I'll be traveling from Belcoo - about 35 miles east of Sligo - heading west and north to the coast, then north and east across the island, then heading south. I'll be ending on the east coast in Belfast. Hmmm... I'm finally doing a west to east tour!
Tony has put together what appears to be an interesting set of biking days for me. I'll be traveling on most days, but there are a few where there is a circle route planned, allowing me a day of luxurious riding on an unloaded bike. If I'm really tired I can use those days as rest days, but right now I'm hoping to ride. I'm only going to be in Ireland for a short period of time, and I want to see and experience as much as possible. Some of the unloaded days will be hard ones with steep hills and otherwise difficult terrain, but Tony tells me the scenery on those days is fantastic!
Here's the plan:
| Day | Date | From - To | Activity / Mode of Travel | Which Country? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 - 2 | August 29 - 30 | Boston to Belcoo | travel by plane, train, and automobile | USA to Ireland to Northern Ireland |
| 3 | August 31 | Belcoo | Assemble bike, ride a bit, rest | Northern Ireland & Ireland |
| 4 | September 1 | Belcoo to Rosses Point | Bike | Northern Ireland to Ireland |
| 5 | September 2 | Rosses Point to Belleek | Bike | Ireland to Northern Ireland |
| 6 | September 3 | Belleek to Donegal | Bike | Northern Ireland to Ireland |
| 7 | September 4 | Donegal to Ardara | Bike | Ireland |
| 8 | September 5 | Ardara | Bike without gear, a challenging route! | Ireland |
| 9 | September 6 | Ardara to Castlederg | Bike | Ireland to Northern Ireland |
| 10 | September 7 | Castlederg to Derry | Bike | Northern Ireland to Ireland to Northern Ireland |
| 11 | September 8 | Derry to Bushmills | Bike | Northern Ireland |
| 12 | September 9 | Bushmills | Bike without gear | Northern Ireland |
| 13 | September 10 | Bushmills to Cushendall | Bike | Northern Ireland |
| 14 | September 11 | Cushendall to Belfast | Bike | Northern Ireland |
| 15 | September 12 | Belfast to Dublin | Train, then wandering on foot | Northern Ireland to Ireland |
| 16 | September 13 | Dublin to Boston | Travel, travel, travel - by plane | Ireland to USA |
Update on September 14th: When I left home I thought that my trip would progress from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland - that is, that I'd spend the first half of my trip in Ireland, and the second in Northern Ireland. It didn't work out that way, and I was actually wandering back and forth across the border for the first half of the trip. Belcoo, my home for the first two nights, is in Northern Ireland. The next day I traveled to Rosses Point, in the south. Then to Belleek, in the north. Back to the south to Donegal Town and Ardara. Then to Castlederg in the north. I traveled roads in the south as I rode back to Derry, in the north. At that point I stayed in Northern Ireland until I took the train to Dublin on September 12th. A trip of wandering between two countries...
Update on September 27th: I've updated the table above to show which country or countries I was in each day.
