A Short Tour

08 Wednesday Jun 2022

Posted by theoldbikeshome in Cycle touring, Donegal, Dunlewey, Garten, glenveagh, Letterkenny, St. Columbkille, The Poisoned Glen, The Rosses, Townsend BX-40, Uncategorized, wild atlantic way

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Cycle camping, cycle touring, Donegal, Dungloe, Ireland, The Rosses, Townsend BX-40, wild atlantic way

Thankfully my recovery has continued without any issues. I will have a further checkup in September but all seems to be okay apart from some residual stiffness. I was told at my last checkup in March that my recovery is about six months ahead of schedule which was put down to my high level of fitness pre-accident. I have been gradually building up activity levels although I am still being careful as I was told not to overdo it by the surgeon and certain activities like running, jumping, skipping or even walking on uneven ground are still out of bounds although my physiotherapist was insistent that the fracture couldn’t be displaced now. Not overdoing it is such a vague term but I am pretty active most days. Indeed, if I sit around my ankle gets really stiff and is always stiff first thing in the morning. It seems to be easier to keep moving.

I have built my cycling up to a reasonable level and cycle about one hundred miles most weeks, sometimes more although it all fairly gentle riding spinning low gears. I am at least starting to lose some of the weight I put on when I was laid up and doing it doesn’t seem to cause my ankle any problems. I had done several rides of forty or fifty miles in length so felt maybe I could venture on a short tour and the June bank holiday weekend with a good forecast seemed a good time to do so. I had happy memories of last year with a trip to west Donegal and staying in a very nice campsite in Crolly called Sleepy Hollows (which I would happily recommend) so decided to got here again.

I would only be going for Sunday night as I had something else I needed to do on the Saturday so there would not be time for the Arannmore Island trip this time but two days was probably enough for now to see how I would get on with a loaded bike. The camping equipment I have is not ideal for cycle-touring as it’s bulkier and heavier than the more expensive equipment that the committed back-packer or cycle tourist would choose but it’s adequate for my needs as I usually find covered accommodation for longer trips anyway and i can work with it for an overnight or weekend trip. I also elected to take a folding camping chair that I have. It’s very light but bulky but with a dodgy ankle, comfort has become important to me now.

Leaving Letterkenny, I followed one of my usual routes to Churchill along lightly trafficked roads and on to the birthplace of St. Columbkille where I can join the bridal path to Glenveagh. It’s probable that it would be faster to cycle on the longer but well-surfaced road rather than the gravel path but I just find it nice and peaceful to get away from traffic for a few miles with the added benefit of beautiful mountain and lakeside scenery. I actually left later than I had originally planned as the day was so hot and I didn’t really want to ride in the strong mid-day sun and my fair Celtic skin doesn’t like a lot of sunlight. From Glenveagh I turned right on to the R250 to make my way to Gweedore. It’s a faster road than I like really but there aren’t many other options for roads in this part of Donegal. I’ve never found it a bad road to cycle on though. It’s wide and drivers tend to give a lot of space.

It also passes some of my favourite vantage points in the entire county. I never grow tired of the views across Lough Dunlewey and The Poisoned Glen with the derelict church deep down the valley at the lakeshore and also the views of Errigal as it stands solitary and dignified, soaring over 2,500 feet into the sky. I hope my ankle will recover well enough to allow me to climb it again as the views are spectacular from the top. For now I will just have to be content with enjoying the views from the roadside.

It is necessary to join the N56 but traffic wasn’t too heavy and the road is wide. If I had left earlier as originally planned I probably would have taken a less direct route along the coast via Bunbeg but I was running later and riding at a true tourist’s pace (which is best to take everything in. Racing around on tour is silly in my opinion). The N56 is nice too, especially now at this time of year with so many different colours, the bogs, rivers, lakes and the ever-present Errigal in the background. Being laid up for a time has renewed my appreciation of the beauty of the natural world. Time spent cycling through beautiful surroundings is always quality time. You miss out on so much if you travel by car.

