It said Go Right, but pointed Left, hmmm
Trip Start
Oct 03, 2005
1
5
10
Trip End
Nov 08, 2005
Tramore,
County Waterford,
Ireland
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Who would have thought I would voluntarily get up at 6:30 in the morning, to work out for 6 1/2 hours, with only the odd little stop to walk on the beach or snack? I stopped in Kilmore Quay to snap some shots of the sun shining on the pretty boats. Yeah...you read that right...the sun was shining on the pretty boats. No rain. Sun, beautiful warm shiny sun.
I made my way to Duncannon, and rode down to the beach where I got off to walk along the sand and eat my banana. I had my camelpak on (yes, it has a little Canadian flag on it, but it reflects too, that's important on a bike, in the dark early mornings! Sigh, fine, I admit it. I am Canadian, and I put a flag on my camelpak.) I heard somebody holler out "Canada". So turned around, and there was this charming older gentleman wandering down to the beach behind me. We got to chatting, and he mentioned he was in Vancouver just last November, then he told me places to see on the West coast, drawing maps in the damp sand with his feet. A very nice man, who pointed to a hill and said "Tramore is just over that there hill." So off I went, to climb that there hill.
Now this trip has been planned using a road map and the Lonely Planet Cycling Ireland book, which I highly recommend, even with the "Take the Right Fork" and the arrow pointing left. That's where the road map saved the day. Again I say, bring on the mall game. Onto the ferry to Passage East (always take the shortcut! Especially when the ferry man charges you only 3 euros to cross!) Then it was up that long hill towards Waterford, found my final turn to Waterford, "the unsigned turn across from Orpen's Pub". With directions like this, it's so amazing I was never lost. Part way up the hill, I thought I'd check my next few direction steps, so I pulled over to the side of the road at an intersection, and a man pulling up to the stop sign asked if I was alright. After telling him where I was off to, he said "Just up the hill, go left then right right away." It's like he wrote the Cycling Ireland book himself, so off I went, up the hill, left, then right right away.
As I was riding into Tramore, I passed the Beach Haven Hostel, screeched to a halt, pulled a quick u-turn, and booked in for the night. She even told me to wheel my bike right into my room with me. Not only a roof over my head, but now my baby gets to stay dry too.
Tramore is a very pretty little town. I was very glad to be there in the off season though. Sitting at the beach, looking out at the water, with the cliffs on each side of me, I couldn't help but just sit there and grin. Then looking at those cliffs again, I realized, hmmm...I'm going to have to ride up those cliffs to leave this pretty little town, I suppose I could just stay here, but there's too much of the World calling out to me. And with that view, cod and chips in hand, sun still shining down, there was no way the pessimism could last..
Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford
