Day 8

Westport

The Route

 

                A    The Cottage

                B    Ballyvaghan

                C    Galway

                D    Cong

                E    Garrangerra

                F    Westport

                G    Louisburgh

                H    Letterass

                I     Ballinrobe

                J     Tuam

                K    Athenry

                L    Gort

                M   Corrofin 

                Distance 251 miles (404 km)

 

   The traffic through the village was very busy with the large gravel trucks passing through every few minutes. The narrow street had a stone wall along one side and a row of shops down the other. The noise from the trucks echoed through the street and into the open door of the café where we were having coffee and cakes. Mike had disappeared to explore the village with his camera finding some interesting ruins on the other side of the stone wall to photograph. I made sure I had been to the toilet before we left. I didn’t know how long it would be to the next opportunity.

   We joined the traffic passing through the village that was trailing behind another large lorry. The scenery had changed from that of Galway, we where again back in the country enjoying the beautiful scenery passing by. We turned onto a narrow single track road that led across the hills gradually climbing until we could see far and wide with the mountains and sea in the distance. We meandered along admiring the view before us. Paul led the group into a parking area where we could look out and see the hills stretching off into the distance.

   We gathered together to pose whilst Mike set his camera up on the tail of his bike, set the timer and ran to join us. Nothing happened. Sighs of disapproval greeted Mike as he tried again this time getting it right. The group broke up and I wandered over to my bike and just by chance looked down at the rear tyre. What was that glinting against the dark rubber?

   The silver object was a nail embedded deep into the tread of the tyre. I called over Mike to have a look. The tyre was still inflated.

“What should we do?” I queried.

“Is the tyre still hard?” Mike asked.

“Yes, it isn’t going down.” I said as I gave the tyre a squeeze.

“Think we should just leave it, no point in fixing it if isn’t broke.” I stated.

Mike agreed and we left it alone. As we prepared our gear before setting off a ram came trotting over towards the parking area from the fields opposite. It then turned and ran the other way up the road. I was just about to exit the parking area when the ram came trotting past me and down the road. I pulled onto the road and started to follow the animal as it trotted along. It kept going and going enjoying its run until it found a gap in the fence and ran back into the fields.

 

Extract from the book 'The Land of Diddeley Dee'