There’s quite a bit of climbing around here as you are passing through the Derryveagh Mountains but it’s mostly gradual so didn’t cause me any problems. Today was notable for the absence of any kind of wind, not even a gentle breeze – very unusual for this road but on such a warm, sunny day the heat was stifling. As you pass through Crolly (the home of the famous Crolly Dolls – it seems an unlikely place to build a toy factory but it was a thriving industry once), you can see the embankment above the level of the village where the Letterkenny to Burtonport railway once travelled. I hope that one day that all of this former Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company line will be opened as a greenway. Some parts of it around Creeslough and Falcarragh as well as at the Burtonport end have already been worked on.

Just outside Crolly I turned off the N56 on to the road which leads to Annagry and Carrickfinn. The Sleepy Hollows campsite is located on a small side road but I continued until Annagry first and bought some supplies in the shop there before going to the campsite to check in. I had covered approximately forty miles. The weather was still amazing and the campsite was less busy than I thought it would be. I had thought that there would have been live music in nearby Leo’s Tavern which is one of Donegal’s most famous music venues with connections to many of the famous artists that originated in the area like Enya, Clannad and Daniel O’Donnell but they haven’t started live music yet as things are still recovering from Covid. At the campsite I met a very interesting Swiss couple who had travelled from Switzerland via France, Belgium, England and Wales to Rosslare and then around the South and West coast of Ireland and would be going to Larne and to Scotland before making their way back to Dover on motorcycles. It would certainly be a interesting and varied road trip and one that was taking a lot of time as they were properly exploring and covering modest mileage each day. It was nice to talk to people sitting around the campfire on this warm evening although the dreaded midges were to put in an appearance.

I had a peaceful night’s sleep. This is a peaceful area where you can hear the birds, etc and it’s a very well run campsite. I went for an early morning stroll along the path that leads from the campsite along the river bank before breakfast and packing everything up. This is the downside of cycle-camping of course. It’s so much easier just to hand the key to the receptionist as you leave but there are other advantages apart from the cost. It’s nice to pare life back to it’s bare essentials sometimes and to leave the hustle and bustle of the modern, busy world behind and there are few simpler pleasures than waking up out in nature on a nice morning. Of course, in Ireland the weather isn’t always like this…

My plan for today was to return via different route. I would cycle along the coast via Carrickfinn and Burtonport to Dungloe and then veer inland via Doochary and back to Letterkenny. It would be a longer day and a tougher day in terms of gradient but I felt I could do it. It didn’t seem to be as unbearably hot as it was the previous day either. From the campsite I made my way towards Carrickfinn, where you find one of the nicest beaches to found in the country and you also pass Donegal Airport, often voted to be the most scenic airport in the world and I can see why that would be the case. I really must try to fly into the airport some day just to see this area from the sky.

I went for a walk along the beach which was practically deserted apart from a few early morning dog walkers. I decided I wouldn’t have the time today but it is also worth visiting the Boat Strand which is a few miles further on and is truely stunning. From Carrickfinn I then made my way to Ballymanus Strand which is another nice beach. There is a monument to the person killed here when a mine washed up on the beach in 1943.

I carried on the coast road to Kincasslagh and visited Cruit Island, a small and scenic island with a landbridge to the mainland and it’s always worth a visit. I didn’t spend too much time there as I had further to go but there are a few small roads on the island that deserve further exploration.

From Cruit Island I made my way to Burtonport. This is where you can catch the ferry to Arannmore Island, something well worth of doing for a day trip. With so many stops it had taken me a long time to cover the twenty-five miles or so between the campsite and Burtonport. I had something to eat in the Harbour Cafe before continuing on my way to Dungloe. I used part of the Railway walk route from Burtonport to where it joins the road again. This is a route which follows the old railway line.

Dungloe or An Clochán Liath is main town in the Rosses area of Donegal. The modern town developed in the mid eighteenth century. The proper Irish name of the town – An Clochán Liath translates as the “grey stepping stone” and is a reference to the grey granite stone which lies in the river bed and was the only crossing point until the bridge was built in 1782. Today the town is an important shopping town in the area and also a popular tourist destination and the Mary from Dungloe festival has become a popular annual event. Given that it was a bank holiday weekend I would have expected this area along the coast to have been much busier but perhaps more people would be out and about in the afternoon. The roads had all been very quiet.

