Ireland the Coast Way
In 2006 I rode round Irelands coastline anticlockwise by Motorcycle which took me two weeks and over two and half thousand riding miles to complete, I rode from London through Wales to catch the fast Stena line ferry from Hollyhead to Dun Laoghaire just south of Dublin. Ireland is a great place to see and experience with the ring of kerry on the west coast, the Giant Causeway to the north and the night life of Dublin not to mention all the characters you meet along the way!
Rain and sun is pretty much Irelands weather from day to day with the sun shining but the ever increasing chance the weather is going to turn for the worst, those dark clouds and coastal winds can be cause for concern for the fellow biker especially when the roads can become quite unsuitable for sports bikes.
As I cross over to Ireland by ferry I plan a route south of Dublin through the Wicklow Mountains over to a place called Roundwood, This is a small village well hidden in the Wicklow Mountains but well worth stopping the night just to hang out with the locals.
The Wicklow Mountains put simply are outstanding, they have all the essences of being back in Wales with some very interesting roads and beautiful scenery, roads are often dangerous at times with sheep wondering onto the road and this is Increasingly evident after seeing one dead at the side of the road, it's always amazing how quick you start concentrating after seeing such a large dead animal laying in front of you but soon forget after only a few miles and start to ride quick again. As I move south down to Wexford for the second night I find another campsite not to far from the town, campsites near towns are not easy to find but so far I've been lucky and feel this holiday is starting to take shape without too much planning.
Wexford is supposed to be the sunnier side of Ireland but not today, it's raining and gloomy so I decided to call it a day ready for tomorrows ride over to Waterford and up to Kilkenny where I find yet another campsite not far from the town where the sun is shining and the skies are blue. The town is a magnet for tourists mainly turning up by coach and they all seem to have a regular parking space just a stone throw away from Kilkenny Castle.
I stayed in Killarney for three nights so I could explore the Ring of Kerry and Dingle Peninsula, the time spend here allowed me to see some spectacular coastal views I have never see anywhere which basically sums up the west coast of Ireland
Killarney is set near a large lake called Lough Leane with a lively town and many bars and restaurants. I arrived when the world cup was on and most people were in high spirits, the last night in Killarney was an early night because I was going to set off early next morning at six o'clock to ride north through Clifton and Westport on the North West side of Ireland. With my next night being in Sligo I rode all day along endless miles of twisty roads and wind swept landscapes. As I arrived in Sligo I followed the signs for camping onto an area close to the sea where I see the most reddish sunset I've ever seen, the colors painted the landscape red and the party's on the beach played music wile people were singing songs. The atmosphere was intoxicating and wished I could stay for a little longer than one night. Sligo is a small town with about three pubs which are also restaurants; the campsite is a small walk down the hill.
Next morning the sun awakes me and the sound of the sea is nearby, the sea air is fresh and I can smell the breakfast cooking in the campsite as I look out to sea across the Atlantic. its time to move on so I pack the tent and load it onto my bike ready for the ride up to Donegal through the Black Stack Mountains.
Riding up to Donegal the temperatures were around 70 Fahrenheit and the sun was shining, it was a perfect day for riding two wheels and taking in the views as the bike takes the next corner with an ever increasing lean angle. By this time I was getting hungry so I decided to pull over to the side of the road and have lunch just before the bridge near Dunglow. I had stopped earlier this morning in a petrol station so had all the supplies I needed like drinks, sandwiches, fruit, chocolate all the stuff you need to stay awake on a long journey
Meeting people from all walks of life is what this trip was all about and stopping near a bridge I find my self chatting to a cyclist which is cycling round Ireland. Suddenly circumnavigating round Ireland by motorcycle doesn't seem so difficult. This guy had flown over from Australia and started his ride a couple of months ago, he give up he's nine to five job to see the world as a cyclist but said to me motorcycles maybe his next venture, good luck to him!
My progress over to Letterkenny was slow as the roads kept my speed down, the problem was they were uneven again which caused the bike to jump in the air at high speeds then crash back down with a sense of disapproval of Irish tarmac. This was again going to be a long day riding but made it over to Northern Ireland round seven O'clock were I found a campsite not far from the Giants Causeway.
The Giants Causeway and the coastline of Northern Ireland is a magical place, it's as if time has stood still and the Causeway has been made up by placing the hexagonal stones side by side, of course there is the Irish myth of the Scottish and Irish giant which is,
Finn Mac Cumhail, leader of the ancient Fianna warriors, and gifted with "magic, insight and the power of words" when he was the first to eat of, ended up a giant. One of his rival giants, Benandonner, lived across the sea in Scotland . Benandonner wasn't able to swim across the sea to Ireland for a proper gigantic challenge so Finn tore pieces of volcanic rock into columns to make the causeway to Scotland.
Benandonner came across to Ireland and Finn's house, where Finn was dressed up as a baby. Yes, a baby over 15 feet long! The "baby" bit the Scottish giant's hand off and the Scot took off for Scotland, terrified at how big Finn himself must be if his baby was so big. As Benandonner was racing away, Finn decided to give him something else for good measure. He picked up wads of dirt and began throwing them at the fleeing Benandonner. The largest hole became Lough Neagh ( Ireland 's largest lake) and one large clump of dirt he threw became the Isle of Man.
The Science behind the Giants Causeway is the magnificent collection of about 40,000 basalt columns on the coast of Co. Antrim. Modern geologists tell us that prehistoric Antrim was the site of volcanic activity. The basalt rocks that flowed out during one period of eruptions left the fantastic columns. While most of them are hexagonal, some have more or less sides (up to eight). And, as unbelievable as it may seem, these columns are naturally occurring - there was no human intervention!
Riding down to Lough Neagh Irelands largest lake I stop and park the bike, it's amazing when I look out over the water because the only thing you can see is the horizon. This was the first time I would stand by a lake and be unable to see land, it was pretty much like looking out to sea. The next stop was near Dublin in CountryMeath were I meet friends in Dunboyne, the locals really made me feel welcome and it was the perfect night out drinking and ending to a very long and enjoyable ride round Ireland .
The next morning I was back on the ferry to Holyhead which give me time to reflect on the past two weeks in Ireland.
