Day 9 - Downpatrick to Dublin - Aug 31st

Start off from Mourne Lodge at 8pm to get back to Downpatrick and pick up the course. Breakfast is just porridge, tea and toast. NO full breakfast! This is going to make for a tough ride. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/187941746

http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/peterandbren

It is a tough ride. A series of long climbs with surprise steep bits keeps the pace low for the first 2 hours. The Mountains of Mourne make up for that though. 

Pace picks up through Newry where every other burglar alarm seems to be going off. Then after Dundalk we get mixed up in 90km endurance event. I have to admit that I amused myself by catching up riders, chatting with them then accelerating away. Very childish I know. 

A few more tiring climbs towards Naul then a nice fast rub down inti Dublin, the Jury's Inn and a warm welcome at the pavement from Helen and Mary Beth. 

Now for a nice rest day with good company. 

Day 8 - Londonderry to Downpatrick - Aug 30th

A self-service full English breakfast at the Ramada amongst the Canadian geriatric coach tourists. The difference between an Irish and English breakfast? Not a lot really. 

The sun is out, but only until lunchtime is the forecast. We set out together,  Brendan is running with an empty tank as he is still not eating properly, but making a huge effort. He dips in and out of the day's ride for which I am grateful as it has been a little lonely with out him. I have heard everything that I have to say already. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/187435655

The rain held off until a late lunch break at Antrim (the support van went the wrong route) then it came down in buckets. What should have been an exhilarating downhill run through Hannahstown towards Belfast was a slippery slope with bad visibility and a nearly nasty skid on a catseye turning onto the main road. But luckily no accidents. 

Arriving in Downpatrick in pouring rain we loaded the bikes onto the van and set off to our B&B. Tonight this is some 18miles away in the Mountains of Mourne. Of course the rain stopped the moment we drove off. 

The B&B is a rather splendid walkers' hostel. Very friendly and comfortable and our hostess Maraid is lovely. She has washed and dried our cycling gear, left the kitchen unlocked so we can make some breakfast tomorrow and given us a donation.

Found a great pub in Kilkeel, about 5 miles away, with draft Guniness and a good menu. The service is very slow though and we are waiting forever for food to arrive. We watch a march go past as we wait. Bowler hats, drums, pipes, the full works. It of course then transpires that the chefs are out in the march. 

Early start tomorrow as we need to drive back to where we got off the bikes. Then it is down to Dublin for a well earned rest day with our women folk before the last leg back to Rosslare.

Oh yes, the difference between North and South Ireland in my view?  In the north the road lines are white, in the south they are yellow. 

Oh, and sorry Mary Beth. The gift shop was shut

Day 7 - Dromore West to Derry / Londonderry - Aug 29th

Another excellent full Irish breakfast then we set off into the, amazingly, patchy sunshine with, if anything, assisting wind. Danger of overheating if there is no rain!

Trout stream by the B&B is swollen with the overnight rain

But the weather is looking good. 

Sadly on my own today as Brendan is not fit to ride. So cracked on with a fast day. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/186942684

Plenty of floating sections with just 2 gentle climbs. Downhill section of the first climb at around 60miles   Was amazing, really fast and dry roads. Glad that we decided to go clockwise around Ireland as the downhill sections are often steeper than the uphill. Sunny intervals all day with just some misty rain around at Mallin Head. Got to Derry dry. The first dry day since day 1. 

The scenery is as ever beautiful in Ireland and today I could enjoy it. 

And we do actually get down to the seaside. Didn't swim. 

After a mixup with B&Bs we check into the Ramada for a bit of relative luxury.  

5pm now so off to find some Guiness. 

Easy to find the Guiness but harder to find non-chain reasonably priced food. A woman passing heard us moaning and directed us to The Bentley Steak House. 

Absolutely perfect. About the best meal we have had all trip. 

Brendan and I even found a grooming stop:

Day 6 - Leenane to Dromore West - Aug 28th

624 miles completed. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/186527423

A tough day, not much in the way of climbs but unrelenting side and head winds in the afternoon, topped off with rain. Through the rain we have seen some impressive hillsides and more peat bogs than I can deal with. Too rainy to stop and take photos. 

Great effort from the injured Brendan to get back on his bike, keep up the pace and stay (mainly) upright. 

Pete's view of Ireland. 

Brendan's view. 

This evening the rain is coming down harder than ever. We should probably have attempted a sponsored swim. Still the locals say is will be nice tomorrow with perhaps some wind assistance for our route to Derry. Full Irish breakfast + porridge booked for 8 am. Just hope the Lycra has dried out by then. 

7km drive down to Ennicrone for Guiness and meal, drenched just walking to the car. 

Day 5 - Ballyvaughan (Lisdoonvarna) to Leenane - Aug 27th

HALF WAY! Just another 5 days on the bike and we are back where we started. 

Please visit: http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/peterandbren

https://www.strava.com/activities/186125409

A pretty hard and rough day. Starting off with of course the full Irish breakfast we climbed out of Lisdoonvarna to the top of the aptly named Cockscrew Hill. With a wonderful view down the valley. 

 The landlady at the highly recommended  Rathbaun Hotel 

had warned us that the hill would be treacherous in the light drizzle. I certainly went round one  hairpin  sideways but Brendan was not so lucky and ate the road. With his bike out of action and nursing bruises I kept on into the stiff headwind towards Galway while he and the van found a bicycle repair shop. 

Meeting up again in Galway we enjoyed the benefit of a tail wind to Cliffden but climbing into the stunning Connemara Hills and turning east we were met with ferocious winds and driving rain. Downhill became either a fight to stay in the road with a side wind or the need to pedal to stop being pushed back up the hill. 

The last 10km into Leenane was then just a relentless fight into the probably gale force head wind and horizontal rain. 

