It’s been a few months since I’ve been back in the UK. I’ve had a good rest, started working again and started saving for my next trip – but I’ve definitely got itchy feet again. The weather has been dreadful recently but looking at the weather forecasts it seemed like there was a break coming up so I loaded the bike up and headed south: first to Derbyshire and then over to North Wales.
Ending up in Hollyhead I decided to get a ferry over to Ireland. I’ve wanted to visit the Republic of Ireland for a long time so why not… The ferry loading for Irish Ferries was quick, but as I rode on, there only seemed to be one man directing vehicles and after some faffing, he eventually directed me to the bike area. Normally a crewman will come over to lash your bike, but after looking at him he just pointed to the ratchet straps – which were all in poor order. I eventually got my bike strapped-down and went up to the lounge.
The crossing was great and the ferry large, clean and comfortable. It was also a very smooth crossing. Getting into Dublin a few hours later, and after I eventually got my ratchet strap off, I was down the ramp, through Passport/Customs and on my way really quickly – and heading west.
I headed west and got to a campsite in Galway – just in time for the afternoon crush, made worse by the new cycle lanes through the city. The site was great, with good showers and nice short grass to camp on. It cost 20eu a night, which I was happy to pay. I spent a few nights there, and each day went to explore the county of Galway. I spent a day riding east, a day riding north along the coast and a day riding south along the coast – and saw some stunning and truly beautiful scenery.
After a few day’s I headed east towards Athalone, and found a superb campsite next to a lake. It only cost 13eu a night, wasn’t far to get into Athalone and had a pub about five minutes-walk from the campsite – with superb Guinness. The showers, although it was 1eu for 7 minutes, were superb. Again, using Athalone as a base, I rode north, south, east and west, mostly visiting castles and more superb countryside.
Ireland is a beautiful country. Simply beautiful. What surprised me the most in the central region was the lack of traffic and vehicles. Yes, it does get a bit busy in the bigger towns, but out in the countryside sometimes you could ride for several miles and not see another vehicle. Also, when visiting the castles, again I was surprised at how few people were visiting.
The weather was superb and everyone I spoke to was so friendly, though I must admit, I did struggle a bit with the accent in some shops in the central region. I did find that Ireland is a little more expensive than the UK, but not excessively.
When it was time to head back to the UK, I rode over to Dublin and again caught the ferry to Hollyhead. As soon as I rode onto the ferry I was directed straight to the parking area and as soon as I stepped of the bike there was a crewman strapping my bike into place. A completely different experience to the outward trip. Why is this important…? Well, if the crewman secures your bike, you can guarantee it’s done properly so there’s no worry of your bike falling over during the crossing. Again, the ferry was large, clean, comfortable – and with a great duty free shop… A credit to Irish Ferries, but why was the outward ferry not as good at loading..?
I decided to go back to Derbyshire for a few more days before heading north – as I had some work coming up, but as I left the ferry in Hollyhead, the rain started, which was for first rain of my trip. A few days later I got back to Scotland – and home. It was only a small trip as I wanted to get away, have no hassle,, and ultimately enjoy myself without any other pressures – which is why I decided NOT to shoot video or make daily social media posts.
It was a break, and very much an enjoyable one. If you don’t want to go to Europe, or don’t have enough time to go to Europe – then please consider going across to Ireland with its stunning countryside, amazing sights, great roads and the friendliest of people. I’m going to go back again as I really do want to see more. And yes, I did drink some Guinness…