From Dungloe I re-joined the N56 but there is now a seperate cycle path that runs alongside the busy national primary route. This has been an ongoing thing as the road has been upgraded and improved, the cycle path has been developed alongside it. I had ridden part of it a bit further south a few years ago and found the surface ridiculoulsy rough, even when riding two-inch wide mountain bike tyres but I have to say this newer part of the cycle route is much better executed. I guess they’re learning as they go along and listening to feedback. It is still a great facility and avoids the problems of ridng on high-speed main roads or else taking time-consuming detours on to often hilly and indirect minor roads which is a pleasant way to cycle for the tourist who isn’t in a hurry but not helpful to someone who is riding for utility purposes and has somewhere to go in a reasonable time frame.

A few miles south of Dungloe I turned onto the R252 for Doochary. I have always liked riding this road. It takes you through some very remote areas before reaching the remote Rosses village of Doochary and then going on to Finntown. It does have quite a lot of climbing though as it’s a mountainous region and the final few miles before reaching the village has a very sharp descent going around many hairpin like bends. This is known as the “Corkscrew” and definitely somewhere where you need good brakes. Thankfully the cantilever brakes on my Townsend mountain bike are up to the job. Cantilevers can be a challenge to set up initially but they do work very well once set up.

In Doochary, I turned off the R252 and on to the R254 which would take me to Churchill. Just leaving the village you can see the famed salmon fishing river for which Doochary is famed. The R254 is one of my favourite cycling routes and it was such a joy to be well enough to ride it again. Mostly all single track and lightly trafficked (and what traffic there is is likely to be slow moving or have four legs and woolly coat) it snakes it way alongside a mountain crossed by many small streams and waterfalls as water cascades down the mountain side and there is a lot of bogland and a few small lakes.

It is quite steep though as you ride through the Derryveagh mountains and at the high point you can see down into the deep glen of the Glenveagh Estate with Lough Beagh in the distance. It is possible to ride the gravel path which leads to the castle but I was feeling tired now and I didn’t really fancy the very steep parts of the loosely-surfaced path on a loaded bike so I continued on.

I detoured briefly through the Gartan Estate on the shores of Lough Gartan before making my way back home on minor roads. I had covered around one hundred miles over the two days, the second day was definitely tougher and I felt tired afterwards. I guess my fitness still isn’t what it was prior to the accident but it was a hilly route on a loaded bike and I had a strong headwind all the way from Dungloe which made it into an eight miles per hour slog at times; even on the flat. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that there is actually a strong mental element to cycle touring; you need a reasonable level of physical fitness and stamina but you also need the mental strength to keep going when the conditions are tough such as when met with a strong headwind.

I really enjoyed my little overnight trip to the Rosses and I feel much happier having got one small tour under my belt since recovery from my injuries. I know I was lucky with the weather but I enjoyed it immensely: the mountains, the bogs, the sea, the loughs and rivers, the vivid colours of the Irish landscape on a clear summer’s day and also the friendliness of the people I encountered along the way. Cycle touring is a great way to meet people as people are often interested in what you are doing and how far you are going. There is so much of interest and beauty all around us and many people are in too much of a hurry to see it. I am lucky to have such a beautiful coastal region within cycling distance and the added advantage that it’s rarely excessively busy. If I had been somewhere like the Dingle or the Ring of Kerry on a bank holiday weekend I would have had considerably more traffic to deal with. I am looking forward to my next tour which should be very soon.

