This is a bit late but I thought I’d posted this report. But I’d just completed my journal & didn’t post it here. Anyway for what it’s worth…
Thursday 9th May
Otley to Aberystwyth 4.5hrs 181m
Richmond Hotel
The Promenade, 44/45 Marine Terrace, Aberystwyth, SY23 2BX, United Kingdom
For Sat Nav SY23 2HP
So set off just after 9am. Stuck in traffic at the end of the Burley bypass. Then had to pull in before roundabout at Skipton cos ABS light started flashing ffs! Anyway poked & prodded at few things but still the same. Looked in manual & it says you still have conventional brakes but no ABS but need to get it inspected. So I thought bollox it’s not spoiling my trip so decided to carry on.
Realised a bit later that speedo is jumping up & down so I’ve no idea what speed I’m doing & the trip/range/consumption figures are all to pot!
Thought about looking for a dealer but not got time for that so I’ll reconsider once I’m in Ireland. Maybe call breakdown?
Anyway apart from that the scoot has been super. Had a nice ride on the A59 to Preston but the A495 from Llynclys & then the A458 from Neuadd Bridge were lovely roads through beautiful landscapes. Then finally the A470 & A487 into Aberystwyth ended a pleasant ride. Just need to be careful going past speed cameras.
Richmond Guest house is smart enough & right on the promenade.
Was offered a table for dinner but thought I’d have a wander before I booked to see what else might be available. Found the White Horse which appears to be similar to a Wetherspoons. Welsh Pale Ale £3.50/pint! Had to ask if she’d got it right & she apologised & said that was the dearest one they did!
It’s palatable so think I’ll stay for a couple & have a look at their menu.
Ended up having Cheeseburger & chips with a couple of pints.
Was in bed for half 8 watched a bit of telly then bo bos.
Friday 10 May
Aberystwyth to Fishguard 1.5hrs. 59m
2.00pm Ferry - Fishguard to Rosslare 4hrs
Then staying at
Deerbrook House BnB
Kilcoran, Cahir, Ireland 2hrs 142km
88.5m
Had a walk along the prom then back for breakfast at 7.30. It was good but I didn’t sleep too well as the bed was on the piss and I felt like I was falling out all night!
Set off for Fishguard just after 9am. The ride on the coast road from Aberystwyth to Fishguard was smashing. Lovely roads passing through some quaint villages & beautiful scenery. Got to Ferry port just after 11am just had to wait a while before checking in. Got talking to a chap with the same scooter & while looking down at mine noticed a rear disc/abs ring loose bolt (literally hung out of the hole!) So that’s why the ABS isn’t working!
Managed to prise it out & tighten it back in but then noticed that another bolt was completely missing & the abs ring was all gnarled & bent.
Looks like they’ve been put back in without lock tight on the threads
Spun the wheel and made sure all the others were tight & that nothing was fouling.
Arrived at Deer Brook House after 8pm. Maurice the owner was anxious to take the money for my stay. So much for the warm Irish welcome. He made 3 x attempts to take my card payment but it didn’t work. Turns out Santander thought it was fraudulent & I received a text & had to verify over the phone.
Anyway got changed and straight out to the Kilcoran Lodge Hotel bar about half a mile up the road. Two pints of Guinness & a packet of Cheese & Onion crisps later I felt better. Just need to be careful walking back in the dark.
I asked Summer, young lass behind the bar if she knew of a bike garage that might be able to help with my missing bolt problem. She was very helpful and gave me details of a chap in Clonmel, Ardfinnan, Co Tipperary about 20 mins away so I’ll try him in the morning.
Saturday 11 May
Cahir to Ballina 4hrs 264km 165m
Staying at Trudy’s
Barnfield, Corroy, Ballina, Mayo. F26K5R2
Had breakfast at Deerbrook and it was very good. I was impressed with the taste of the sausage particularly. (9/10) I shared the breakfast room with 2 x couples from the Netherlands which meant I didn’t have to make small talk…result!
So the ‘missing brake disc bolt/ABS saga continues. After breakfast I called the number Summer gave me last night. I asked for John, “speaking” he said. I explained the situation & how Summer had suggested I call him. He said could I come around about 2 this afternoon. Oh No! That’s my day screwed. I asked could I pop over for him to take a look see to see if he thinks he can help me & if he can then alter my plans to suit. I didn’t want to hang around until 2 if there was a chance he couldn’t help me anyway. My plan was to visit Father Teds house enroute the Ballina (about 200 miles) and my bed for the night. He agreed & I set off immediately. He was only 20 mins away & I found him easily. What a smashing bloke. He mends bikes for a hobby. He’s a trails rider. His full time job is driving a lorry for fuel oil deliveries.
