Failte go hEirinn

Tuesday: Fishguard to Wexford
God it’s so so good to be home 😊.
After a great nights sleep in Fishguard, I boarded the ferry to Rosslare with some trepidation as well, the ‘vomit comet’ usually lives up to its name! It was blowing a gale and raining when we pull away from the quay. I met another Aussie cyclist who was heading to Ireland – she had been through Europe and traversing the UK, but it seemed she had spent more time on trains than the road! Two days ago she was on the South coast of England, so I was naturally in awe at the distance she had traveled, especially as her loaded bike weighed a massive 40kg…I couldn’t lift it! Anyways, it turns out she had got a train to london, then a train to Birmingham. Then a train to Cardiff. ‘Oh, so you rode from Cardiff to here….that’s a tough gig’. Nope….train to the ferry port! I’m a bit perplexed why you’d haul a fully loaded bike around the UK on a train….but, hey Ho! Perhaps she’s got the right idea and I’m the fool!

The crossing was absolutely fine as it turned out. The ferry was pretty empty so I was able to lie down and sleep 😊.  I got in to Rosslare at 4:30 and was greeted with cold, wet and windy conditions. But it was such a delight to cycle on the road to Wexford…on a well maintained bicycle lane 😊😊. I decided not to camp and spoil myself in a B and B, tho finding one was a challenge and….eye wateringly expensive! But just to be home, to watch RTE news, to have a cup of Barry’s tea, hearing the Angelus at 6…was great. The host was also so so Irish…she could talk the legs off a table, and before I even got to my room I knew her life story 🤣.

Tomorrow the weather is shite..,or simply, Irish! After the heatwave of the summer, it’s like winter has come along and said ‘so you think that was challenging…hold on to your hats’! I’ll see how far I get tomorrow towards Cork which is 185k from here. But given the sheer cost of things here, I’ll prob need to sell a kidney to get accommodation tomorrow night en route. I’m sitting writing this while having a pretty ordinary burger and chips from the local ‘greasy spoon’…when he charged me i thought he was quoting me the sale price of the shop!! ‘No, that’s fine, just the burger and chi….oh, that is for the burger and chips…well, does that come with three nights accommodation and a coffee making machine…?’

Wednesday- Wexford town to Cork. I had the bestest best breakfast I’ve had since leaving Adelaide….fruit bowl, cereals, toast, coffee and fried eggs, bacon, sausage and beans. Fully loaded up I left Wexford town quite unsure if I’d make it to Cork in one sitting or two. The roads were undulating with long sweeping climbs and short descents but what knackered me was the unrelenting wind and the occasional drenching. At times I was pedalling harder downhill! It’s a little soul destroying when you’re putting in so much effort and clearing 13-14k an hour! But, I plodded on, loving the lush green fields, old cottages and Irish pubs, tractors, slurry spreading and…fantastic bike lanes ALL the way! I felt safe on the roads which, after the trauma of England and Wales, was such a delight – I wasn’t gripping my bars tight and was so much more relaxed. I got to Waterford- I had to leave the main road/bypass to get to the city centre where I had another full Irish breakfast 🍳 ! I then realised I had to cycle the 4K back to the main road adding 8k to a ride distance of 185! I wasn’t happy! But slowly I made it to Dungarvan, then on to Youghal and got in to County Cork around 5:45. I still had 45k to go in fading light and periodic downpours. I made the decision to light up and push on to Cork, arriving at my best mates house around 7:45. He had moved since I last stayed with him..he’s now in Dublin Hill…,a shocker of a climb out of the city which I crested at a magnificent 4.5kph!! I was utterly spent, but so pleased to have made it. We shared a great evening of banter and laughs before I collapsed in to bed. Barry and I have been friends since the early 90s – a dear friend, godfather to Charlotte and an incredible work colleague and mentor. Barry is a pen and paper guy, resisting the push towards technology 🤣….so it was absolutely no surprise to learn when I arrived that he had….no wifi!! So typical! So connecting to the outside world has taken on a new level of complexity but like everything this trip has thrown at me I’ll find a way around it!