Day 15. Dublin. This was our last day and whilst not the most scenic was definitely tough. Setting off from Woodenbridge in the sun was quite good, although when we hit the shade the breeze was cool. We climbed steadily to Rathdrum and up through the town eventually arriving in Laragh where we had a drink and snack to keep up our strength for the climb ahead. Above Laragh there is a spectacular waterfall just before you leave the trees and enter the exposed part of the Wicklow Mountain. We met a nice Belgian lady who took our photograph and then teased off again. The wind was in our face and was quite strong and cold. An extra layer was required to keep warm and I wished I had put on my leg warmers. The route ... read more

Day 13 Wexford A great day cycling along the Copper Coast from Dungarvan where every corner delivered a fantastic view and a chance of a great photo. So progress was slow at times with Dunmahon Beach being good to see with the rollers coming on and the sandy beach plus the signs warning of drug smugglers landing illicit cargo and a warning to dog owners to pick up their nasty stuff. Further on we saw the remains of copper mining buildings with boiler houses and chimney. These were in use employing 1200 people until the 1880's but had their heyday in the early 19'th century. This coastline is not unlike Cornwall with its steep climbs and dramatic shores. Last night we had a good meal at the Moorings pub and restaurant in Dungarvan and a great ... read more

Day 10. Carrigaline. 113km. One of our better days, especially if you like wading birds. After a dull start we headed east with a marvellous tail wind for just about all day. We passed the graveyard of many of the people who died of starvation during the 1845-50 potato famine at Skibbereen before heading on to Leap where we had our first cafe stop for coffee and scones with a guy who was rather inebriated halfway through the morning. A right turn here took us along a very pleasant coast with colourful boats moored at Glandore. We headed upwards again and inland through Lissavard to Clonakilty for lunch of ham salad sandwiches from the Centra supermarket eaten in a small park in glorious sunshine. Andrew had a bottom bracket problem so he found a bicycle shop ... read more

Day 8. Castletownbera. 112km Nice night at the Smugglers Inn at Waterville despite the noisy golf party who ate after us in the restaurant and bellowed on way into the night. The weather was wild overnight and we had a bad forecast for today. However, it set off dull and dry and apart from one quick shower we had a great day with quite a bit of sun and enough wind on our backs to make us smile. We took our photos by the Charlie Chaplain statue in Waterville ,as we do by the Eric Morecambe statue in Morecambe. After the first big climb out of Waterville we had the greatest views ever of he coastline with its many rugged islands and had to stop many times. We had two large climbs before hitting Sneem for ... read more

Day 6. Dingle. 110km Early start at 8 since poor forecast today. I have come to the conclusion that it rains Mondays and Thursdays in Ireland since it is exactly the same weather as when I did this tour last year. It rained on and off all day with odd appearances of the sun and I was not sure whether I should put on sun cream or goose grease. Whilst the wind was not quite as strong as yesterday it caused us to puff and blow all the way to Dingle. We dropped to the sea just before the start of the big climb and saw lots of wading birds such as herons, egrets,curlews and oyster catchers. The start of the climb saw some rain appear and whilst the climb of 7 percent is not too ... read more