The Road to Arranmore

11 Friday Jun 2021

Posted by theoldbikeshome in Cycle touring, Donegal, Dunlewey, glenveagh, The Rosses, Uncategorized, Viscount Aerospace, wild atlantic way

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Arranmore, cycle touring, Donegal, Ireland, Sleepy Hollows, Viscount Aerospace, wild atlantic way

Summer has arrived at last and further easing of the Covid restrictions mean it is possible to do some cycle touring again (and not a moment too soon). One side effect of the lack of travel options is both good and bad in that it means Irish people are probably taking more interest in their surroundings and getting out and about more locally. This is good of course but it means some beauty spots have been unusually busy with day-trippers and as a cyclist I enjoyed the quieter roads during lockdown.

With the June bank holiday coming up I had considered several options on where to go for the long weekend. I decided it was time that I did something I had been threatening to do for quite a few years – visit Arranmore Island – the largest island off the Donegal coast. You get the ferry for the (short twenty minute) crossing from the town of Burtonport. I had heard good things about a campsite in Crolly which is reasonably close to Burtonport so that was everything sorted – stay in Crolly and take a day-trip to the island. Sometimes simple is best. The island is quite small so it should easily be possible to cycle around in a day.

I elected to ride my Viscount Aerospace to which I had given a little TLC over the winter. I had replaced the cracked mudguards with the full SKS Longboard ones – these are full mudguards which cover more of the wheel similar in profile to what is fitted to a vintage roadster only made from lighter plastics rather than steel and have built in rubber flaps, back and front. I was hoping they would give greater protection from the elements than the light, skimpy set I had on the bike previously and it has proven to be the case when I’ve ridden it in the rain. These mudguards are more expensive but are high quality, offer great protection and should last a long time. For a utility bike or a touring bike, I have decided they are a worthwhile investment. When choosing mudguards, it is best to go for ones which are wider than the tyres you use.

Towards the end of last year I had also worn the rear Continental Tourguard tyre through the tread and into the red puncture protection and had covered a few hundred miles like that riding on the puncture protection layer and never suffered a puncture. I was previously not a fan of Continental tyres after bad experiences with their Ultrasport tyres but I believe the Tour Ride is an excellent tyre, I can’t say how many miles I’ve covered on it but it’s a good few thousand and I never had a single puncture and it retained it’s shape right until the end. I had no hesitation in ordering another Tour Ride in my 700 x 32c size to replace it and look forward to many more trouble-free miles. It’s not a tyre for the weight-obsessed but for practical use in the real world I haven’t experienced anything better.

After studying the map I decided to make a loop of it, I would leave my parents house near Raphoe and cycle to Crolly via Ballybofey, Glenties, Doochery and Dungloe using mostly minor roads. I would use a different route on the way home.

It would be a long ride but I was giving myself mostly all day to do it at my leisure. I was concerned the coastal areas might be busier than I liked on this bank holiday weekend but the roads were eerily quiet. The Saturday ride was pleasant an uneventful. I like the R253 between Glenties and Ballybofey, it’s a delightful route with little traffic as most people use the slightly longer but wider and faster route via Finntown. The R253 snakes it’s way through Glenfinn and Welchtown and beyond through bog, forests and lakes. It also crosses the River Reelin at the Reelin Bridge which will be known to anyone with an interst in Irish folk music as it is immortalised in the song “Johnston’s motor car” written by William Gillespie in the 1920s and recorded by many artists in the intervening years. The song tells the true story of the Stranorlar-based GP, Dr Johnston who was called out by a hoax telegram sent by members of the local IRA during the War of Indepdence calling the unsuspecting doctor out to a medical emergency and he was ambushed at the Reelin Bridge and his car hijacked and used to transport weapons to Dungloe. I believe Johnston’s Morris was one of only three cars in Stranorlar at that time, a sign of how times have changed. Now many households have three all to themselves! I wonder are we really better off with so many cars around. While doing this ride I did ponder the question that my bike ride to Dungloe could quite possibly be completed in similar or even less time than it would have been possible for Johnston to have driven there as all the roads then would have been narrow, winding and very poorly surfaced and car design has progressed much more than cycle design since 1920.

