First, an admission (or maybe it’s the confession of the sin of omission) before this jaunt, I never ridden a motorcycle in Ireland and never beyond once, visited the west coast of Ireland or indeed much beyond Dublin. I had though heard great things about the ‘Irish Gathering’ at Leenane, so along with ChasMill, off I went.
Day one - London to Gloucestershire
Our ferry to Ireland departed from Fishguard, which is a reasonable schlep from London, so Charlie and I agreed we’d break the journey up by overnighting on the way at the Kilcot Inn:
www.kilcotinn.com
Day two Gloucestershire to Fishguard
Going direct, even on the main roads, it’s a reasonably pleasant run to the ferry, passing by the towns and villages of the great names of Welsh rugby.
The ferry port of Fishguard is small and, I must say, a good experience. Everyone from the chap on the check-in gate, through to the very helpful crew who tie the bikes down was pleasant and helpful.
In front of us in the queue was a party of Dutch motorcyclists and their one Belgian mate, who were very interested in my Himalayan 450. This interest was a common theme across the weekend:
Also waiting for us in the queue was fellow UKGSer Tosser, Simon (simondippenhall) who’d be our guide across Ireland to Leenane. Being rufty-tufty bikers, we naturally headed straight for the very good lounge for the crossing to Rosslare. Previous to this, I had never been much beyond Ross on Wye (and there only once) whilst Rosslare was unknown to me entirely. Thankfully, Simon had bought a map; this was good as (along with all my T-shirts) I’d forgotten mine, two more sins of omission, which are now totting up:
It’s another decent schlep from Rosslare across to Leenane, meaning that we broke our journey up, overnighting in the town of Ballinaboola, at the Horse & Hound hotel. If you’d asked me a week ago where Ballinaboola was, I’d have looked at you blankly, guessing (if pushed) that it might be an Aboriginal township in the Australian Outback.
www.horseandhoundhotel.ie
Day one - London to Gloucestershire
Our ferry to Ireland departed from Fishguard, which is a reasonable schlep from London, so Charlie and I agreed we’d break the journey up by overnighting on the way at the Kilcot Inn:
Pub | The Kilcot Inn | Newent
Refurbished to an excellent standard. The Kilcot Inn is proud to offer Award-Winning food in its restaurant and 4* Gold rated rooms
www.kilcotinn.com
Day two Gloucestershire to Fishguard
Going direct, even on the main roads, it’s a reasonably pleasant run to the ferry, passing by the towns and villages of the great names of Welsh rugby.
The ferry port of Fishguard is small and, I must say, a good experience. Everyone from the chap on the check-in gate, through to the very helpful crew who tie the bikes down was pleasant and helpful.
In front of us in the queue was a party of Dutch motorcyclists and their one Belgian mate, who were very interested in my Himalayan 450. This interest was a common theme across the weekend:
Also waiting for us in the queue was fellow UKGSer Tosser, Simon (simondippenhall) who’d be our guide across Ireland to Leenane. Being rufty-tufty bikers, we naturally headed straight for the very good lounge for the crossing to Rosslare. Previous to this, I had never been much beyond Ross on Wye (and there only once) whilst Rosslare was unknown to me entirely. Thankfully, Simon had bought a map; this was good as (along with all my T-shirts) I’d forgotten mine, two more sins of omission, which are now totting up:
It’s another decent schlep from Rosslare across to Leenane, meaning that we broke our journey up, overnighting in the town of Ballinaboola, at the Horse & Hound hotel. If you’d asked me a week ago where Ballinaboola was, I’d have looked at you blankly, guessing (if pushed) that it might be an Aboriginal township in the Australian Outback.
The Horse & Hound Hotel - Luxurious Accommodation - Special Offers - Bistro & Restaurant - Conferences - Horse & Hound Hotel
The Horse & Hound Inn Hotel is a family-run hotel in picturesque Ballinaboola, a small village on the N25 Rosslare-to-Cork road 8km from the town of New Ross. It is an ideal stopping off point either coming from or going to the ferry.
www.horseandhoundhotel.ie
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