Henry and I had come up with an ingenious plan \u2013 as he and Liz were riding the route South to North, he took my car and drove it down to a friend\u2019s house outside Kinsale. I would drive his beautiful VW van to Derry airport and they could therefore skip Derry city entirely by taking the ferry across the Foyle. The only problem with a Derry start is the drive to Derry \u2013 it\u2019s a long way, whichever route you choose and the cycle from Derry airport to my start point at the Peace Bridge in the city centre is not one that I\u2019d recommend. However, I eventually got away just after 1000h in a heavy drizzle. Tracker on, time noted on brevet card and selfie taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Day 1 \u2013 Derry to Letterkenny 190km 2387m<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hang on, I thought that Letterkenny wasn\u2019t on the route? It isn\u2019t, but read on. I\u2019m afraid that I\u2019m going to start moaning about the weather, but I\u2019ll try to not make this the main theme of the blog. Wind, wind, wind -if you want to find the windiest part of Ireland then try the Inishowen peninsula. The route starts with a flat run along the coast but things take an abrupt change with a left hand turn that brings you up the Kinnego Bay climb. Wow. It\u2019s at this point that you start to realise that you\u2019ll be spending a lot of time climbing. The route meandered along to Malin Head; I was chased by a large dog downhill but thankfully he gave up before the road inevitably ramped up again. I ignored a closed road sign and was shouted off boiling Tarmac by the roadworkers before my tyres burst. Donegal road surfaces actually turned out to be the best on the entire route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from wind, the other feature of the county was the election posters for EU \/ local council elections. In Donegal, every candidate promised \u201c100% redress\u201d \u2013 I had become aware of this on the first trip up in 2020; a lot of houses had been built with poor quality concrete. As far as my limited understanding goes, the Irish government has allocated funding but with a cap on the total amount for a house rebuild (I think \u20ac450K) and second \/ holiday homes aren\u2019t covered by the scheme. Given Karl Marx\u2019s dictum that the private ownership of property is theft, I found it strange to see left wing candidates campaigning for State compensation to rebuild second homes. Donegal is a beautiful county, that has been largely ruined by one-off housing. Many of these houses lie vacant for most of the year as holiday homes. The other theme of the election posters was anti-immigration. One particularly unpleasant poster featured a cartoon of a queue of (brown) people entering Ireland with a queue of (white) people leaving in the other direction. I suspect that Donegal mightn\u2019t be the destination of choice for most immigrants to Ireland but it did seem to be more of a concern for election candidates there than in other counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyway, back to the route \u2013 I did the infamous Mamore Gap at walking pace – I\u2019m proud to report that I didn\u2019t push my bike on any climb. The Lough Swilly ferry at Buncrana was the target \u2013 my optimistic hope of the 1520h sailing wasn\u2019t realised and as I struggled on into the headwind it soon became apparent that 1640h wouldn\u2019t happen either. Oh well, that gave a chance for a meal at the wonderful Circle K in Buncrana; it was so nice to get out of the wind for a bit. I hadn\u2019t given much heed to the sight of a ferry tied up on the wrong side of the pier, maybe there were 2 running. It was still tied up when I rode down to the pier 10 minutes before the last sailing of the day at 1800h and there was an ominous silence. A Polish local was there with his son; apparently the high winds meant that there had been no sailings all day and there might have been an update on Facebook. The next sailing wasn\u2019t until 1000h the following day, but no guarantee that it would even leave with no prospect of the wind dying down. That left only 2 options \u2013 stay in Buncrana overnight or ride the 40km to Letterkenny and rejoin the route at Rathmullan, which was a further 25km on from there. I know that busy road well and I didn\u2019t look forward to the prospect. I was tired and cold and I decided to cut my losses by staying overnight in Letterkenny. I had made a good friend with Steve Bishop on the 2022 TAW and he had driven all the way up from Belfast to photograph me at the first checkpoint at Fanad Head that night, sorry Steve. We dined together in comfort at the hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was where I nearly quit \u2013 OK, my car was in Kinsale and I had to get it some way, but the obvious option was to ride the Barnsmore Gap out of Letterkenny, skip down to Donegal town and get quickly into