{"id":14543,"date":"2014-08-06T12:15:25","date_gmt":"2014-08-06T16:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=14543"},"modified":"2014-08-06T12:20:45","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T16:20:45","slug":"day-38-monday-august-4-belfast-to-newcastle-northern-ireland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=14543","title":{"rendered":"Day 38. Monday, August 4 – Belfast to Newcastle, Northern Ireland"},"content":{"rendered":"

The view from our bedroom window showed beautiful sunshine; we were ready. \"DSCN1296\"<\/a>\u00a0The roads were full of cars\u00a0as we pedaled out of the city. \"DSCN1299\"<\/a>\u00a0Within a mile, a pedaling\u00a0commuter\u00a0offered to lead us to the bike path that would save us the frenzy of rush hour. \u00a0Of course, he was biking at 20 mph without any bags, so we were pushing to keep him in sight and snap a few pictures<\/em>.\"DSCN1302\"<\/a> \u00a0We were very thankful for the directions, though, as we would never have been able to find the unmarked path on our own. \u00a0\"DSCN1304\"<\/a>Ten miles of bike path was heavenly and flat, so we were sorry to see it abruptly end as we entered a village.\"DSCN1307\"<\/a>Though the dual carriageway we traveled was not incredibly busy,\"DSCN1318\"<\/a> it did not have any shoulder and very few opportunities to to pull off. \u00a0But we were working too hard going up\"DSCN1323\"<\/a> and down the hills to manage many pictures. \u00a0The little villages \"DSCN1346\"<\/a>were loaded with churches of every kind of architecture\/period.\"DSCN1365\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In the distance we\u00a0catch a glimpse of a castle that looks like something from Disneyworld<\/em>. \"photo\"<\/a>\u00a0As we biked into the next town, we realized it was just a minor detour from our route. \u00a0The\u00a0Killyeagh Castle<\/a> is the oldest inhabited castle in the country, \"DSCN1336\"<\/a>dating from the 12th century; one family having owned it since the 1700’s. \"DSCN1332\"<\/a>\u00a0Just before noon, we dropped in for a wee bit to eat. \"DSCN1349\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0As seems to always be the case as the day grows longer, the winds increase\"DSCN1357\"<\/a>\u00a0 making the climbing more difficult.\"DSCN1361\"<\/a> Closer to the coast, we were more directly impacted by the south blow.\"DSCN1380\"<\/a> \u00a0A quick stop in the town of Newcastle for new brakes on both bicycles. \u00a0Newcastle is a pretty town along the water\"DSCN1386\"<\/a>\u00a0but way too many tourists for our liking; like high season in Virginia Beach.\"DSCN1381\"<\/a>\u00a0A few miles down the road, we found out bed and breakfast, on Top of a hill. \u00a0We were greeted by one of the many resident geese.\"DSCN1402\"<\/a>Showered and somewhat rested, it didn’t take us long to seek out dinner, which required a bike back into town.\"DSCN1416\"<\/a>Our harbor side restaurant was well worth the pedal\"DSCN1411\"<\/a>\u00a0not to mention the darling girls \"DSCN1408\"<\/a>that kept us entertained. \u00a0One mile back up the hill\u00a0to make it a 48\u00a0mile day and a night’s rest.<\/p>\n\n\t\t