The BBC web five day forecast for Galway, Ireland was for rain on Saturday, 6 to 12 degrees centigrade with a southeast wind. Sunday would be dry and the wind turning to be a southwesterly, 4 to 14 degrees centigrade. Monday would be thunderstorms and a southeasterly wind. The wind speed would decrease over the weekend, sunset at 20.00 – and I went for a pleasure ride!
One idea was to cycle Galway to Tralee on the Saturday taking in the Cliffs of Moher. On Sunday I would cycle the Ring of Kerry taking in 6 more B.I.G.’s (Brevet Internationale Grimpeur) but the weather and the impractical distance put paid to those ambitious plans. I settled for a more realistic route, taking in 4 B.I.G’s from Galway to Dublin over the Cliffs of Moher, Slieve Bloom, Wicklow Mountain and Sally Gap on a route through Ennis, Limerick, Roscrea, Portlaoise, Naas and eventually after the Wicklow Mountains diversion, on to Dublin for Monday late afternoon. The weather and a snapped chain that was too far gone to repair really put paid to that, all I achieved was the first part of the ride, cycling from Galway to Bunratty (near Limerick) via Galway Bay and the Cliffs of Moher. The next day the rain was relentless so I took a train from Limerick, via Limerick Junction as I was on the Cork train, changed for the Dublin train and got off at Templemore, battled north to Roscrea and suffered a puncture, repaired in the rain. Started climbing Slieve Bloom and reached Clareen along a smashing country road with great views west now that the rain had stopped. I was really beginning to enjoy the day at last and I was at peace with the world – when my chain suddenly snapped. I tried to repair it but it was so worn all I succeeded in doing was pushing the chain plates further apart. In fury I sat on the bike and hobby-horsed it back down to Roscrea and lumbered it into the hold of a bus going to Dublin and caught the next available ferry for Holyhead.
Friday 2nd May 2003
Left Holmes Chapel at 22.44, arriving in Crewe at 23.00. Left Crewe at 23.15 arriving in Chester at 23.38.
Saturday 3rd May 2003
Left Chester at 00.02, arriving in Holyhead at 01.29.Check in time no later than 03.00. Left Holyhead Port at 04.00, arriving in Dun Laoghaire at 05.39 after a very smooth crossing. The large ferry glided past the headland north of Dublin. A little excited as this was my first visit to the Emerald Isle (now I know why – I got so thoroughly drenched all weekend) Rode to Dublin in just under the hour and caught the 07.20 train from Dublin Heuston, arriving in Galway at 10.13. Coaches seem to be old GB Inter-City stock painted orange (Many road signs in orange also, thought this was supposed to be the Orange Free State?). Train passed through Portarlington (08.01), Tullamore (08.22), Clara (08.37), Athlone (09.06), Ballinasloe (09.24), Woodlawn (09.37), Attymon (09.46), Athenry (09.56) to Galway.
Left wet Galway at 10.30, Oranmore along the coast road about 2km out of Galway, much better than the main road. It was good to have the hard shoulder to ride on and this was the case on many of the roads I cycled on my brief visit. It was appreciated and I felt safe being away from the traffic even though I was cycling main roads (9km), Kilcolgan, (10km) turn off for a quieter road away from the direct Galway to Limerick road, Balinderreen (4km), Kinvarra (6km) there’s an interesting castle here on the bank of the wide estuary, the Irish flag proudly flying next to it. The houses on the harbour are painted different colours, one a prominent yellow that would be gaudy in Crewe but looks good on the harbour. On along some hefty ups and downs, eventually to Ballyvaghan (20km) archetype west of Ireland village with a street sign with more destinations listed than the small village can cope with. There’s a pleasant teashop here worth a bite stop. Irish pipe music was coming from an Irish craft shop nearby, From here over The Burren and Corkscrew Hill, a steep climb with a few hairpins through the bracken sided road and great views back down to Galway Bay. The top of Corkscrew Hill is a bit uneventful. To mark the top there is a forest walk indication off to the right. Down and along to Lisdoonvarna (16km), then a struggle in the strong wind and uphill along open country with the Atlantic grey and menacing to the right with the Aran Island offshore, up to the Cliffs of Moher which appear when you reach the top, having to go inland a bit, bend to the right and there they are. There’s a car park just off the road (3 euro when you leave but free for bikes as you just skirt round the pay booth! It’s worth a