A Wee Bit of Ireland

After returning my rented bicycle today I am feeling a bit lost. We spent an incredible six weeks together and even though it had the beauty of a pregnant cow when fully loaded it proved to be up to the challenge. Only two flats and some minor brake adjustments. I couldn't have asked for a more reliable companion.

The last two weeks were as always adventurous as I reunited with Ty after a few days on my own in Glasgow and we boarded yet another ferry, bound for Northern Ireland.

After a day spent in Belfast drinking our first Irish pint of Guinness and checking out the area where the Titanic was built we hit the road again. We were treated to some incredible scenery with soaring cliffs and brilliant green fields set beside our ocean route. We made a mandatory stop at the Giant's Causeway where we visited the bizarre hexagonal columns that are naturally formed. Unfortunately we had to share the site with bus loads of tourists. I had to double check I was still in Northern Ireland as every person we heard speak seemed to have a North American accent.

Upon arriving in the town of Derry we realized we needed to spend an extra day exploring the city which still has an intact fortress wall and learning about the turbulent history of the area. For those who are as ignorant of Irish history as me Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom while Ireland is an independent country. Derry was a city where a lot of fighting between the Unionists who wanted Northern Ireland to remain apart of the UK and the Nationalists who wanted to become part of Ireland occurred. The divides in the city are still very evident as giant murals adorn the sides of townhouses and in one pub we went to the Union Jack on an Australian flag that was hanging from the ceiling had been covered up with an Irish flag.

Our departure from Derry was delayed by an extra day as we waited out the remnants of a hurricane. We headed south into Ireland and our incredible streak of rain free riding days came to an end. We rode mainly quiet back roads through farmland, past abandoned stone buildings and were chased by the occasional territorial dog. I was a little terrified one day when a horse who had been standing quietly in a group suddenly started galloping across a field straight towards Ty who was riding ahead of me. I know what to do if a bear attacks, but had no idea how to handle a horse attack. I watched helplessly until fortunately the horse was stopped by the pasture fence. It stood on guard until both Ty and I had ridden by and then sauntered back to its group.

We headed down to Dublin passing back into and out of Northern Ireland again. The only way you can tell you are changing countries is that the road distance signs suddenly switch from Kilometers to Miles and the currency changes from Euros to Pounds. We had a few soggy days where we arrived at our accommodation for the night dripping wet. Fortunately there weren't a lot of other tourists around so no one had to be annoyed by our wet gear hanging from every available space. Despite the weather we still had a great time constantly climbing and descending hills and enjoying the secluded old roads that sometimes had grass growing through the asphalt.

We met a lot of friendly people even if we couldn't always understand what they were saying to us. One afternoon as we were sitting at a small table in a grocery store scarfing down a quick lunch a man burst through the door handed us each a Mars bar, told us he had passed us while we were struggling up a steep hill, shook our hands and immediately left. We barely had a chance to even say thanks to him.

One of the more bizarre experiences for me was parking my bike outside a convenience store in a small town called Donegal and turning around to see a Tim Horton's sign. I was quite excited and confused until I entered and discovered that "Tim Horton's" consisted of some canisters of Tim's coffee that you could use to make your own coffee and some very stale feeling doughnuts wrapped in saran wrap.

After a few days exploring Dublin and sampling more Guinness and a number of craft beers it was time for me to make my way back to Scotland to return my rented mule. There is a lot more to Ireland I would love to see so I am sure I will be back one day!