clairedavieswriter

It has not always been easy to mark the beginning of my end-to-end rides. For Luxembourg I had to make do with a fence post in a forest. Ireland on the other hand is very straightforward. There’s even a handy sign:

And another one for the more geographically minded:

Many words spring to mind to describe my ride this afternoon, but I’ll keep it simple and settle for glorious. I mean, just look at it:

Unfortunately, another word I could use is windy:

As I pedalled north east, I seemed to be riding into a headwind most of the way, so I have my doubts about the ‘south’ in there. But it would be churlish to quibble when around every corner I was presented with a view like this:

And this:

And this:

For most of the ride, Team Bernard followed EuroVelo route 1, which hugs Europe’s Atlantic coast from Portugal to Scandinavia:

And for the first half of the ride, we virtually had the road to ourselves:

When we had to share it with traffic, we were reassured by this sign:

And the generous hard shoulder (everything to the left of the yellow dotted line):

Although if the drivers we encountered today are typical of the Republic as a whole, we’ve little cause to worry: I’m pleased to say that their approach to cyclists ranked up there with the French and Spaniards: patient, friendly and generous when passing. But it could be just a County Cork thing if the signboard in Bantry is anything to go by:

Speaking of local customs, we noted that, unlike in the UK, words painted on tarmac appear in the order you approach them, which takes a bit of getting used to:

I enjoyed the mural on Bantry’s public toilets:

And the nod to local produce where I stopped for a snack (Ally, fear not, I remembered the hot cross buns):

Tonight we’re parked up beside the ruins of an old castle.

And given that our stay is (almost) free, we thought it essential to support a local business. But I wasn’t mad enough to pack a fridge in my panniers

I promise not to go overboard on Irish proverbs, but I came across one today that I thought spoke equally to my end-to-end endeavours and to the state of current affairs. I’m told it warns against launching into something that’s impractical, poorly planned, or just plain unhinged. It goes, “ná bolt do dhoras riamh le cairéad bruite” and it means ‘never bolt your door with a boiled carrot.’
Wise words indeed.