark the Giro D'Italia which had a stage here.
Day 17 Cushendall - Belfast 52 miles
Last day and a stunning ride along the beautiful Antrim coast. The weather has been fantastic for these last few days in NI. Round sweeping bays to Carnlough, Glenarm then to Larne where I had lunch at Subway. Then up to Whitehead and a tunnel, west to Belfast. Booked a good hotel convenient for the Harbour to catch the ferry tomorrow. A nice guesthouse, a shame I haven't got the time or energy to explore the city. Walked for ages but found a nice hotel/pub for dinner then bed.
Return journey
Cycled the couple of miles to the ferry terminal. Stena Line to Birkenhead 8 hours - like a cruise as so hot and sunny. 10.30am - 6.30pm. Arrived Birkenhead, but how to cross the Mersey?? The bike can't go in the Mersey tunnel at this time, and the famous ferry had finished for the day. So the only option was to take the local train to Liverpool Lime Street. Which wasn't too bad, but I needed the lift to get my loaded bike down to the platform. Boarded the train to MK, which was very quick and was home by 11pm.
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