With a short ride today, we were in no hurry to rush out into the pouring rain.  Sleeping in and another luxurious leisurely breakfast allowed the rain to clear before our departure.  A couple of photos of Larneas we pedaled out of town and along the Larne Harbour.

The dramatic cliffs and hills of yesterday mellowed to lush green fields.We focused on the tiny patch of blue in a sky filled with dark clouds, hoping we could ride without the rain today.  As we crested our climb, we had marvelous views of the Irish Sea and the City of Belfast in the distance.

A change in the wind and velocity and we knew it was only a matter of time before the rain in the distance was going to reach us.  A five minute downpour reached us, before we could hide in a coffee shop.  With extra time before we could check in, we stopped in Carrickfergus for a cappuccino.  A ten mile leisurely ride through a park and along a bike path, where we rescued a couple of locals from a flat tire.The bike path took us all the way the into the city of Belfast, avoiding busy streets.  A quick shower and out to discover the city.  Two block from our hotel, we stumbled upon a wonderful market filled with art, music, food and sense of whimsy.The Titanic was built in Belfast and as they will quickly point out, “it was floating when it left.”  Our touring was cut short by rain, but a quick duck into the oldest bar in Belfast, a perfect stopfilled incredible detail…..and Guinness beer.We tried for more sightseeing, like the City Hall, but the rain was going to get the better of us, so we found a place for dinner.  The Northern Whig House had a story to tell, too.   Three communist revolutionary statues within the restaurant, were purchased from the former Czechoslovakia.  A quick stroll back to our hotel, before the next downpour.  Hopefully, the rain will finish up before we ride tomorrow.

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The view from our bedroom window showed beautiful sunshine; we were ready.  The roads were full of cars as we pedaled out of the city.  Within a mile, a pedaling commuter offered to lead us to the bike path that would save us the frenzy of rush hour.  Of course, he was biking at 20 mph without any bags, so we were pushing to keep him in sight and snap a few pictures.  We were very thankful for the directions, though, as we would never have been able to find the unmarked path on our own.  Ten miles of bike path was heavenly and flat, so we were sorry to see it abruptly end as we entered a village.Though the dual carriageway we traveled was not incredibly busy, it did not have any shoulder and very few opportunities to to pull off.  But we were working too hard going up and down the hills to manage many pictures.  The little villages were loaded with churches of every kind of architecture/period.

In the distance we catch a glimpse of a castle that looks like something from Disneyworld.  As we biked into the next town, we realized it was just a minor detour from our route.  The Killyeagh Castle is the oldest inhabited castle in the country, dating from the 12th century; one family having owned it since the 1700’s.  Just before noon, we dropped in for a wee bit to eat.

 As seems to always be the case as the day grows longer, the winds increase  making the climbing more difficult. Closer to the coast, we were more directly impacted by the south blow.  A quick stop in the town of Newcastle for new brakes on both bicycles.  Newcastle is a pretty town along the water but way too many tourists for our liking; like high season in Virginia Beach. A few miles down the road, we found out bed and breakfast, on Top of a hill.  We were greeted by one of the many resident geese.Showered and somewhat rested, it didn’t take us long to seek out dinner, which required a bike back into town.Our harbor side restaurant was well worth the pedal not to mention the darling girls that kept us entertained.  One mile back up the hill to make it a 48 mile day and a night’s rest.

Duckies said they wanted to go back to bed after their wonderful breakfast instead of going out in the pouring rain.  And as much as we agreed, it showed no signs of letting up, so we bundled up and headed out into the cold (55°) rainy morning.  The rain and fog were so thick all we could see was the wet road in front of us.    Occasionally we were afforded a glance of large homes on the hills or stunning shoreline.  But mostly, we kept our head down biking hard against the wind and rain as if we could break through or outrun it.  Almost two hours later, as we dropped from our climbing, the rain lessened and we could actually see a few miles ahead of us.  The small villages along the Carlingford Lough were a refreshing site.  Homes grew larger as did the stone walls that obscured the full view.  We traveled up the Newry River past the Narrow Water Castle dating from the 16th century.  Though the rain had stopped, the clouds still hung heavy on the hills, threatening to rain again.

Unceremoniously, we crossed the border into Ireland, noted only by the many signs for money exchange.  At 1:30 and 38 miles completed, we finally stopped for a rest and a bite to eat.  Our quick stopped was delayed with a flat waiting for us as we left lunch, but within the hour we had completed lunch and the tire fix.  Best of all, the sun had come out for our final ten miles.  Our road into town went right by the magnificent St. Patrick’s Church.  A tour of the inside would be on our list, but only after we showered and took care of some reservations.  In a couple of days, we were crossing the Irish Sea back to England and were having a very difficult time coordinating everything.  Thankfully, Sinéad at the tourist info office was beyond helpful and got us squared away.