stop here but it’s not a good idea to take a bike up the cliffs, that’s for walkers only. You can reach the best sight of the cliffs by bike anyway and the view northwards with the steep brown sandstone and black shale cliffs and craggy rocks just offshore sticking up are worth a long pause for. Down to Liscannor (18km), it would be steep coming up the other side but the other way I came is just as steep. Along to Lehinch and the main road (5km) to Ennistimon where I stopped to buy drinks and fill the bottles again (4km), Through Inagh (11km) and along tamer countryside, to Ennis where I passed through the town, just to have a look – narrow cobbled streets (15km). It was main road but riding on the hard shoulder as far as Bunratty (18km). I had to give up here as I was out of energy after 104 miles in the saddle. The castle just off the road drew me, and the inn next to it but I soon found out it was not a hotel. I tried them all but they were full, after all it was May Day weekend. I was directed by a person walking up the lane out of the village to try the bed and breakfast places up there. He tried one for me on the mobile but it was full. I eventually found one, over the hill and down a bit on the other side. It cost me 30 euros but I slept well after a cheese salad and two pints of Guinness from the inn next to the castle, “Durty Nellies”
Sunday 4th May 2003
Out from the digs at 8.30 and down the hill to Bunratty Castle hotel and a wonderful buffet breakfast there, as much as I could eat and so I did. Must have ate the equivalent of 3 breakfasts but that should keep the wolf from the door for the day. Mein host, Margaret, was waiting on at the hotel this morning so I had this rather than a B&B breakfast. I faced the driving rain and car spray on the main road to Limerick at 10.30. Fortunately there is the usual wide hard shoulder so I was away from the traffic. Twelve kilometres later I was in Limerick and the rain stopped for a while. I caught a train at 11.25 to Limerick Junction, arriving at 11.53 and another one from Limerick Junction at 11.59 to Templemore, arriving at 12.35.
I rode the long, straight road in the drizzle (which was a lot better than the driving rain earlier) from Templemore to Roscrea (18km) then had a puncture so put in my new tube. Started off for the climb to Slieve Bloom and for once it was dry and the sun came out. I was beginning to enjoy the day. Looking west there are great views across to Limerick, however I only reached a point just before Clareen, when my chain snapped on the way up to Slieve Bloom (14km). I tried to repair it but it was too far-gone. I only succeeded in spreading the chain links out further so gave up and mounted the bike for all the downhills and walked quickly up the ups to get back to Roscrea. (14km). I had just missed a bus to Dublin and had an hour to wait for the next one, time for a Guinness! Bundled the bike into the hold at the back of the coach then settled into a comfy seat for the two-hour trip to Dublin. Crossing then road from the bus station to Connolly Station I caught the Dart train to Dun Laoghaire. That was my brief introduction to Dublin but I prefer to save that and come back with Ruth sometime. The bus passed through Portlaoise, Kildare, Newbridge, Naas to Dublin.
Left Dun Laoghaire on the 22.15 ferry, and the rain was now torrential! I want to go home! The ferry arrived in Holyhead at 23.54 then I had a long wait for the 01.50 train to Crewe, arriving at 03.50. I didn’t want to wake Ruth to collect me at that time of the morning so kipped down in platform 5 waiting room and caught the first train home at 06.12.
I stumbled and came a cropper a lot on this mini tour so what I read on the bedroom wall at my digs in Bunratty was poignant and applicable:
THINK
Don’t fault the man who limps or stumbles along the road
Unless you have the shoes he wears or struggle beneath his load.
There may be tacks in his shoes that hurt though hidden from view
Or the burden he bears, placed on your back, might cause you to stumble too
Don’t be harsh with the man who sins or pelt him with words or stones
Unless you are sure, yes doubly sure, that you have no sins of your own
For you know perhaps if the tempter’s voice should whisper as soft as you
As it did to him, when he went astray, it could cause you to stagger too
Don’t sneer at the man who’s down today unless you have felt the blow
That caused his fall or felt the blow that only the fallen know
You mat be strong, but still the blows that were his, if dealt to you
In the self same way, at the same time might cause you to stagger too….