An amusing side note to the tale of Johnston’s lost motor car is that as the song started to become popular around Ballybofey and Stranorlar, the writer worried that Dr Johnston (as a staunch unionist) would hear it and take offence from it but it seems he saw the funny side and the only thing he objected to was the line – “you could hear the din going through Glenfinn” as he claimed his motor car was impecably maintained and didn’t make any noise! Some recorded versions of the song over the years substituted other place names for the Donegal placenames mentioned in the song. The whereabouts of Johnston’s car (or what is left of it) is known and he never did get it returned to him in his lifetime.

From Glenties I briefly turned on to the main road to Finntown before trying to take minor roads to Doochery but got it wrong and ended up getting lost in a forest. I suppose the roads turning from tarmac to gravel should have told me that I had taken a wrong turn but most forest tracks rejoin a road somewhere but this time I was wrong and ended up at a dead end and had to re-trace my steps and find the place where I had gone wrong. No real harm done but quite a bit of time wasted. It wasn’t really wasted though as I really enjoyed riding through the forests. Gravel bikes seem to be latest cycling craze just now but if your steel road bike can take wider tyres (I run 32s on the Viscount), they cope fine with a little light off-roading.

People have been riding their ordinary bikes on loose surfaces for decades before the mountain bike or now the gravel bike was invented. I’ve often riden my Visount on gravel paths. It’s the brakes that let it down really, the cantilever brakes on my mountain bike give much better control and you do need lower gears than you do on tarmac, especially with luggage. Disk brakes probably make most sense for this type of riding but that necesitates the purchase of a new(ish) frame.

I eventually found my way to Doochery, a small village on the edge of the Rosses area of Donegal. I have always liked it here, the roads are quiet and the scenery is nice. Any bike ride in this area will always be a pleasure. I don’t do it very often but I love the view overlooking the river valley as you climb away from the town on the road to Dungloe as the road “corkscrews” around several hairpin bends. The road is much wider than it used to be now. I didn’t stop for a photo today as I was now running a bit late and there were also other people stopped at my favourite vantage point but I have loads from previous rides in the area. I had wondered previously if the gearing I had on this bike would allow me to climb this hill with luggage and camping kit but it was fine in reality.

The pleasant quiet roads have to come to an end unfortunately as you join the N56 about three miles outside of Dungloe. To be fair, unlike most national primary routes in more populated parts, the N56 around here isn’t a bad road to ride as there’s not that much traffic and drivers in the west of Donegal are more respectful than in the east in my experience. The problem at the moment is the never-ending roadworks and endless sets of one-way temporary traffic lights in operation. Long stretches of roadworks like this are never nice on a bike as you usually have impatient drivers trying to force past you on narrow sections or you can’t clear the controlled section before the lights at the other side have changed so then you end up having traffic coming towards to you. It was okay today though as I had only a few cars come behind me and I had room to let them past comfortably and I was able to reach the other side before the lights had changed (Am I getting faster or have the council re-calibrated their traffic lights?).

I stopped at Supervalu in Dungloe to pick up some supplies and to have a little break and a snack. I then continued along the N56 for Crolly. It would have been nice to have used the coast road but it was getting later and I had already covered quite a few miles. At Lochanure I turned on to minor roads for the final few miles to Crolly, following a signpotsed cycle route, and very nice it is. Little roads with grass growing up the centre, drystone walls and no traffic – cycling paradise. It was hilly though. From Crolly I turned towards Annagry.

I did go on to Annagry to see what was happening in the village before going to the campsite. The thing about Annagry that it seems to have an unusual amount of old bikes used as street decoration including many old Raleighs and also a home-made tandem. I have mixed feelings as I like to see old roadsters but I would prefer to see them being used, enjoyed and cared for.

I turned around and headed back for Crolly (the home of the famous Crolly Doll) but turned left for the campsite at Meenaleck, going past Leo’s Tavern, one of Ireland’s most famous music pubs with associations with Enya and Clannad amongst others. Sadly, as with all pubs at the moment it was spookily silent due to the Covid-19 pandemic. One hopes it will be allowed to open soon. The Clubeo live music events here were something a bit special and I have fond memories of attending events here as a volunteer during the Errigal Arts Festival where I seen great acts like Donovan, Without Willow and others.