Unfortunately by the time we finished, the church had closed it’s doors, so we headed for refreshments, dinner and desert.Long day tomorrow, so time for bed.

The Giro d’Italia was still a happy memory; everything covered in pink and sunshine, as we left the town of Dundalk and out onto the busy roads.  Though the west southwest winds were noticeable in our southerly direction, they were not proving too strong on our flat stretch.  Our easy warm up lasted for about a half an hour and then the gradual climbing began.  Churches were everywhere, sometimes one on every block, though most were concealed by trees.   Besides the churches, there was not a lot that was memorable or picture worthy on our busy road.  But the cool air and warm sunshine was good enough for us…..at the moment.  Almost two hours into our ride, we finally had a downhill into Drogheda along the River Boyne.Once again, the afternoon fired up the winds, the gusts challenging our forward momentum.  But a promised day off when/if we reached Dublin, was enough to keep pushing into the city.  Traffic roared by us all afternoon, but a dedicated bike path along the highway made it safer and a bit more direct.  The day had been perfect for biking (except for the winds in our face) and the beautiful weather had followed us to Dublin; as did all the people.  We will try to get Jerry out in the masses to tour the city, tomorrow.  A bit of dinner and rest is in order after our 58 mile ride today.  Just hope the clouds that seemed to be gathering in the evening sky, would not spoil our plans.

There are One Million Five Hundred Thousand inhabitants in Dublin and that does not include the tourists……add two more.The city is filled with buses, people, flowers,interesting buildingsand history, lots of it…,…none of which we remember from our (hop on/hop off) tour!  We visited every corner of the city, trying to absorb while catching photos.  We will attempt to properly label a few.

The Na’ Penny Bridge.

The President’s House on Phoenix Park.

Christ’s Church.

Dublin Castleand the Royal Chapelin Dublin Castle.

Four Courts

the Spire of Dublin or Monument of Light

and the magnificent St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Of course, a trip to Dublin is not complete without a tour (and required tasting) of the 50 acre Guinness plant.  The view of the city from the 151 foot high Gravity Bar is impressive.Had to drag one of us out, and we escaped from the very large store with only one small souvenir, hope it fits in the driveway.

After dinner we strolled the streets enjoying the various bands on every street and bars on every corner.  Interesting city, Dublin…… more photos below of what we saw of this very lively city.

Long day, but not on the bicycles.  A ferry ride on a huge ship from Dublin to Holyhead, Wales, reminding us why we don’t like cruises; then a frantic transfer to a train to get us into the city.  Duckies were packed on the steaming train like sardines heading for the cannery.  But it got us to Liverpool in (barely) one piece.  In a hunt for maps to cover us for the next week or so, seems ironic we would see this sign..…there is a message, here!?!

A couple funny Brits, we’d med in 2009 (when we were all biking the west coast of the U.S.), met us for dinner.  As we strolled along the beatifully refurbished waterfront, they identified for us the impressive Cunard Building,the Billy Fury statue and the Royal Liver building  topped by the Liver Bird; the last visual of the fated Titanic. We had a wonderful evening with Alan and Jim, who remain as entertaining as ever and kept us out WAY past our bedtime, but it was worth it.

Thanks for making the effort, guys, fun times!

With no room at the inn and no room down the road, we left not knowing where we were going, but knowing we wanted to ride.  But first a ferry ride across the Mersey…….So duckies, cross the Mersey… ….Gerry and the Pacemakes created the iconic song.

Though you can throw a stone across the river, we were treated to a tour down, back and then over the Mersey River, offering a beautiful view of both Liverpool and the opposite shore. The wind was kicking up, blowing in the storm for tomorrow, but thankfully it was behind us.  That was the good part, the busy road on the other hand, was not so fun or picturesque.

We had tried for hours to find a place to stay in the next town, highly recommended by several as a place to see.  Since our sightseeing in Liverpool was limited, we were happy to find a hotel, the first one we came to, as we approached city centre.  A stroll around the town was not disappointing.  The wall around the city and other remnantsspeak of the fort built in 79 A.D. by the Romans.

The streets are lined with interesting shops, candyand old buildings, but most notable is the Chester Cathedral, “The cathedral…. dates from between 1093 and the early 16th century, although the site itself may have been used for Christian worship since Roman times. ”  It is amazing to walk a cloister built in the reign of Henry VIII.

The nave was amazing, as was the stain glass and incredibly detailed mosaic wallsall viewed while listening to the choir sing like angels.  Fascinating Cathedral and lovely town.

A great day starts late, ends early and has the wind at your back the entire time.   The weather has been fabulous the last few days, guess it’s paying it forward, as the forecast for tomorrow is for 100% chance of rain.