What is odd about it?
Ireland Mizen to Malin Tour Report
- Thread starter Trickedem
- Start date
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What is odd about it?
BromleyBoy
Keep sane, and forward on!! ;-)
- Location
- London, UK
Love the travelogue, particularly the great photos. Glad to hear you're a fellow ferry-phile! You've got me tempted to try the same route but prefer cycling trips in warmer and drier countries! 
I should have asked for a top up
Day 6
Claremorris to Ballina
This was a rest day for me. I have a good friend who lives in Ballina and he kindly offered to put me up for the night.
It was a lovely sunny day, although the headwind was still there and I was able to relax my pace and enjoy the ride.
The scenery was very pleasant with lots of hills and mountains in the distance, but I was mainly on the flat and in 35 miles I only did 600 feet of climbing.
I then passed through the village of Foxford. This is their most famous son. William Brown
The founder of the Argentinian Navy
After arrival in Ballina we went for a pub, locally famed as pouring the best the pints of Guinness. The Harbour Bar, Cabraghkeel, Sligo. Worth a detour if you are ever out that way.
35 miles, 600 ft of climb
https://www.strava.com/activities/12340400192
Claremorris to Ballina
This was a rest day for me. I have a good friend who lives in Ballina and he kindly offered to put me up for the night.
It was a lovely sunny day, although the headwind was still there and I was able to relax my pace and enjoy the ride.
The scenery was very pleasant with lots of hills and mountains in the distance, but I was mainly on the flat and in 35 miles I only did 600 feet of climbing.
I then passed through the village of Foxford. This is their most famous son. William Brown
The founder of the Argentinian Navy
After arrival in Ballina we went for a pub, locally famed as pouring the best the pints of Guinness. The Harbour Bar, Cabraghkeel, Sligo. Worth a detour if you are ever out that way.
35 miles, 600 ft of climb
https://www.strava.com/activities/12340400192
Day 7
Ballina to Belleek
I had a nice send off from my friends after a full Irish Breakfast. It was a misty start, hence the Hi-Viz top and it wasn't a great day for spiders hoping to hide their webs.
Very little traffic for the first 19 miles as I headed over some high moorland. Lots of peat cutting going on, which I am fairly sure isn't great for the environment, although possibly offset by the wind turbines.
I'd made a bit of a route planning error and ended up on the main road from Ballina to Sligo for a few miles. It really wasn't too bad, especially as it was a Saturday morning. And although the road was wide and the drivers patient I finally decided to head back to some quieter roads. I was soon on my original route which was along the Sligo Way in the foothills of the Ox Mountains and was of course very hilly. By this point it had warmed up considerably and in fact, by the end of the day it was reported that this had been the hottest day of the year in Ireland.
I stopped in the village of Ballysadare, which was over half way for some very nice coffee and cake.
After fighting my way through the traffic jams of Sligo town I was soon back on delightful country roads headings towards ManorHamilton. The views of the mountains and lake were beautiful, although the road itself wasn't too hilly.
And then disaster struck!! A massive bang as I stood out of the saddle to do a short climb.
My rear tyre had worn right through and the slight noise I had been hearing for the last few miles was a broken spoke. Luckily it was a non drive side spoke and I had some spares, so this was easily fixed. However the rear tyre was another story. I was able to patch it with a Park Tools tyre boot, but after 5 miles I figured that even that wasn't going to hold, so I added my my tyre boot made from an old tyre and this did the trick and got me to my destination in Belleek, Northern Ireland a further 25 miles on.
I was angry at myself for not properly checking my tyres before the tour, although I know from several pictures taken on the tour that it had only just worn down to the carcass. However we all make mistakes and hopefully we can learn from them. As the next day was Sunday I soon realised that it was unlikely I would be able to get a replacement from a shop until Monday and I really didn't know what I was going to do next. I put some appeals out on Twitter and also on some Facebook Cycling Groups. It is really amazing how judgemental people can be behind their keyboards and some of the nasty comments didn't help my mood. On the other hand there are some incredibly helpful and generous people in the world. And I struck lucky on the Solitary Cycling Facebook Page where a local cyclist offered to drive out that evening and give me a replacement tyre, that was used, but had plenty of wear left on it. I was so happy. My ride was back on track.
75 miles. 4,000 ft climb.
https://www.strava.com/activities/12351772195
Ballina to Belleek
I had a nice send off from my friends after a full Irish Breakfast. It was a misty start, hence the Hi-Viz top and it wasn't a great day for spiders hoping to hide their webs.
Very little traffic for the first 19 miles as I headed over some high moorland. Lots of peat cutting going on, which I am fairly sure isn't great for the environment, although possibly offset by the wind turbines.