Sligo. I could then ride the bits I really loved, especially Connemara, Kerry and West Cork and skip many of the tedious and unappealing bits of the West of Ireland. Everything seemed to be going wrong \u2013 the postponed start, grim weather and this extra delay from the ferry. But I\u2019d come here to ride the TAW and lots of people were supporting me and wishing me well. Better do it, but the only option would be to move to the short(er) route. My holidays were fixed and I had to be back at work by the 12th<\/sup>. It was an easy choice, with zero regrets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 2 \u2013 Letterkenny to Sligo 345km 4487m<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n An early start after a decent night\u2019s sleep in the comfortable hotel got me to Rathmullan without too much difficultly. I\u2019ve no idea if the ferry ran that day but it certainly hadn\u2019t got any less windy. This was a long slog of a day and memory is already fading a bit. It\u2019s a nice run from Rathmullan up to checkpoint 1 at Fanad Head but it\u2019s pretty steep. Fanad Head was deserted apart from a single camper van and no chance of a food \/ coffee stop at that time of the morning. I was glad I hadn\u2019t pressed on into this wild countryside last night. I crossed the Blaney bridge \u2013 this is a remarkable piece of infrastructure that connects two bits of nowhere to each other. Carrigart was the morning\u2019s stop for coffee \/ breakfast roll; there\u2019s friendly Centra shop but the town is seriously grim and the cold wind and heavy squalls of rain didn\u2019t improve the place. I stayed on in the shop for a second cup of coffee; several outer workers came in for breakfast and shelter from the storm as well, all with the same tale of gloom and misery about the conditions. Lovely route through a quiet valley past a shrine up into Glenveagh \u2013 this is one of several national parks in Ireland. Long, quiet climbs and eventually into the castle area itself by a gravel walking path. Then came a seemingly endless climb on a bigger road into the Poisoned Glen (got to love Donegal). After Ardara came another fearsome climb that I knew well \u2013 Glengesh Pass. The rain showers had been fairly brief up to that point but I got a serious soaking on the way up. I sought shelter in a shed but the floor was ankle-deep in filth so that didn\u2019t work. Another drenching on the way down left me shivering with cold; on the way into Killybegs I stopped in another (dry) shed to put on every single layer of clothing that I was carrying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had a hotel room secured in Sligo and I was able to phone them to tell them I\u2019d only be arriving after midnight, with 24hr reception there they said that was fine. After food in Killybegs I pressed on and darkness fell somewhere around Ballyshannon. I passed the house where my grandparents had lived in the 1930s\/40s, both Dad and Uncle Ronnie were born there. I rode the utterly pointless Gleniff loop in pitch darkness and then mostly downhill on the main road past the church where WB Yeats is buried into Sligo. Temperatures were as low as 4 degrees and my breath steamed in the cold but at least it stayed dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 3 \u2013 Sligo to Achill 189km, 1476m<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n My Strava report tells me that levels of enthusiasm were not high for this section. Roads here can be busy and the quieter coastal road in straight and rather featureless. Ballina was a welcome break, I like the place and Supermacs for lunch was ideal \u2013 cheapish, quick, clean and warm. Back to the North Mayo coastal roads via Ballycastle. Cromwell\u2019s quip about Connaught came to mind – not enough wood to hang a man, not enough water to drown a man and not enough earth to bury a man. I can see his point \u2013 if it wasn\u2019t for the rhodedendrons and giant rhubard that have somehow colonised this part of Ireland the place would be a desert. See Henry\u2019s blog entry about Bangor Erris, there\u2019s no reason in the world why anyone would go there. However, the big advantage of doing the short(er) route was that I wouldn\u2019t have to visit Belmullet \/ Blacksod lighthouse \u2013 this was a real low point of my 2022 trip. I\u2019d booked a B and B in Achill; my original plan had been to bivvy out most nights but the cold wind was driving me indoors most nights and I had developed saddle sores that needed attention, mostly by showering and being able to wash my bib shorts. I think there was only one other guest in the large B and B, the host was an Italian chap called Alex who made me very welcome; mamma mia was his main comment about the distance I had covered. An early self-service breakfast was no problem, with everything in the fridge. Once again, I slept like a log as soon as my head touched the pillow. I could of course have completed