The Sleepy Hollows Campsite is just a few hundred yards past Leo’s and it would be my first time to stay here. I checked in and pitched my tent. Initial impressions were good, the hosts were friendly, the pitches generously sized, the toilet/shower/kitchen facilities were good and well-kept. I then had my evening meal, it was very welcome. It had been a long day of around seventy-four miles, hilly and sometimes windy. Unusually for me on this type of ride I had made very few scenic stops and just kept going. I was fortunate to meet some very nice people and was able to relax in front of the fire the host had provided – a mix of peat and wood smoke being pretty much essential to avoid being eaten alive by midgies. I retired for the night tired but relaxed and happy. It had been a long but enjoyable ride on quiet roads in dry if slightly overcast weather. It was nice to talk to other people from as far afield as Buncrana and Latvia and compare notes.

I awoke pretty early the next morning as is normal for me. It had the promise of being a nice day as the the very early morning mist and dew cleared quickly. I prepared my breakfast and ate it leisurely. This was the main day of this tour as I would be doing something different but there was no rush. I had all day. I would visit Arranmore Island. Being a Sunday, the first ferry was at eleven o’ clock so I had all morning to make my way down the coast to the ferry port at Burtonport. I was intending to make it a leisurely ride.

From the campsite, I turned towards Annagry and then made the detour towards Carrickfinn. I didn’t go to the beach but rode around the roads beyond the airport to the boat strand and continuing on I also called at Ballymcmanus strand and passed through Kincaslagh. This is one of the most scenic routes in Donegal if not the entire country in my opinion. I didn’t take the time this time but it is also worth visiting Cruit Island. I continued on my way towards Burtonport. The trip to Arranmore was what I had based this weekend tour around. I had been to the island once before many, many years ago and saw it from the back seat of the family Ford Cortina MKIV. Much has changed in the intervening years.

Despite the detours I was still over an hour early for my eleven o’ clock ferry so had some refreshments in the Harbour Cafe (alfresco as indoor dining is not currently allowed) and replenished my water bottles from the tap at the harbour.

Burtonport (or Ailt an Chorráin – Steep-sided glen of the point) is a small fishing village in the Gaeltacht. It’s been a busy fishing port for centuries and the Letterkenny to Burtonport railway line was mostly constructed to transport shell fish to Britain from the small fishing communities which existed in the area. The railway line is long closed like all the others. On nearby Rutland Island, James Napper Tandy attempted to land with a French force during the failed 1798 Rebellion. In more modern times, Burtonport is the hometown of Packie Bonner, one of the heroes of the 1990 World Cup, and also Pat “the Cope” Gallagher, a well-respected Fianna Fail politician of many years service.

Some very skilled driving is called for to fit as many cars as possible on the small ferry, then I could board with my bicycle. There is no additional charge for a bike. I was pleased to note that there were quite a few other cyclists. Cycling has definitely grown in popularity in the past few years which is a good thing for all sorts of reasons. The journey to Arranmore is only around three miles so it is a short ferry crossing.

Arranmore or Árainn Mhór is the largest inhabited island on the coast of Donegal with a population of close to five hundred in the last census. As with all the off-shore islands, the population had steadily decreased over the years. Sixty-two percent of the island’s population are native Irish speakers and Coláiste Árainn Mhóir is a well known and respected school of the language which attracts students from all over the country to study the language during the summer months. The main inhabited part of the island is the sheltered east coast around the main village Leadhb Gharbh. The island has been settled since Celtic times with an old promontory fort on the south side and more recent remains include the coastguard station near the lighthouse and a World War Two monitoring fort. The lighthouse remains in operation. It was the first offshore island to gain electricity during the E.S.B.’s Electrification of Rural Ireland programme of the 1950s and the last place in the country to gain an automatic telephone exchange in 1986.

I had been given a map of the island when I bought my ferry ticket and had studied it on the ferry during the crossing. The crossing had been unusually calm as there was barely a ripple on the surface of the sea. The early morning clouds had dispersed by now leaving clear blue skies. I was going to be lucky with the weather.