I explained/showed him the problem & he immediately found a bolt to replace the missing one & proceeded to remove the gnarled ABS ring so that it couldn’t cause anymore problems & removed the remaining 3 bolts & applied thread lock to each before refitting. He even said he’d check the front disc bolts given that the likely scenario was that they’d not been refitted correctly after the wheels had been painted.
Anyway he sorted the job within half an hour & that included having the craic with a couple of local lads whose bikes he was working on.
So I bunged him £20 and told him he was a top bloke & thanks for helping me out of the shit.
From there I set off as planned for Father Teds house (53°00’35.1″N 9°01’48.2″W) and picked up a tankful of juice on the way.
So from Teds I punched in the post code for the guest house in Ballina & got here about 3 hours later with beer and a butty collected on the way from a supermarket at Carnmore.
Sunday 12 May
Ballina to O’Briensbridge 2.5hrs 197km 123m
Staying at
Scapaflow, OʼBriensbridge, V94 XWV4, Ireland
I shared a super breakfast at Trudy’s with a couple of old boys from Enniskillen who were on a fishing trip.
I left Ballina just after 9 and headed for Ballyhaunis where my Grandma & Grandad were brought up. It started to rain but stopped fairly quickly so the ride was ok. This is the route I took then to O’Briensbridge via Westport & Clifden on the Wild Atlantic Way…
https://maps.app.goo.gl/khFizSzqgogTbf4c8?g_st=im
Equates to about 350kms & a beautiful ride. I would have liked to take in some of the smaller roads off the WAW but just didn’t have time. Arrived at Scappaflow, O’Briensbridge at 7. Quick shower out for a beer at Bonners at the bottom of the village. Had a good old natter with the locals & the Guinness was gorgeous.
Monday 13 May
O’Briensbridge to Cork 2hrs 113km 71m
Staying at Tranquil Water Upper aghada Church road, Midleton, P25C 863 , Ireland
Had a lovely breakfast cooked by Antoinette then packed up and said my farewells. Left Scapaflow, O’Briensbridge, Co Clare at 9 in the pissing rain. My initial plan was to head for Tralee onto Killarney then the Ring of Kerry & onto Midleton, Cork. That would have meant 6.5 hrs riding and with the weather as it was I’d probably not see any views on the R o K. So I decided I’d go straight to Cork from Killarney & keep the R o K for another time. The ride through Cork city centre was a bit of a nightmare as Tranquil Water, my digs was east of Cork.
Tuesday 14 May
Was greeted at Tranquil Water by the owner Mary a very upbeat lovely woman. I appraised myself of the local boozers & headed for Rosie’s Bar & Grill. Only 7 minutes down the road but judging by the hill it might take me 25 minutes to get back
!
I loved listening to the local old boys & the Guinness was on form. Ordered a takeaway from the Corner House local Chinese & got back up the hill to meet it been delivered. Mary kindly provided a me a knife & fork & I tucked in. Watched a bit of telly on my iPad & fell asleep. Woke up at 3 having had my quota & found this message on my phone from Mary, “Hi Phillip, would you mind turning down your player a little, please?” Bloody hell I hope she’s not too pissed off
Went back to sleep at 5 & finally awoke at just after 7. Breakfast is at 8.30 so plenty of time to get sorted.
Made myself a coffee. That bloody UHT milk is poxy! I’ll not have another one.
Mary was fine but I apologised & explained I’d fallen asleep & that I’ll use my ear buds tonight. Mary introduced me to the other guests Graham & Ann and we had a good chat. Breakfast was cereals & all that continental stuff just not for me. Had some granola & a couple of slices of soda bread with marmalade and a decent coffee. I apologised again to Mary as she’d laid out a magnificent spread, home made jams, yogurts, cooked meats, cheeses, fresh fruit, boiled eggs, sour dough & soda bread but I just didn’t have the appetite for it.
Back to my room to consider what to do today. It was raining & the forecast was for more of the same.
I would’ve loved to head back through (or around) Cork to do the R o K but not in this weather so I chose to stay relatively local & headed for a short tour, when there was a gap in the weather. 1st to Roche Point,