the 30km Achill loop that evening but I really couldn\u2019t face it<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 4 \u2013 Achill to Cong 226.5km 1889m<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I immediately regretted not having ridden the Achill loop the previous evening as I dragged myself out into the wind and rain. It was especially unpleasant to pass my B and B on the way off the island. Oh well. The Corraun peninsula was next; there\u2019s a memorial to shipwrecks from the Spanish Armada there \u2013 you could just imagine being in a galleon going around the headlands of Ireland and seeking shelter in Clew Bay. Nice to get back onto the greenway at Mullranny \u2013 I\u2019d already ridden out on it to Achill the previous evening. This brought me happily to Westport with a coffee stop at a Centra in Newport. Centras and Circle K garages provided very welcome refreshment stops \u2013 most have seated areas inside where you can charge your phone, washrooms and friendly staff who don\u2019t treat you like the smelly vagrant you have become. It was lovely to meet Henry and Liz in Louisburgh for lunch. They had been making good progress at a slightly more sensible pace but despite their reports of sea swims from sunny, sandy beaches they had also struggled with the weather and were looking forward to a wise rest day in Westport. From my three rides on the WAW in June it\u2019s pretty clear that you can expect weather to worsen as you approach Donegal; the advantage of doing it North to South is that things should improve as you move down. While you certainly couldn\u2019t call their daily distance of 100 \u2013 150km relaxed, the sheer scale of the route meant that they\u2019re out on the road for a very long time. In fact, as I write they are still battling the wind of North Donegal and I hope that they\u2019re OK. It\u2019s not just the distance and the hills, it\u2019s the constant daily exposure to wind that wears you out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Louisburgh comes one of route highlights \u2013 the lovely Doolough valley. What a place, I\u2019d never heard of it before I went through it for the first time in 2020. Ireland is wonderful \u2013 no matter how well we think we know our little island there\u2019s always new wonders to discover and cycling is the ideal way to do it. Then the road around Killary fjord brings you into Connemara national park. As I rode through the Connemara countryside, I passed a roadside chapel, real 1970\u2019s architecture. The sign outside simply said Stop and Pray so I did. The church was empty but open \u2013 the sort of churches I attend ar usually closed except when there\u2019s a service on. I sat down at the back and then I knelt in the silence. I was overwhelmed by the vastness and loneliness of the journey but I also found that I was very conscious of God\u2019s presence with me. I was overcome with a sense of how greatly He loved me and of how my sins were forgiven through the Cross. I broke down completely and wept, on my own in the sanctuary. It was an intense and precious moment and, in the most unexpected way, possibly the highlight of my whole trip. A close pass by a rental Golf several minutes after leaving did nothing to disrupt the sense of peace from that short time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next decision was where to stay the night \u2013 I knew that rain was coming and this wasn\u2019t going to be the best time to start bivvying out. However, the TAW route was taking me away from the tourist area of the West coast as it went inland of Galway \u2013 accommodation options looked scarce and I still had a long way to go to the next checkpoint. Cong looked the most likely spot \u2013 sadly Ashford Castle was a little outside my budget so I settled on a cheap room in a hostel. I managed to smuggle my bike up the steep staircase into the room, hoping that I wouldn\u2019t kill myself by bringing it down in the morning. Cong is badly served for garages \/ Spar shops but I got a decent dinner in one of the pubs before the hostel. After killing several bluebottles and washing shorts \/ shirt, I settled down for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 5 \u2013 Cong to Tarbert 296km, 2746m<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The main checkpoint of the race is on a farm deep in Co Galway and it\u2019s manned by Adrian\u2019s cousin Ann. She is an amazing lady, who takes an enormous interest in the event and she gives a royal welcome to riders at every hour of the day and night. Mountains of food, a seat by the stove; what a wonderful treat. You\u2019re past the halfway mark on either route by the time you get to Ann\u2019s but I think that most riders are in a rather heightened emotional state by then and the shelter and encouragement she gives really keep us going. I tore myself away and moved into coastal Co Clare at Ballyvaughan. It\u2019s a