Let’s go cycling

A few days of exploring the UK bit of Ireland.

1 July
Off the boat and a short cycle to the the “Trench Farm” campsite- small, nicely equipped and perfect for the night.

Shared with a few other campers including a French family of five on a 5 month cycling trip with 10 and 12 year olds- quite inspirational with their big km days!

2 July 50 km, Ballycastle to Ballymoney
So many “Ballys”….
The coast of Northern Ireland is quite speccy! Rugged cliffs, moody skies and nice coastal ride.

The main attraction seems to be the “Giants Causeway”- we can definitely see why it is fascinating, kinda like Nature’s version of Minecraft. But the people! Soooo many. spoilt it a little (yeah, hypocritical as we just added to the masses!)

We had a campsite earmarked for the night in the Sperrin “area of outstanding Natural beauty”. But it was after 2pm by the time we stopped for lunch…in the rain again… and we had only travelled a bit of 20km.

So a change of plan and we headed to the closer Ballymoney, where there is a Marina/ come campsite. All pretty ordinary really but a good place to stop for the night.

3rd July, Ballymoney to the Shepherds Pub
74km of (gentle) hills, with incessant rain!!!

Thought we had better have another go at riding through the area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A long, wet day on the bikes with driving headwinds. Not so sure about the beauty, it may have been marred a little by the weather!

The rear derailleur cable snapped on my bike about 20km out from our destination, making it even more challenging for that last bit…especially as it was stuck in a fairly high gear. The hills weren’t too bad but I still had to walk a few…

Arrived at the Shepherds Pub and Campsite, sodden, bedraggled and tired.
We asked for a campsite (£20), but the publican randomly upgraded us to a little vacant hut for the same price. Bliss!!!! Warm, dry and somewhere to dry our soggy gear. What a guy… he said later, “you just looked like you needed it”.   Uh huh..

So of course we had to support his little pub with a drink or two. There was one other soul propped up at the bar, a man of few words but obviously a regular.
We conversationally asked if it was a quiet night, and were told No, this is a busy night! It’s very much an “event” focused pub, he caters for weddings etc on weekends but a bit quiet during the weekdays, lucky for us!
The publican was good fun- generous and full of Irish stories. One of those places that underpromises and over-delivers for sure.
If you’re ever in this neck of the woods, it’s a real gem and worth a visit.

4th and 5th July, Magherafelt, 30km
A short day on the bikes, for me anyway.  Good thing as it’s a bit challenging to have just 3 gear options instead of 27! (First world problems, I know).We booked a little loft near Magherafelt for a couple of days so that I could catch up on some work, and Neil rode off to find replacement gear cable and supplies. (hero😍).
Then a quiet day, lots of computering to do and a bit of exploring the local area.

Neil’s notations
Flags, what does it mean to fly one and why? Often flown tribally as a sign of victory or oppression, areas of Northern Ireland have so many flags flying, most commonly the Ulster banner and Union jack.
Visible signs that the Troubles are still simmering even though there’s been peace for nearly 30 years. A great pub conversation with a Catholic, he identifies as Irish but pays his taxes to the British government.

6th and 7th July, 71km and into Ireland!
A lovely (and dry!!) day of riding, accompanied by a cacophony of farmyard sounds and smells for most of the way.

It’s my birthday, and we decided to splash out a bit.
An Irish Castle seemed appropriate, so a bit of posh it is! Highly recommended, albeit pricey!! But hey, you only turn 60 once…

And now for some estate exploring!