Then onto Guileen Bay,

Inch beach & Ballycotton.

About 2/3 hours. As I got nearer the coastline the rain started & it PISSED IT DOWN. It’s a shame cos Ballycotton is a lovely seaside village but I couldn’t get any photos & headed straight back the Tranquil Water.
Picked up a bottle of plonk & a sandwich at the store in Whitegates the got back & arranged all my gear around the room to dry off, shower & out to Rosie’s for a beer.
Wednesday 15 May
Midleton Cork to Rosslare 2.5hrs 170km 106m
Staying at
Ferryport House, Rosslare Habour,
Rosslare
Set off about 9.30. Weather was dry but windy. My plan was to head straight for Rosslare on the N25 but come off it at Youghan, Dungarvan & Waterford if it wasn’t chucking it down.
1st stop Youghan

And then Dungarvan

I rode through Waterford but without parking up. Continued on the N25 & arrived at Rosslare at 2pm. Parked up but couldn’t check in until 4.
Once checked in I got ready & went to the local for a beer & bacon cheese burger & chips. The quantities of these meals astounds me. How anyone can finish the whole lot is beyond me!
Thursday 16 May
8.15am Ferry to Fishguard 4hrs then Fishguard to Holiday Inn, Chester South, Wrexham Rd CH4 9DL (3hrs 34mins 152 mile)
Ferry port hotel was comfy enough. Watched the TV and it’s all about Europe because there are some upcoming European elections in June.
Cereal & toast for breakfast then packed up & joined the queue for the ferry. We were underway in good time so should be across by 12 noon.

Landed in Fishguard just before 12 & followed a route that initially took in the west coast of Wales. That’s a lovely road to ride. The weather was fine to start off but turned to rain the further north I travelled. I pulled in for fuel in Powys & put my fleece on as it started to feel colder. The last hour or so before I reached the Holiday Inn it really bounced it down. It was around peak time traffic so it wasn’t very pleasant to ride in & I was relived to get to where I was staying.

Got parked up by some bicycle stands at the rear of the hotel & installed all my security devices. (Photo was taken the following morning)
Checked in & my room was a long walk from reception. My priority now was to get out of my wet gear & work out how to get it dry. I jumped in the shower, got changed & enquired at reception if they had a drying room. They hadn’t & they told me that the radiators are turned off for the summer. My other priority was the Leeds match against Norwich in the 2nd leg play off game. So I went back to my room & decided to fashion a drying room in the wardrobe using the hairdryer left in the room, as a source of heat.
It worked well but I daren’t leave it (the hairdryer) running while I was out of the room.

I was told the wifi in the bar was good so got myself settled with a pint & my iPad/earbuds just before 8 o’clock kick off. I ordered a pizza in the second half & enjoyed the game.

