clairedavieswriter

On a rest day, I think you’ll agree that refuelling is vital. And Ahoy Café in Killibegs turned out to be the perfect place to order our first full Irish (vegetarian) breakfast Killibegs self-identified as Ireland’s premier fishing port, and there was plenty of evidence to back up their claim Other highlights of the day…

Today was a bit of everything – from a rain-washed morning in a nondescript car park in Northern Ireland To a sun-drenched evening on the Republic’s Atlantic coast From the town-scape of Enniskillen, on an island in the river Erne To the landscape of rural county Fermanagh, south of Lough Erne Team Bernard experienced highs…

When we woke, Lough Rynn was gently steaming under a dappled blue sky: Unfortunately, it didn’t last: For the first time, the sun deserted us – but not the birdsong. So let’s talk about nature.Rural Ireland seems to have many more trees, bushes and hedgerows than equivalent parts of the UK: I’ve also been sifting…

It was a perfect day for it: I could also add ‘learning’ to that list of L words, having read this eye-catching headline in today’s Irish Independent: The paper was one of three items Jon returned with from a mosey to the nearby town of Mohill.A pack of the enigmatically named Boxty was the second.…

We spent a comfortable night in our modest surroundings, undisturbed by passing traffic or departing pub-goers.Like our meal last night, there was a Sardinian flavour to the weather when Team Bernard pedalled away this morning As the Green Heartlands Cycle Route sign correctly suggests, this was another day of rural views, from the beginning: Through…

Lough Derg looked just as lovely this morning as it had last night. Jon braved the waters again, plunge-pool style, while a steady stream of locals dawdled in the frigid shallows, as impervious as seals. The air temperature was still a chilly 8 degrees when Team Bernard hit the road soon after 9am But look…

Bernard spent a peaceful night outside the henhouse But we were all woken shortly after dawn by the garrulous gobblings of our hosts’ newest acquisition (just yesterday): an eight month old male turkey who was clearly so aggrieved to be rehomed with a bunch of old chooks that he escaped to the roof in protest…

It’s fair to say that this is not the variety of Irish weather I’d been expecting Bernard kept getting distracted by the views But before long it was time to put the beautiful mountains of Kerry behind us and cross into our third county (insert ditty here. Ed) It turned out that Guillaume had been…

I’ll write up today’s ride separately but for now I’d like to share a couple of stories that sum up my experience of Irish people so far. Settle in, it’ll take a minute.My first story takes place at Pat’s Café in the small town of Castle Island. It was the first café I came to…

After the first two days’ exertions, this was tempting: But we opted instead for a drive around the Ring of Kerry. Highlights included a side trip (a loop off a loop off the main loop) to Reenard Point, aka Valentia Harbour, an apparently insignificant pimple on the map which belies its historic significance.In 1866, after…