I returned to France several weeks ago. After six months working on the first draft of my novel, I need to distance myself from my text before moving on to proofreading. That's good, I wanted to try traveling by bike... So here I am for two weeks on the roads of Ireland, with my mother, delighted to share this adventure. Let me introduce you to my mount... This superb black bike with its shiny red saddlebags. We start by taking the train to Morlaix station and then we cycle to the port of Roscof
f, where we take a ferry to Cork. I feel like a child at the idea of discovering this immense boat. Bed for the night... With view ! The boat is very large and packed with vacationers. I like the atmosphere on board. But I'm worried about these two weeks of cycling... Will we be able to do the kilometers I planned each day? Are we going to have technical problems? And more than anything: will the weather be as horrible as predicted? ARRIVAL IN CORK It's the big start... We only have about twenty
kilometers by bike to Cork station. Today, our stop is to go by train to Galway, via Dublin. So we have lunch while waiting for the train. Then we cross Ireland, discovering its magnificent landscapes under a rainy gray sky. Delicious hot soup
Irish soda bread Fish and chips and go to sleep... LEAVE GALWAY Today we are going to Connemara. We have fifty kilometers to go to Cong. The countryside is magnificent, and we make a detour towards the superb Ross Errilly Friary Abbey. I find places like
this very inspiring. I appreciate its calm and this special atmosphere. Before arriving at our Airbnb, we make another stop at Cong Abbey. On this first day, we had a few drops of rain, but nothing catastrophic. This is encouraging for the coming days. Another fish and chips?! SOMEWHERE IN CONNEMARA Today we have sixty-two kilometers to go to reach Cleggan. Here, the landscapes are all green and water. Beautiful, but the weather is absolutely horrible. We face the wind, the cold and the rain. Bu
t that doesn't stop us. So it's with our clothes soaked that we're going to visit Kylemore Abbey. And its pretty gardens. Refrigerated, I am more than happy to arrive at our B&B for the evening. After a day of cycling in the cold, it's so nice to rest... Fish pie After breakfast we are already on the road. Sixty six kilometers today, we go to Bealadagan. The weather is a little less bad than the day before. But the landscapes are just as magnificent. It's in places like these that sometimes, loo
king towards the horizon, we get lost in our thoughts. And we have the best ideas. Fresh air, sport, and the beauty of nature... Isn't that the best combination? The one that makes us say: was today a good day? Because not every day is a good day. This sixth day was a bad day. Sixty six kilometers today, we go to Ballinderreen. But the weather was horrible and we were mainly on a busy road... So we just cycled hoping to get to the airbnb quickly to find shelter. This little trailer was our room
for the night... And what a pleasure to be dry! Ireland is a very humid country, as evidenced by the incredible green of its vegetation! Without rain, without gray skies, would Ireland have as much charm? Today we have sixty-eight kilometers to reach Lahinch. It's a rainy day in the countryside. But it's beautiful, so it's worth it. Even if the end of the day is really difficult. With the wind in the face, it's hard to move forward... But for this show, I would do it again. Cliff of Moher Tradit
ional irish food Family portrait Short day, we have fifty six kilometers to Knocknagarhoon. Peat fields. It's July but like it's winter. New magnificent black cliffs: the cliffs of Kilkee. It's in landscapes like this that being on a bike is great. You can stop every meter when it's nice! Anyway, bike day is over. And I love the atmosphere of B&Bs! Very often comfortable, and you almost feel at home... (and in this one, the breakfast was particularly amazing.) But it’s already time to leave! A d
ay with sixty kilometers to Carrigafoyle Castle. Our most loyal supporters! We cycle to Kilrush harbor to catch a ferry. This allows us to cross the bay and avoid 100 km of coastline. We only have two weeks and I really want to discover Kerry, renowned for being magnificent. The weather is almost dry! A miracle here. We stop at a small ruined abbey on the road. These ruins transformed into a cemetery are full of charm and peaceful. CARRIGAFOYLE CASTLE Pretty castle with free entry. All B&Bs have
their precious blue porcelain! Bye little fat dog :) Sixty one kilometers to Derrymore today. The landscapes follow one another... And the days too... Kerry is magnificent. Moutain and sea. And always sheep! After an endless climb, the descent with this view is a great reward. As well as real fish and chips in greasy paper! DINGLE Delicious Irish bread and sea water ice cream! After the effort, a simple hot meal becomes the best reward! Today a storm is forecast. They predict rain and wind gust
s over 80 km/h. Obviously, this is our biggest day, the one that scared me. We have to cycle almost ninety kilometers to reach Caherciveen. Ultimately, we are lucky. The wind is not as strong as expected, and we avoid showers. We even have the luxury of sunshine for the first time! It's so nice to ride without having waterlogged socks! And have a picnic in the sun! apple triangle :) I could fall in love with these mountains by the sea... We arrived tired from this long day, but it was not the or
deal I imagined. You must always maintain confidence in yourself. We can do it ! But what we can't do is still eat those horrible scones! Because without a toaster, butter and jam, it's terribly dry... But no matter, today we have 51 kilometers to Sneem. It’s our penultimate “real” cycling day. And the sun is with us! The more the days progress, the more I have the satisfaction of reaching my goal... Skellig Islands Five-star picnic! By putting some distance with my manuscript, with this kind of
landscape in front of me, I feel the desire to return to my text. I want to take the next step, even though I know it will be difficult. Because starting a project is not the hardest thing, the hardest part is finishing it... Last day on the bike. I feel both physically relieved and sad. Short day with 50 km to reach Killarney. Kerry is very wild and we rarely come across cars. It's a windy and cold day. The magnificent views follow one another... And we arrive in Killarney! We visit Muckross A
bbey, then Ross Castle. Early in the morning... We left Killarney for Cork. Traditional Irish breakfast Then we visit an old prison. We spend our last night in a superb Georgian house... ... then we take the road to the port to take the ferry again. The holidays are over. Soon, I'll start proofreading my manuscript... (dolphins) (somewhere) But now, it's time to sleep.
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