Day 2

Sunday January 29th - Wexford to Waterford. 75 Miles - Total so far 170 miles

Today I have to dub the day of the 3 Fecks.

Fecking Kids, Feckin Dogs and Oh my god look at that Feckin View

First the Feckin Kids

From My Pictures

What I thought was a nice quiet hotel was in fact home to a gang of kids form hell and their "couldn’t give a damn" parents who let them run wild. I guess I shouldn't be such a party poop but bringing a small tribe of kids away with you for the weekend and letting them roam at will while you chuck Guinness down your neck at the bar is not conducive with making me a life long friend of yours. I probably exaggerate but it certainly sounded like this at 3am at they roamed from room to room talking in the corridors and letting the doors slam. Eventually things quietened down at 4am and I managed to grab a few hours sleep before grabbing a quick breakfast and hit the trail again.

One lesson I learnt from the Hotel proprietor is not to bother asking people directions as they have little idea of the area they live in if it involves navigating off the main roads. This is probably systematic of our society today because cycling is all about the journey, not the destination, whereas everyone I talk to starts their sentences with "Well the quickest way to get to..." which kind of completely misses the point of what I am trying to do. I mean the quickest way from my apartment to the local Video shop is 1km but that’s only if I turn right at the end of the road. I'm going to go to the Video shop the long way and turn left, and the fact that it's 3000km plus change it not the point. I expect, and I know I will, see some wonderful things on the way.

Anyway I found the obscure turn off I was looking for and thus started Day 2.

This long and memorable day follows a wind buffeted shoreline of dunes, estuaries, cliffs and coves. In good weather the Ring of Hook alternative route is a treat if you can manage the extra distance. First stop is Kilmore Quay an isolated fishing port with several nice watering holes and a Blue Flag (EU listed as clean and safe) marina.

Hah!!

What the guide book failed to mention was the second feck of the day and thats the Feckin Dog!

There I was minding my own business just leaving Kilmore Quay when this lovely old labrador trots up next to me and starts to pad along the road next to me. "Hello Boy" I say "Out for an early morning walk are we". He looks over with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth with doggy drool slobbering onto the road "Hmm guess you too knackered to chat" I jest. Anyway we tootle along for a couple of minutes when tired of the slow pace I start to speed up. "Ok boy I’m off" at which point I start to pull away. The dog though decides that he not quite ready to leave me behind so he increases his speed and soon we are barrelling down the road side by side. The next thing I know he starts to veer in front of me causing me to brake.

"Watch it dog" I say. Next thing I know he starts to try and eat my front wheel!! Now I have had a few punctures in my time and none of them have been fun, but a puncture from this guy is something I definitely do not need! "Feck off Dog" I yell. “Munch munch” is the reply. Jeez this guy is serious, so I grab him by the collar and drag him off to one side. "Calm down boy, what the hell is wrong with you". He just looks at me with two big old eyes and drools all over my leg. "Come on boy, you don't really want to eat my bike, calm down". With that I let him go and shoo him off and thinking that was the end of it walk back to my bike at which point he dives in for dessert !! "Feck OFF dog, Bloody Hell", At this point I have a 30kilo dog in one hand and a bike in the other on a deserted road at 9am on a Sunday morning, not a soul in sight (well a car did go by and boy did I get a weird look, probably gave the driver a chuckle as he though to himself "haha old chomper got himself a new cyclist"). However after some quick thinking on my part I remembered I had a packet of biscuits in my bag which I somehow managed to get out and show to him. "Hey boy, biscuits, Food" and then threw them down the road at which point he ran off for them.

I got onto my bike and started to cycle off only to look back and see him chasing me. "Feck" So I sped up. Click Click of the demon hounds claws on the tarmac behind me. I go faster, he goes faster. I am doing 20mph down the road on my bike, my legs have at this stage taken me 120 miles, and the bloody dog is keeping up with me. He chased me for 20 minutes did that dog and boy was he determined. So if you are reading this and intend cycling through Kilmore Quay and see a nice old Labrador, DONT BE FOOLED!!.

Around Wellingtonbridge the route follows the shores of lovely Bannow Bay. On the far western flank follow tiny lanes down to a 3km stretch of deserted waterside and the little town of Saltmills. Soon after that you reach the turn off for the Ring of Hook alternative route

From My Pictures

From here on though it was the turn of the third Feck with outstanding views

Bannow Bay was truly beautiful especially the stretch of deserted waterside which just oozed history, This is where the Norman conquest of Ireland started in 1169 and the remains of the original Norman settlement can still be seen in the form of an old ruined church and a lonely tower. More recent remains of a couple of old barges were rotting next to the quay as was an old coastal carrier all from the early part of the 20th century. There was even a farm where the owner had taken to storing some of the remnants of the area including old steam cranes and other dockside machinery from the era. One of the saddest things though was a memorial which you find scattered all over Ireland normally in the most unexpected places, This was erected in 1970 by survivors of the local unit of the IRA remembering their comrades who had been
killed at this very spot in 1920 when the ammunition factory they were working in blew up.

The remote widswept Hook Peninsula thrusts into the ocean to form the east side of Waterford Harbour. At its tip sits an impressive 13th century lighthouse that, amazingly, is still in commission after over 700 years, following a few enhancements such as electrification.
What the guide failed to mention was the tiny fishing hamlet next to the lighthouse called Slade with its lovely medieval castle overlooking the harbour. Thats the one photo I wish I had been able to take as it was truly a very evocative sight.