I'd made a bit of a route planning error and ended up on the main road from Ballina to Sligo for a few miles. It really wasn't too bad, especially as it was a Saturday morning. And although the road was wide and the drivers patient I finally decided to head back to some quieter roads. I was soon on my original route which was along the Sligo Way in the foothills of the Ox Mountains and was of course very hilly. By this point it had warmed up considerably and in fact, by the end of the day it was reported that this had been the hottest day of the year in Ireland.
I stopped in the village of Ballysadare, which was over half way for some very nice coffee and cake.
After fighting my way through the traffic jams of Sligo town I was soon back on delightful country roads headings towards ManorHamilton. The views of the mountains and lake were beautiful, although the road itself wasn't too hilly.
And then disaster struck!! A massive bang as I stood out of the saddle to do a short climb.
My rear tyre had worn right through and the slight noise I had been hearing for the last few miles was a broken spoke. Luckily it was a non drive side spoke and I had some spares, so this was easily fixed. However the rear tyre was another story. I was able to patch it with a Park Tools tyre boot, but after 5 miles I figured that even that wasn't going to hold, so I added my my tyre boot made from an old tyre and this did the trick and got me to my destination in Belleek, Northern Ireland a further 25 miles on.
I was angry at myself for not properly checking my tyres before the tour, although I know from several pictures taken on the tour that it had only just worn down to the carcass. However we all make mistakes and hopefully we can learn from them. As the next day was Sunday I soon realised that it was unlikely I would be able to get a replacement from a shop until Monday and I really didn't know what I was going to do next. I put some appeals out on Twitter and also on some Facebook Cycling Groups. It is really amazing how judgemental people can be behind their keyboards and some of the nasty comments didn't help my mood. On the other hand there are some incredibly helpful and generous people in the world. And I struck lucky on the Solitary Cycling Facebook Page where a local cyclist offered to drive out that evening and give me a replacement tyre, that was used, but had plenty of wear left on it. I was so happy. My ride was back on track.
75 miles. 4,000 ft climb.
https://www.strava.com/activities/12351772195
Emanresu
I asked AI to show the 'real' me.
Saw a lot of peat cutting which appears to be for the locals and home heating. This is Tullamore just before the Shannon Ferry. You can just see the wind turbines on the horizon.
Day 8
Belleek to Buncrana
The forecast for the day was drizzle and a headwind. Not the best of news, but it's a tour so you have to get on with it. As is often the case it wasn't as bad as it could have been and the Lakelands area is very scenic and the roads were very quiet..
I loved this natural bonsai tree growing from a gatepost. in the back ground is St Patricks Purgatory an island on Lough Derg
I lost count of how many times I crossed the border and it is never marked by any signs, which was one of the conditions of the Good Friday Agreement. The only time you get a clue is at the next junction when the signs will either be in km or miles depending on which country you are in.
Yet again I was so impressed by the generosity and kindness of people. I stopped in a small village shop and a lady insisted on buying me a coffee, because her husband was a cyclist too.
It was a Sunday, so very little was open, so it was nice to be able to fall back on that staple of the long distance cyclist, the garage forecourt. Here I am sitting on a pile of cattle feed enjoying a coffee and some cake.
With around 15 miles to go I cycled over to the Island of Inch. This is joined to the mainland by a couple of Causeways and for the first time in the day the sun peaked out briefly.
Climbing off the island another spoke broke and I was able to fix it easily enough, but I was starting to get a little worried that the whole wheel was on the way out. Another breakage just before I arrived at my hotel added to my woes and I was seriously thinking I wasn't going to be able to make the last day up to Malin Head.
68 miles 2,700 ft of climb
https://www.strava.com/activities/12360699822
Belleek to Buncrana
The forecast for the day was drizzle and a headwind. Not the best of news, but it's a tour so you have to get on with it. As is often the case it wasn't as bad as it could have been and the Lakelands area is very scenic and the roads were very quiet..
I loved this natural bonsai tree growing from a gatepost. in the back ground is St Patricks Purgatory an island on Lough Derg
I lost count of how many times I crossed the border and it is never marked by any signs, which was one of the conditions of the Good Friday Agreement. The only time you get a clue is at the next junction when the signs will either be in km or miles depending on which country you are in.
Yet again I was so impressed by the generosity and kindness of people. I stopped in a small village shop and a lady insisted on buying me a coffee, because her husband was a cyclist too.
It was a Sunday, so very little was open, so it was nice to be able to fall back on that staple of the long distance cyclist, the garage forecourt. Here I am sitting on a pile of cattle feed enjoying a coffee and some cake.