After disembarking the ferry, I stopped at the harbour wall for a few minutes to let the cars get off and to drive off into the distance before continuing on my way. Something I have learned about taking a bike on a ferry over the years. Just wait ten minutes and the all the traffic will have disappeared and I can then enjoy quiet roads! I also noted that virtually all the cars had turned left at the exit of the harbour so I decided to turn right and would circumnaviate the island in an anti-clockwise direction.

The island definitely isn’t flat, it was lucky that I had emptied my panniers at the campsite and was travelling much lighter than the day before as it made life easy. This was to be a really leisurely day, the island has a surface area of eight square miles and I had all day to ride around it. The road I was on would be following a loop around to the lighthouse but didn’t hug the coastline. I decided to try to cycle on the marked hiking paths as they looked well enoguh surfaced. If I ran into problems I could always re-trace my steps. I should probably have brought my mountain bike here really but the Viscount coped absolutely fine.

As the roads and paths climbed, I had a great view over the harbour area and the small beaches. Eventually I reached the lighthouse. The first lighthouse here was established by Thomas Rodgers in 1798 but was taken out of service in 1832. Years of campaigning eventually brought a new lighthouse, designed by G. Halpin and using stones from the old one. The new lighthouse is around seventy-six feet high and the light was first lit in 1865 and was visible for a distance of eighteen miles. The need for improvements brought a conversion to electric lighting in 1953 which gave a range of twenty-nine miles. Generators powered by Lister diesel engines were installed to power it with it being finally connected to the mains electricity in 1970 and it was shortly fully automated and the final lighthouse keeper left the lighthouse in 1976.

The old coastguard station stands adjacent to the lighthouse, I’m not sure of how old it actually is but I believe it was burned during the War of Indepence. The island still has an RNLI base and a Severn Class lifeboat. Also near the lighthouse is a flight of stairs which lead right down to the water’s edge. I assume this was used as landing place for supplies to the lighthouse when road transport was more difficult that it was today.

I continued my way as closely as possible around the circumference of the island. I was lucky it was so dry I suppose but the gravel hiking paths proved no great difficulty on my 32mm tyres. There are also several small lakes on the island which are pleasant places to just sit and relax. One has some stone monuments/art work which seems to be to commemorate the twinning of the island with Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan. I also found time to have a look at some of the inland roads.

Despite covering probably very little actual mileage, I was definitely feeling tired when I arrived back at the harbour, almost an hour early. I had really enjoyed my day, the weather had been amazing, so much so that I was actually sunburned. It was all so peaceful on little paths or single track roads with little to no traffic apart from occasional other cyclists or pedestrians and the scenery can compare with anywhere else I’ve been too. What struck me when I look back on my childhood visit here in the 1980s is how much more prosperous it seems – the roads are mostly much better, the houses are better maintained what cars there are also look to be in much better condition.

When I got off the ferry I rode a little along the disused railway now open as a shared use path. I know some funding has been made available for redevelopment of the old line and it would be nice if the this path was to be extended the whole way back to Letterkenny as this was a very scenic railway journey. I’ve written about the railway line and it’s history on previous entries on this blog so I won’t do so again. There is a monument at the harbour to commenmorate those who were killed in the 1925 Owencarrow Viaduct tragedy made from a stone taken from the viaduct. I definitely felt tired when I arrived back at the campsite.

It was with sadness that I got up on the Monday to begin packing up. I had enjoyed my few days in The Rosses. It’s true that I was lucky with the weather but I really did enjoy myself. It was just nice to get out and about to meet people on again after such a long time of being stuck in a 5KM box. I met some very nice people along the way and I was very impressed with the Sleepy Hollows Campsite.

