DIARY continued from page 29
through Doolough Pass along the coast to a town called Ballyvaughan. We continued along the WAW to the Cliffs of Moher, to a small town of Sneem. This is the southwest portion of the Wild Atlantic Way, and during tourist season it is probably the most traveled and visited area. We continued along the coast through The Ring of
Beara, Kenmare, Healy Pass, to the most southern point of Ireland, Mizen Head. Leaving Mizen Head, we started up the interior of Ireland towards Killarney, Killarney National Park and Mountshannon. We spent an afternoon and evening in Mountshannon
visiting various homes, buildings, and churches and talked to locals about family. Distant relations still live in the town, but we weren’t able to meet or talk with them. The next day we started heading towards Navan.
Close by is the famous battlefield where the Battle of the Boyne took place. For anyone who has heard all the stories and tales of July the 12th
and William of Orange,
this is a must-see exhibit. On our last day on the road we rode up the motorway
into Belfast to turn in the bikes and tour of the shipyards where the Titanic was built. This trip was so special that I’m still excited when
people ask about Ireland. There was no itinerary or reservations. Each morning we got up and had a general idea where we were headed; but we didn’t know where we were going to end up that night. We stayed out of the large cities and always managed to find a spot to stay in small towns the size of Merrickville to Arnprior. We would ride to around 3:30 or 4 o’clock and start
looking for place to stay for the night. Rooms were reasonable, and with traditional Irish hospitality, it was always fun.
We visited various pubs and talked with
the locals to find the best roads and sites. We updated our travel each night on an Irish web site forum; and on occasion members of the forum would ride down to our hotel, visit, talk about the sport of motorcycling, and help us plan our route. Paddy Watters, whom I met online before we even went to Ireland, met us in Sligo and was a big help. We ended up meeting him and his riding buddies again in Achill Island and Navan to trade stories and have a pint together. We still keep in touch and hope to ride again sometime. John and I did and saw so much of Ireland in the 13
days it’s impossible to tell all in an article like this. If you are planning a similar trip, keep this in mind about riding in Ireland and especially on the Wild Atlantic Way: you won’t be doing big mileage days. The reality is the country is so beautiful you will be stopping to take pictures along the way, and many of the roads are narrow and winding, with one lane, and are very slow. Plan on covering not much more than 250–300 km per day.
For more information, visit:
www.belfasthonda.com;
www.wildatlanticway.com;
www.biker.ie
www.bounder.ca
BOUNDER MAGAZINE 37
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