Why we couldn’t have played like this 4 or 5 games ago is beyond me.
Turned out to be a great win for Leeds (4-0) & we’re going to Wembley to play Southampton in the final.
Friday 17 May
Holiday Inn, Chester South, Wrexham Rd CH4 9DL to Otley
(2hrs 55mins 102miles)
I was up in good time & went for a buffet style breakfast. Packed up & left about 9.30 heading for home. Sticking to all the A & B roads made for an interesting ride until I found myself riding through Manchester City center. Having never riden/driven through Manchester it was interesting enough.
I was home for 12.30 & so started the task of unpacking & washing the scoot.
All in all a great adventure but would have preferred less rain.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thursday 9th May
Otley to Aberystwyth 4.5hrs 181m
Richmond Hotel
The Promenade, 44/45 Marine Terrace, Aberystwyth, SY23 2BX, United Kingdom
For Sat Nav SY23 2HP
So set off just after 9am. Stuck in traffic at the end of the Burley bypass. Then had to pull in before roundabout at Skipton cos ABS light started flashing ffs! Anyway poked & prodded at few things but still the same. Looked in manual & it says you still have conventional brakes but no ABS but need to get it inspected. So I thought bollox it’s not spoiling my trip so decided to carry on.
Realised a bit later that speedo is jumping up & down so I’ve no idea what speed I’m doing & the trip/range/consumption figures are all to pot!
Thought about looking for a dealer but not got time for that so I’ll reconsider once I’m in Ireland. Maybe call breakdown?
Anyway apart from that the scoot has been super. Had a nice ride on the A59 to Preston but the A495 from Llynclys & then the A458 from Neuadd Bridge were lovely roads through beautiful landscapes. Then finally the A470 & A487 into Aberystwyth ended a pleasant ride. Just need to be careful going past speed cameras.
Richmond Guest house is smart enough & right on the promenade.
Was offered a table for dinner but thought I’d have a wander before I booked to see what else might be available. Found the White Horse which appears to be similar to a Wetherspoons. Welsh Pale Ale £3.50/pint! Had to ask if she’d got it right & she apologised & said that was the dearest one they did!
It’s palatable so think I’ll stay for a couple & have a look at their menu.
Ended up having Cheeseburger & chips with a couple of pints.
Was in bed for half 8 watched a bit of telly then bo bos.
Friday 10 May
Aberystwyth to Fishguard 1.5hrs. 59m
2.00pm Ferry - Fishguard to Rosslare 4hrs
Then staying at
Deerbrook House BnB
Kilcoran, Cahir, Ireland 2hrs 142km
88.5m
Had a walk along the prom then back for breakfast at 7.30. It was good but I didn’t sleep too well as the bed was on the piss and I felt like I was falling out all night!
Set off for Fishguard just after 9am. The ride on the coast road from Aberystwyth to Fishguard was smashing. Lovely roads passing through some quaint villages & beautiful scenery. Got to Ferry port just after 11am just had to wait a while before checking in. Got talking to a chap with the same scooter & while looking down at mine noticed a rear disc/abs ring loose bolt (literally hung out of the hole!) So that’s why the ABS isn’t working!
Managed to prise it out & tighten it back in but then noticed that another bolt was completely missing & the abs ring was all gnarled & bent.
Looks like they’ve been put back in without lock tight on the threads
Spun the wheel and made sure all the others were tight & that nothing was fouling.
Arrived at Deer Brook House after 8pm. Maurice the owner was anxious to take the money for my stay. So much for the warm Irish welcome. He made 3 x attempts to take my card payment but it didn’t work. Turns out Santander thought it was fraudulent & I received a text & had to verify over the phone.
Anyway got changed and straight out to the Kilcoran Lodge Hotel bar about half a mile up the road. Two pints of Guinness & a packet of Cheese & Onion crisps later I felt better. Just need to be careful walking back in the dark.
I asked Summer, young lass behind the bar if she knew of a bike garage that might be able to help with my missing bolt problem. She was very helpful and gave me details of a chap in Clonmel, Ardfinnan, Co Tipperary about 20 mins away so I’ll try him in the morning.
Saturday 11 May
Cahir to Ballina 4hrs 264km 165m
Staying at Trudy’s
Barnfield, Corroy, Ballina, Mayo. F26K5R2
Had breakfast at Deerbrook and it was very good. I was impressed with the taste of the sausage particularly. (9/10) I shared the breakfast room with 2 x couples from the Netherlands which meant I didn’t have to make small talk…result!
