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This day also includes 18 miles from the Friday as I decided to leave work a little earlier and catch the bus back to Derry with the idea of staying in a seaside town rather than in Derry itself. After a rather unpleasant stay in Sligo where it was bought home to me that most B&B in the city centers are flop houses for drunken stag parties the idea of getting out of Derry had great appeal. Also I just dont feel comfortable being a Brit in Northern Ireland, I know its totally unreasonable but my only other dealings with Northern Ireland have left unpleasant memories.
Arrived in Derry for about 6pm on the Friday and rode out to Buncrana which is a pretty little seaside town on the shores of Lough Swilly. Apparently there is a ferry service across to Rathmullan and a couple of the department guys had recommended that I take this ferry and explore the West bank of the Lough. I was tempted as I had skipped this part last time as I was racing to catch the bus back to Dublin the last time I was cycling. However with so many miles ahead of me this weekend I thought better of it and instead kept to my original plan.
The B&B was easy to find and exceptionally comfortable. I took the landladies advice and visited a local hotel for a meal (which was very bland) and watched the football. An early night and equal early rise the next morning and I was on the road by 5.30am.
The early morning ride out to Irelands most Northerly point was very was one of "undulating" terrain, so in other words was absolutely knackering. As I hadn't been cycling for a month it proved to be a tough day as my legs weren't used to the workout they were getting.
The most surreal event was half way up Mamore Gap when I stopped to chat to the occupants of a Ford Escort coming down in the opposite direction. This pass was extremely steep so I was happy for the distraction but was somewhat surprised to find that the cars occupants were 5 young lads drinking beer at 6.15am. Anyway we chatted about various things such as was I mad to be cycling this early and increduality at the distances I was planning to do when it transpired that the lads were actually joy riders. So I got to meet the "criminal element" and must say they were very friendly, just hope the car gets back to the original owners and they didnt get into trouble.
The views over Lough Swilly were fantastic and it was interesting to note that this is where the British Fleet under Lord Jeleco was anchored here prior to the Battle of Jutland in World War One. In fact there was a rather impressive fort at Dunree that I had a quick look at that was built here in 1798 to guard against possible landings by the French.
The views up to Malin head were just stunning and the area as about remote as it gets in Ireland. How anybody can live up here so far away from a large town escapes me, I guess I am just too used to having all the mod cons around me.
Malin head itself was a collection of little farms clinging to the hill side and holiday homes. I did get squeezed off the road by a big 4x4 who stopped and had a chat. Seems he was one of the "bad guys" as he was not only the owner of the local shop and pub but also a devloper. I guess these remote communities fight tooth and nail to resist change to their way of life and the building of numerous holiday homes must be very contentious.
Heading back down South I had to make a decision as to which way to get across to Port Stewart. The easiest way would have been to catch the ferry from Greencastle across to Magellan point. This would have let me skip aboout 50 miles of coastline as the other option was to cycle back to Derry and then pick up the A2. Now I don't like the main roads and up until now I hadn't had to take many, basically Ireland hasn't got any. However in the North the roads are much more developed and the coast road from Derry to Belfast is bacially a main road. The other thing about main raods is that those in the North tend to be narrower and busier than the South and they don't have the slow lane that I have come to love so much.
Anyway wieghing this all up I decided to bite the bullet and cycle around rather than catch the ferry. Sadly the countryside wasn't much to write about let alone take any pictures of and almost 5 hours later I arrived at the point the ferry would have bought me too. But what the heck at least it meant my mileage for the day was something decent. The main road turned out to be a surprise as it had a slow lane and the traffic was fairly light and devoid of the huge trucks that I associate with most main roads in the UK.
The huge Army barracks at Ballykelly reminded that though most of the security apparatus has been dismantled the British Army is still here in some force. The barracks and fortified married quarters went on for a good couple of miles. It will be so good once lasting peace comes to the province as the people deserve to live their lives without fear. All the evil that has been perpetrated is just too sad to dwell on.
The beaches around Castlerock were just fantastic and I was so hoping to get an ice-cream there. I was to be let down though as the ice cream van was parked some distance down the beach and though my bike can get me around to most places it sucks through sand.
I arrived in Port Stewart and made enquiries at the first hotel about a room. They suggested that as it got a bit noisy there at night to go to a small B&B around the corner which I did and had a wonderful stay. They even had a bath that I could use so I watched England beat Uruguay before heading out for a meal and then early to bed.
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