I should actually add the fourth feck of the day when I realised that I only had 2 hours to catch my train to Waterford. The phrase windswept is such a throwaway expression unless you are on a bike heading into it and you are tired, At times I felt I was going backwards and I could only thank god that there was no rabid dog at Slade otherwise my bike would have been toast. I raced towards the ferry congratulating myself each time I reached a small viallge only to curse and realise it was always the "next" one I needed. I rolled into Ballyhack though in good time to catch the ferry and get to Waterford with 20 minutes to spare :)

Very tired (and smelly) I plonked myself down in the restaurant car with that satisfied feeling of having accomplished something and with a return ticket to Waterford in my pocket I can't wait to come back and continue my journey to the Video shop.

Day 1

Saturday January 28th. - 95 Miles, Dublin to Wexford - Total so far 95 miles

Out on the road by 7.30am and up into the Wicklow mountains from my apartment in Dublin. The official start of the Around Ireland tour my route is actually taken directly from an excellent cycling book from Lonely Planet called Cycling Ireland. I will often quote for you extract from the guide that best sum up the cycling.

This memorable day has a big early climb, a remote traverse of high ground and decent via a waterfall (not literally) to Laragh and a side trip to Glendalough, the monastic site in the heart of the mountains. Escaping the city clutches involves hard pedalling up the skirts of the mountains. As the gradient steepens the buildings give way to woodland, the air freshens and a sense of freedom returns. The 15.5km ascent starts at the turn-off for the Sally Gap on the R115 and finishes just below the summit of Powerscourt Mountain near the top of the Wicklow Mountains. The big climb done, the next 9km is a spectacular cruise along the desolate Military road (built in 1798) surrounded by blanket bog and bare summits. Glacial valleys fall away sharply to the east at Glencree and from the Sally Gap crossroads to Loughs Tay abd Dan. On the swooping descent to Laragh the road drops into the wooded head of the valley of Glenmacnass beside the spectacular cascade. This is a good place for a more sheltered breather after the high moorland plataeu. Pretty Laragh (Laithreach) nestles between the mountains at the point where the Glenmacnass, Glendasan and Avonmore rivers converge on their way to the sea..

The climb was tough but my legs were nice and fresh, the only disappointment was when I stopped to take a photo of dawn rising over Dublin to find that my camera didn’t have a memory stick in it so no chance of taking any photos for the day.

It’s a truly glorious start to the ride though as the Wicklow Mountains are such a joy to cycle over. Normally all you encounter are walkers, fellow cyclists and free roaming sheep and deer. Today was no exception and I stopped a couple of times to study deer as they moved slowly over the bog grazing, The mountains are truly wild and you are often reminded of just how hard life was in Ireland when you see the great swathes of peat that has been dug and transported down to Dublin. At one time up to 5,000 people would be working up on the mountains in the Winter to cut the fuel for Dublin all getting paid a pittance. At Laragh I did in fact take a break (though my plan for a cup of tea went out the window as the cafe I normally use is closed until March). However I did get a chance to chat to a fellow cyclist who was somewhat surprised to see how little clothing I was wearing. When I mentioned that I had done a lot of my cycling in Sweden he commented that he had been there only the last weekend, It transpired we both travelled to Stockholm on the same plane and both got caught in the same traffic jam on the E4. Whats the chances? Maybe I really should start buying Lotto tickets.


From Laragh via Rathdrum and the Vale of Avoca (Avoca village is the setting for the BBC's Ballykissangel) to Arlow.

This is where I had my lunch (Tescos did a very nice jacket potato and was quick to serve) and took a breather after an excellent start to the day. It had taken me a little over 4.5 hours so far but the hardest part of the day was behind me.
The road from Arklow to Wexford follows the coast road virtually all the way. Go left for Clogga Strand 3km south of Arklow and carry on the same direction through Courtdown Harbour, Kilmuckridge, Blackwater and Curracloe, going left on the R741 at about 63km for the bridge over Wexford Harbour into Wexford.


The afternoon ride was very pleasant through gently undulating countryside with the sea as a constant background.


Going past the Omaha restaurant gave away the fact that this is where the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan was shot and where they re-enacted the landings at Omaha beach Normandy. Having walked over the beaches in Normandy I could see why they chose the area as it is very underdeveloped.

By the way I have no idea who the lady in the photo is as I found this on the Internet.


Arriving at Wexford I tried to book into a large hotel in the center of the town but they were full so they directed me to a hotel on the outskirts. A nice long soak in the bath, a bite to eat in the restaurant and then I surfed the TV for awhile (how can people spend their lives watching this crap) before drifting off to sleep.

Thus ended by first day.

Around Ireland On My Bike

Arriving back in Stockholm for Christmas 2005 and standing on the scales was somewhat of a surprise as I thought I had not only lost weight but was keeping it off. Sad to see that I was in fact back to square one again weighing the same as I did last year when I got back from Kuwait. I am currently 6-7 Kg over my ideal weight of about 93 Kg so this year I am making a renewed effort to keep the weight off.

The Challenge

So here is the challenge.

In just over 6 months my contract here in Ireland is officially coming to an end. One of my dreams was to find some time to cycle around the entire coast of Ireland before I am to leave. My original hope was to take 3 weeks vacation and to do it all at once, however this is very unlikely to happen due to my work schedule.

Hence my new plan is to do the whole of Ireland at weekends

This is by far the most ambitious target I have set myself and at just under 3,000 kilometres its one hell of a long way to cycle. However every journey, no matter how far, consists of one step at a time so let’s see how I do.