nice route through the Slieve Aughtry mountains \/ windfarm. I passed the most amazing selection of used cars in a tiny village on the way to the Burren \u2013 I have never seen so many high-end Mercs, Defenders and Range Rovers. Maybe it\u2019s all above board and nothing to do with laundered drug money; I\u2019ve watched too much Breaking Bad though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ballyvaughan to the Shannon ferry was a brutal time trial into a headwind \u2013 I thought I had plenty of time to get the 2100h final ferry but it turned out to be tighter than I had expected. Clare had the second worst road surfaces (after Cork) and I dug deep. I crossed into Co Kerry with a sense of achievement but Tarbert and the surrounding area isn\u2019t really the best introduction to the county. A kebab \/ chips in a grotty takeaway provided the evening calorie replenishment and I took shelter in a hotel just outside the town. This turned out to be an Indian-run establishment and it reminded me of some places I had stayed in when we lived in Nepal \/ India. The price was definitely in Euro, not Rupees. Kindest to say that the hotel might have seen better days in the 1980s but it was much better than outdoors and I slept well again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Day 6 \u2013 Tarbert to Ballylickey (Bantry) 310km 3370m<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kerry in a day. Tarbert to Tralee is best not described; it\u2019s not a nice part of the country and the weather I got means that I\u2019d rather forget the experience. Things improved after Tralee with the Connor Pass \u2013 I was overtaken by several classic cars out on a club run, even a Triumph Dolomite. At one time my parents owned two of these as family cars, both in vermillion red. This was in secondary school, when most kids\u2019 parents had Ford Sierras. \u00a0When I got to Dingle, I was flagged down by another cyclist who had been tracking me, what a strange experience, I felt like a celebrity. In the excitement I have forgotten his name but he guided me out of the busy town and generously paid for my coffee and snacks for the Slea Had loop. Despite his lean and fit appearance, he was actually on the renal transplant list and he was involved in fundraising for the Irish Kidney Association with the Ring of Kerry sportive. A real gentleman and while I was doing this ride for my own selfish reasons he was giving his time and effort for charitable purposes \u2013 as do so many sports clubs and organisations all over Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Slea Head was reasonably quiet compared with the last time I did it, only one bottleneck where two large Volvo SUVs had to squeeze past each other. Good to see quite a number of cyclists on rented bikes \/ ebikes; private car use on this popular tourist area needs to come to an end. Wonderful part of Ireland but the Star Wars connection hasn\u2019t been good for traffic. I passed Inch strand, through Castlemaine for a refuelling stop at the excellent Post Office \/ shop that was still open at quite a late hour on Sunday evening. Over Beaufort bridge and then the Gap of Dunloe as evening fell \u2013 another real highlight of the route. Rain started as I descended the creepy Black Valley; electricity only came here in the 1970s but I suspect the name came long before that time, you wouldn\u2019t want to break down in this area. Full of midges too. I rolled into Kenmare before 2200h; here came a decision, stop for a B and B or press on over the Healy Pass? I knew that I still had a long way to go in Co Cork and with the finish line in sight I wanted to get things done by the end of the following day. I summoned up my resolve and tackled the Healy Pass. This was the second time to descend this in the dark, in fact these final two days were very similar to 2022. Healy Pass must be the closest thing in Ireland to an Alpine descent with long, sweeping hairpin bends and waterfalls; I must try it in daylight some time. Adrigole to Glengarriff after midnight was unpleasant \u2013 I had run into Steve there in 2022 and we had enjoyed late night chips in the town and camped together on Sheep\u2019s head but this time I found myself forlornly sheltering from the wind in deserted Glengarriff. It started to drizzle again and this was to be my one night of bivvying out. My earworm song was Amy McDonald\u2019s Where you gonna sleep tonight, things were looking bad. I tried the back of a national school \u2013 out of the wind but zero shelter; pressed on to a closed roadside garage \u2013 bingo. A covered laundry area, it kept me sheltered from a vicious storm and even the bike was under cover. I slept well for about 3 hours but at 5am it was time to press on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/notthesundayrun.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Picture-1.jpg\")
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