Category: Ireland End-to-End 2025
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Ireland End-to-End 2025 – Day 3 part two: Killarney to Rathkeale, 89.1k, 823m climbed
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…
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Ireland End-to-End 2025 – Day 3 part one: Conversations with Strangers (Kindness is Free)
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…
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Ireland End-to-End 2025 – Bernard’s Day Off
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…
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Ireland End-to-End 2025 – Day 2: Kealkill to Killarney, 65.2k, 683m climbed
When we got up this morning, the wind was howling through Bernard’s spokes outside. And no matter how slowly we ate our breakfast, there was no putting off the inevitable (I’ll leave you to guess which way we were headed): The first part of the route looked demanding enough without a headwind. Plus, I had…
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Ireland End-to-End 2025 – And we’re off! Mizen Head to Kealkill, 55.8k, 523m climbed
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…
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Ireland End-to-End 2025 – Getting There..
Well this was unexpected – the sunshine, not the bloke sitting at the table. The Irish Sea has a fearsome reputation, but she laid out a blue carpet for us today. And the sun was still shining when we came ashore three hours later. We appreciated the welcome as much as Midge enjoyed the smooth…
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Ireland End-to-End 2025 – How to spend St Patrick’s Day
The birds are nesting, the earth is warming under our feet and Bernard is itching for his next adventure. Just as well then, that I have A Plan. And what better way to spend St Patrick’s Day than fine tuning a route through Ireland? So now I can tell you that, starting from Mizen Head…
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