So the ‘missing brake disc bolt/ABS saga continues. After breakfast I called the number Summer gave me last night. I asked for John, “speaking” he said. I explained the situation & how Summer had suggested I call him. He said could I come around about 2 this afternoon. Oh No! That’s my day screwed. I asked could I pop over for him to take a look see to see if he thinks he can help me & if he can then alter my plans to suit. I didn’t want to hang around until 2 if there was a chance he couldn’t help me anyway. My plan was to visit Father Teds house enroute the Ballina (about 200 miles) and my bed for the night. He agreed & I set off immediately. He was only 20 mins away & I found him easily. What a smashing bloke. He mends bikes for a hobby. He’s a trails rider. His full time job is driving a lorry for fuel oil deliveries.
I explained/showed him the problem & he immediately found a bolt to replace the missing one & proceeded to remove the gnarled ABS ring so that it couldn’t cause anymore problems & removed the remaining 3 bolts & applied thread lock to each before refitting. He even said he’d check the front disc bolts given that the likely scenario was that they’d not been refitted correctly after the wheels had been painted.
Anyway he sorted the job within half an hour & that included having the craic with a couple of local lads whose bikes he was working on.
So I bunged him £20 and told him he was a top bloke & thanks for helping me out of the shit.
From there I set off as planned for Father Teds house (53°00’35.1″N 9°01’48.2″W) and picked up a tankful of juice on the way.
So from Teds I punched in the post code for the guest house in Ballina & got here about 3 hours later with beer and a butty collected on the way from a supermarket at Carnmore.
Sunday 12 May
Ballina to O’Briensbridge 2.5hrs 197km 123m
Staying at
Scapaflow, OʼBriensbridge, V94 XWV4, Ireland
I shared a super breakfast at Trudy’s with a couple of old boys from Enniskillen who were on a fishing trip.
I left Ballina just after 9 and headed for Ballyhaunis where my Grandma & Grandad were brought up. It started to rain but stopped fairly quickly so the ride was ok. This is the route I took then to O’Briensbridge via Westport & Clifden on the Wild Atlantic Way…
https://maps.app.goo.gl/khFizSzqgogTbf4c8?g_st=im
Equates to about 350kms & a beautiful ride. I would have liked to take in some of the smaller roads off the WAW but just didn’t have time. Arrived at Scappaflow, O’Briensbridge at 7. Quick shower out for a beer at Bonners at the bottom of the village. Had a good old natter with the locals & the Guinness was gorgeous.
Monday 13 May
O’Briensbridge to Cork 2hrs 113km 71m
Staying at Tranquil Water Upper aghada Church road, Midleton, P25C 863 , Ireland
Had a lovely breakfast cooked by Antoinette then packed up and said my farewells. Left Scapaflow, O’Briensbridge, Co Clare at 9 in the pissing rain. My initial plan was to head for Tralee onto Killarney then the Ring of Kerry & onto Midleton, Cork. That would have meant 6.5 hrs riding and with the weather as it was I’d probably not see any views on the R o K. So I decided I’d go straight to Cork from Killarney & keep the R o K for another time. The ride through Cork city centre was a bit of a nightmare as Tranquil Water, my digs was east of Cork.
Tuesday 14 May
Was greeted at Tranquil Water by the owner Mary a very upbeat lovely woman. I appraised myself of the local boozers & headed for Rosie’s Bar & Grill. Only 7 minutes down the road but judging by the hill it might take me 25 minutes to get back
!I loved listening to the local old boys & the Guinness was on form. Ordered a takeaway from the Corner House local Chinese & got back up the hill to meet it been delivered. Mary kindly provided a me a knife & fork & I tucked in. Watched a bit of telly on my iPad & fell asleep. Woke up at 3 having had my quota & found this message on my phone from Mary, “Hi Phillip, would you mind turning down your player a little, please?” Bloody hell I hope she’s not too pissed off
Went back to sleep at 5 & finally awoke at just after 7. Breakfast is at 8.30 so plenty of time to get sorted.
Made myself a coffee. That bloody UHT milk is poxy! I’ll not have another one.
Mary was fine but I apologised & explained I’d fallen asleep & that I’ll use my ear buds tonight. Mary introduced me to the other guests Graham & Ann and we had a good chat. Breakfast was cereals & all that continental stuff just not for me. Had some granola & a couple of slices of soda bread with marmalade and a decent coffee. I apologised again to Mary as she’d laid out a magnificent spread, home made jams, yogurts, cooked meats, cheeses, fresh fruit, boiled eggs, sour dough & soda bread but I just didn’t have the appetite for it.
Back to my room to consider what to do today. It was raining & the forecast was for more of the same.
I would’ve loved to head back through (or around) Cork to do the R o K but not in this weather so I chose to stay relatively local & headed for a short tour, when there was a gap in the weather. 1st to Roche Point,
Then onto Guileen Bay,