With around 15 miles to go I cycled over to the Island of Inch. This is joined to the mainland by a couple of Causeways and for the first time in the day the sun peaked out briefly.
Climbing off the island another spoke broke and I was able to fix it easily enough, but I was starting to get a little worried that the whole wheel was on the way out. Another breakage just before I arrived at my hotel added to my woes and I was seriously thinking I wasn't going to be able to make the last day up to Malin Head.
68 miles 2,700 ft of climb
https://www.strava.com/activities/12360699822
Day 9
Buncrana to Malin Head
After the spoke breaking day before I really wasn't sure it was going to be a good idea to do the final leg up to Malin Head. I replaced the spoke and trued the wheel and as I still had two spokes left I figured it might be doable. In addition the wind direction had changed and it wasn't raining. So 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' and I turned left out of the hotel, rather than right and a shortish ride back to Derry.
I was so glad I made the decision to go for it and I was soon climbing the first of the two climbs of the day.
After the summit it was a glorious quiet, fast descent all the way to Cardonagh where I had a breakfast in a cafe.
After breakfast I had just one very steep climb to do. As the road is a dead end it was still very quiet and it was only in the last few miles that was riding into the wind. The last little stretch up to the Headland was extremely steep and I broke my first spoke of the day.
I had originally planned a long day with a ferry ride over to Northern Ireland, but I decided it made a lot more sense to make my way back to Derry. I was very lucky to be able to scrounge a lift back to Cardonagh from a worker from the local council who had been inspecting some footpaths. Yet again I was impressed by how helpful people can be. On arrival I then called for a taxi and within 5 minutes I was on my way back to Derry.
A short walk to Halfords and I had a box to pack my bike up for the return flight to Heathrow.
The flight from Derry to LHR was great. It is a tiny airport and they were very friendly. The only slight challenge was they didn't have an xray machine that my box would fit it, so I had to open it up so they could look inside. Fortunately I had a spare roll of tape with me and I will make sure I always carry one in future.
In 9 days I averaged 57 miles and covered 516 miles in total. I also climbed 24,000 feet. What a magnificent trip this was.
Thank you Ireland, I will be coming back. Since returning I have rebuilt my rear wheel with new spokes and I am looking forward to putting many more miles one this bike.
25 miles. 1700 ft of climb.
https://www.strava.com/activities/12365735345
Buncrana to Malin Head
After the spoke breaking day before I really wasn't sure it was going to be a good idea to do the final leg up to Malin Head. I replaced the spoke and trued the wheel and as I still had two spokes left I figured it might be doable. In addition the wind direction had changed and it wasn't raining. So 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' and I turned left out of the hotel, rather than right and a shortish ride back to Derry.
I was so glad I made the decision to go for it and I was soon climbing the first of the two climbs of the day.
After the summit it was a glorious quiet, fast descent all the way to Cardonagh where I had a breakfast in a cafe.
After breakfast I had just one very steep climb to do. As the road is a dead end it was still very quiet and it was only in the last few miles that was riding into the wind. The last little stretch up to the Headland was extremely steep and I broke my first spoke of the day.
I had originally planned a long day with a ferry ride over to Northern Ireland, but I decided it made a lot more sense to make my way back to Derry. I was very lucky to be able to scrounge a lift back to Cardonagh from a worker from the local council who had been inspecting some footpaths. Yet again I was impressed by how helpful people can be. On arrival I then called for a taxi and within 5 minutes I was on my way back to Derry.
A short walk to Halfords and I had a box to pack my bike up for the return flight to Heathrow.
The flight from Derry to LHR was great. It is a tiny airport and they were very friendly. The only slight challenge was they didn't have an xray machine that my box would fit it, so I had to open it up so they could look inside. Fortunately I had a spare roll of tape with me and I will make sure I always carry one in future.
In 9 days I averaged 57 miles and covered 516 miles in total. I also climbed 24,000 feet. What a magnificent trip this was.
Thank you Ireland, I will be coming back. Since returning I have rebuilt my rear wheel with new spokes and I am looking forward to putting many more miles one this bike.
25 miles. 1700 ft of climb.
https://www.strava.com/activities/12365735345
That's been a great read and a great achievement. It's made me feel nostalgic. I did a similar journey back in 1989 to celebrate my 40th. The border was guarded back then, I remember crossing at Aughnacloy ( sp?) with armed soldiers checking people and vehicles. Best of all was supping a pint of Guinness at the pub in the town square in Malin village
Tail End Charlie
Well, write it down boy ......
- Location
- In green and pleasant hills.
Great write up, enjoyed it. Hadn't heard of William Brown, I love obscure details like that and I'll have to research him further.