Our friend Elmer had already warned me that there would be times that would feel like being in a car wash. 

All that remains of the day is Guinness, food and sleep. 

Waking in the morning shows that we are in the most stunning overnight stop to date. 

Day 4 - Listowel to Ballyvaughan (Lisdoonvarna) - Aug 26th

https://www.strava.com/activities/185576505

Starting the day with, of course, a full Irish breakfast (with no black pudding to both the Chrises delight and my chagrin) we set of on what looked on paper as an easy day since it was relatively short and flat. But it turned out to be a bit of a slog. Cycling east along the bank of the Shannon was into a brisk headwind that offered no respite. Much of the time we were having to pedal on the downhill sections - murder on these old thighs. On the plus side there was no rain today but still pretty overcast.

Brendan takes on fuel at 33miles

Beautiful views of the Shannon and it's many power stations plus a surprising number of failed hotels and businesses along the tourist route. Every other house seems to offer bed and breakfast so there must be at least seasonal trade to pick up. 

Ireland's sensible cycle lanes on the N roads. 

Crossing the river just west of Limerick gave us some faster and easier cycling until the wind changed as we went through Sixmilebridge and into a predominately uphill run into Lisdoonvarna where we are staying tonight. 

Crossing at Limerick. 

The hotel billed itself on the web as being in Ballyvaughan but is actually some 10km south in Lisdoonvarna, a town that seems to pride itself on matchmaking. Next door to the hotel is a bar called "The Matchmaking Bar" and posters for the "Matchmaking Festival" are all over the area. We decide to give it a miss. 

Guinness, dinner and bed is the plan.

Two pints of Guniness, a great Irish stew whilst being entertained by the house Irish band Ceolan then up to bed. Only to discover that our room is right over the stage and the band plays to midnight. Still nothing can keep me awake except perhaps my aching thighs. 

I probably should take the Irish advice. 

Day 3 - Kenmare to Listowel - Aug 25th

Fuelling up in the Rose Garden B&B. 

The days' ride. GPS malfunction just before Waterville loses 2 miles. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/185212112

Straight out on to the Ring of Kerry, the rain eases up and we hit the Kerry Riviera. 

I think the sign says it all. 

High point before downhill to Waterville. 

A pretty easy days cycling to Listowel with just one 600ft climb and lots of rain. Pressed on to Ballylongford and the Castle View B&B.  They certainly came up with the view plus a home cooked roast chicken supper. 

What more could a hungry cyclist want?  Well a trip to town for a couple of pints of preprandial Guiness of course. 

Later start tomorrow as we have done some of day 4 mileage today. Sarah at Centra supermarket Ballylongford has promised chicken salads ready for our take away lunch. 

1/3rd of the way to Dublin where we get a well earned rest day with our better halfs. 

Despite the rain the roads and the scenery are wonderful. It is interesting to note that the architecture of choice is bungalows built in what can only be described as the "shed design". They are all twice as wide as deep with a central door and sloping roof. A smaller one may be added at the side to serve as a garage. A still smaller one behind serves as an extension. The smallest add-on shed is then placed in front of the door to act as an entrance hall. 

Day 2 - Cork to Kenmare - Aug 24th

Day 2 starts of course with the usual full Irish. On the bikes at 8:30 in a little light rain. This soon turns to a steady heavy downpour with tresh winds. What should have been a hard riding day made tolerable by the wonderful scenery and views from a couple of high climbs becomes a wet drag with low cloud obscuring the scenery.

Altogether much too wet to take any photos. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/184733234

At Kenmare by 5pm our wonderful Czech landlady washes and dries our gear while we fill up with Guinness and fish and chips before a boring early to bed. 

Day 1 - Wexford to Cork - Aug 23rd

After a full Irish breakfast at 7am we set off at 8:30 on the first leg of our tour. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/184250968

The weather is fine and the roads quite quiet but we have a slow start with tyre and puncture problems in the first 12 miles. Switching to the spare back wheel we then pick up speed. The Irish N roads are really superb: a whole extra lane on the left just for us and of course any slow vehicles that need to be overtaken.

A nice break at Ballyhack where we take a small car ferry   

In true Irish health and safety the ferry starts unloading cars before it has fully docked.

A thankfully un eventful days cycling through the beautiful green Irish countryside. 

Arriving in Cork around 5pm we have the obligatory delay as we search for the hotel followed by a long walk to find food in a city that is very much gearing up for a Saturday night of partying.  Hen nights, birthday parties and general debauchery all around us. 

Holding back the 2 Chrises, we however get to bed at 10 for a well earned sleep before day 2 which promises the biggest climb of the tour. 

Highest point of day 1. Dungarvan in the background. 

Lakeside rest spot 30km from Cork. 

Day 0 - Radwinter to Rosslare - Aug 22nd

An in-auspicious start: 6:30am at Enterprise car rental finds us with a vehicle slightly smaller than ideal that is not insured for Ireland. Luckily fairly easily sorted with Brendan's bike rack and the promise that the insurance will be arranged before we get to the ferry.

Back to Netty and Chris's in Henham to load up the van and have a hearty full English thanks to Netty. Setting off at 8am gives us plenty of time to get to Fishguard by 2pm to check in for the 2:30 crossing. 

Except that the M25 is closed after the M11 junction and means a cross country route to get past the closure, adding an hour. Then the bike rack requires several adjustment stops and gentle driving speeds. Getting into Wales it is clear that making checkin is going to be a close call. Needless to say there are caravans and hay lorries a plenty to slow things down. We made port 20mins to spare (10 mins late for the "final checkin" ) but the nice Welshman let us through saving a 12 hour wait for the next boat. 

So all was well and we could start on the Guinness.