Inch beach & Ballycotton.

About 2/3 hours. As I got nearer the coastline the rain started & it PISSED IT DOWN. It’s a shame cos Ballycotton is a lovely seaside village but I couldn’t get any photos & headed straight back the Tranquil Water.
Picked up a bottle of plonk & a sandwich at the store in Whitegates the got back & arranged all my gear around the room to dry off, shower & out to Rosie’s for a beer.
Wednesday 15 May
Midleton Cork to Rosslare 2.5hrs 170km 106m
Staying at
Ferryport House, Rosslare Habour,
Rosslare
Set off about 9.30. Weather was dry but windy. My plan was to head straight for Rosslare on the N25 but come off it at Youghan, Dungarvan & Waterford if it wasn’t chucking it down.
1st stop Youghan

And then Dungarvan

I rode through Waterford but without parking up. Continued on the N25 & arrived at Rosslare at 2pm. Parked up but couldn’t check in until 4.
Once checked in I got ready & went to the local for a beer & bacon cheese burger & chips. The quantities of these meals astounds me. How anyone can finish the whole lot is beyond me!
Thursday 16 May
8.15am Ferry to Fishguard 4hrs then Fishguard to Holiday Inn, Chester South, Wrexham Rd CH4 9DL (3hrs 34mins 152 mile)
Ferry port hotel was comfy enough. Watched the TV and it’s all about Europe because there are some upcoming European elections in June.
Cereal & toast for breakfast then packed up & joined the queue for the ferry. We were underway in good time so should be across by 12 noon.

Landed in Fishguard just before 12 & followed a route that initially took in the west coast of Wales. That’s a lovely road to ride. The weather was fine to start off but turned to rain the further north I travelled. I pulled in for fuel in Powys & put my fleece on as it started to feel colder. The last hour or so before I reached the Holiday Inn it really bounced it down. It was around peak time traffic so it wasn’t very pleasant to ride in & I was relived to get to where I was staying.

Got parked up by some bicycle stands at the rear of the hotel & installed all my security devices. (Photo was taken the following morning)
Checked in & my room was a long walk from reception. My priority now was to get out of my wet gear & work out how to get it dry. I jumped in the shower, got changed & enquired at reception if they had a drying room. They hadn’t & they told me that the radiators are turned off for the summer. My other priority was the Leeds match against Norwich in the 2nd leg play off game. So I went back to my room & decided to fashion a drying room in the wardrobe using the hairdryer left in the room, as a source of heat.
It worked well but I daren’t leave it (the hairdryer) running while I was out of the room.

I was told the wifi in the bar was good so got myself settled with a pint & my iPad/earbuds just before 8 o’clock kick off. I ordered a pizza in the second half & enjoyed the game.

Why we couldn’t have played like this 4 or 5 games ago is beyond me.
Turned out to be a great win for Leeds (4-0) & we’re going to Wembley to play Southampton in the final.
Friday 17 May
Holiday Inn, Chester South, Wrexham Rd CH4 9DL to Otley
(2hrs 55mins 102miles)
I was up in good time & went for a buffet style breakfast. Packed up & left about 9.30 heading for home. Sticking to all the A & B roads made for an interesting ride until I found myself riding through Manchester City center. Having never riden/driven through Manchester it was interesting enough.
I was home for 12.30 & so started the task of unpacking & washing the scoot.
All in all a great adventure but would have preferred less rain.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
