Ireland 🇮🇪 calling

[JohnnyBoxer]

Last Thursday I left for the UKGSER Leenaun weekend from Cairnryan

Another pilgrimage to the promised land

Weather up through SW Scotland was good after the 5.30am start in a damp Yorkshire and I was thankful things improved

Stopped a coffee at the Teapot on A75 - view of the Solway was good, but the rest disappointing



Arriving at Port it was glorious and I was the very first on …. result

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

All was well from Belfast to Dungannon and the heavens opened

But cleared up by Sligo and first night was at Cawleys in Tubbercurry and 10 miles away it was biblical

So a welcome Guinness and the log fire was welcome

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Friday dawned fine and sunny and I went to Castlebar and diverted up to Newport a quaint wee town above Westport

 

[casbar]

Looks amazing. Need to get back for a ride around Ireland

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Westport was heaving so just rode through, past Croagh Patrick- the Holy mountain and onto Rooney Quay to get a good view of Clew Bay and Clare Island - but the heavens opened again, unexpectedly (it is Ireland )



Down to the stunning Doolough Pass - the skies were moody and the light amazing

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

At the bottom of the Pass are Ashleigh Falls and when I stopped who should I bump into but Timolgra


Arrived at hotel and got a good room with a view, showered and settled in at the bar with Wapping and Chasmill

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Looks amazing. Need to get back for a ride around Ireland

 

[Afmuir]

That is a cracking place to ride, came across it last year

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[Afmuir]

I remember thinking they were good to their sheep

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[Davey B]

A good few years since we went ti Irelan, must rectify that this next 12 months, cheers for the thread Johnny...

 

[Burridge01]

Never been to Ireland, keep saying I will but never got round to it.

 

[Mr Derek]

Went there once when BSB went to Mondello Park and had a few days touring after the racing. Excellent, if a bit expensive. Long overdue another vist.

Thanks, JB for kickstarting an idea for next year. Keep the pics coming.

 

[Micky]

Good one JB

 

[retroman]

Great stuff JB.

It's been said before, the whole country would be fantastic if it had a roof on it

 

[Moto Bikemad]

sheep

We pre marinade our lamb from the inside for the French market

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Saturday dawned dry and bright and initially I wasn’t going to do Jochen’s superb annual Leenaun ride



However Timolgra told me over breakfast, not to miss it and on a dry day like this, we were in for a treat

So, quick as a flash I nipped up to get my bike gear on and was ready to go at 9.30

Jockser knows the area very well and we did lots of single track and we were afforded some excellent views of Connemara

Coffee stop was on a farm with donkeys and they were cute and friendly

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Part of the route dipped down to the peninsula areas of Connemara south and west ended up for lunch at the excellent Pota cafe near Tully Lough

Everything was in Gaelic as the first language and good to see

Food was excellent and toilets were very PC


A butterfly landed on my bike too


The second part of the ride across the peatlands by the mast and then over the tops, north of Ma’am Cross were epic

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Saturday nights dinner was great and Timolgra said a few words afterwards to remember ‘absent friends’

Sunday the weather was dreich all day and most departed for home

Rain was relentless

A few hardy souls braved it (not me) and at dinner there were 8 of us left

Yosarian and his wife, plus Ken and us English rabble

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Today I was due to meet @ikkje in SW Cork at Castletownbere
I set off at 9 and made my way to Galway, over beautiful Connemara one last time, for now


From Galway I took the motorway to Limerick to save time and stopped in Adare for coffee - a pretty wee town



Then I went to Killarney and got a Brunch after filling up



I decided to take to roads past the Killarney lakes and over Moll’s Gap, then down the Turner pass to Glengarriff

Well, the heavens truly opened and it was stair rods and blowing a hoolie

I got soaked and it was the pretty dangerous at times

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Arrived safely if not a little damp and found the apartment just off the Main Street of the fishing port

Refreshed with tea and a chat with @ikkje we set off to find food and Guinness



Found a cracking traditional Irish pub, but sadly all restaurants were closed on a Monday night, so we got fish and chips and the bar said we could eat them there



Result !! And another Guinness to help with digestion

We called at the local SuperValu store for some groceries and they had a live lobster tank - not something you often see in a supermarket