As I was up and about pretty early I made a trip to Carrickfinn for a walk along the beach before making the journey home. I would also make a detour to Bunbeg Harbour before continuing homeward bound. I rode along the minor little-trafficked roads to Bunbeg on this glorious June morning in bright sunshine with the scents of Rhododendrons, roses, whin bushes, heather, and freshly mown grass to the audio backing track of singing birds or the occasional soft relaxing thrum of a single cylinder Briggs and Stratton or Honda as people took advantage of the bank holiday and nice weather to mow their lawns. The ever-changing colours of the Rhododendrons, whin bushes, hawthorns, blackthorns and wild roses which line the hedgerows with the turquoise sea on the horizon and the Derryveagh mountains in the other directions. As I got away from the coast and towards the mountains again, there was the heather on the hillsides and the turf left to dry in the sunlight for next winter’s firing.

This is the joy of cycling and why I would argue that even the cheapest bike will give more pleasure than a new Rolls-Royce. The car driver misses being connected to nature, seeing the beauty of the natural world and closer to home, it’s why I can ride the same routes regularly all year around and not get bored as the different seasons and lighting make them look different and each season can add something else of beauty to the picture if you take the time to look for it. I also fear that those who are only interested in the sporting, competitive side of cycling miss the point of this too. You also always meet people as you go along, you are never isolated in the same way as you are in a car. It makes me wonder why we are all in such a rush.

I continued my journey home via Gweedore under the watchful presence of Errigal towering 2,500 feet up into the air and the deep Poisoned Glen with the ruined church down on the lakeshore as I made my way towards Glenveagh – the glen of the birch trees. Near Gweedore I stopped to watch a group of musicians who seemed to be recording a music video along the riverbank. To my surprise. they turned out to be professional musicians and one of the group was Imelda May, I hadn’t expected to meet celebrities on my travels today! They were all very friendly and took genuine interest in where I had been and where I was going and expressed surprise at the distances I was cycling but I slipped away quietly rather than try to interrupt their work. They say you shouldn’t meet your heroes as you will be disappointed but I am not remotely disappointed. Imelda May is a lovely person. Typically the day I meet someone famous I am sunburned, sweaty and probably look like I was dragged through a hedge backwards but such is life.

I took the bridal path from Glenveagh back to Churchill. I had enjoyed quite a few miles of “rough stuff” on my Viscount this weekend, more than I would usually do, especially on this bike. A mountain bike is definely more suited but this works too. It is nice to get away from busy roads. I had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend, knocked another island off my list of places to visit, met one of my favourite singers, met quite a few other nice people and came home feeling relaxed and refreshed despite the high level of physical activity. As I never got around to fixing the cycle computer on this bike I can’t offer and accurate mileage total but my estimates from tracing the routes on online maps suggest around 170 miles over three days. I do like a rough idea of mileage when I’m touring but I am trying to get away from worrying about figures hence I didn’t fix the computer yet. I don’t really need it. An article I read somewhere suggested that instead of measuring the miles covered when cycling, just concentrate on the time spent cycling. I think it makes sense. I look forward to my next trip…

A tour of the Rosses

13 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by theoldbikeshome in Cycle touring, Donegal, Dunlewey, Garten, glenveagh, Letterkenny, The Rosses, Townsend BX-40, Uncategorized, wild atlantic way

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Carrickfinn, Cycle camping, cycle touring, Donegal, errigal, glenveagh, Ireland, MTB, The Rosses, Tra na Bhaid

Now that the country slowly return to normal (and we hope we can avoid the dreaded second wave that some experts predict) my thoughts once again turn to cycle touring and what I can do within the limits of what is sensible at the moment within the guidelines. Hotels, etc have now opened up but I’m still unsure about staying in these type of places. I have tended to favour hostels when touring and I am aware that some can open but how they achieve social distancing I’m not sure.

I had always meant to experiment with camping whilst cycling. Now seems like a good time to do so as it largely guarantees social distancing! I may do longer trips later in the year but I wanted to start somewhere local to check it all out first. I decided that The Rosses area of Donegal needed some better exploration. I have touched on most of these places before but only on long day rides so never really had the time to stop and explore. I was particularly interested in the coastal area around Carrickfinn and Kincashlagh.

The Rosses (Na Rosa) is a mostly an Irish language speaking region with boundaries which are defined by the River Gweebarra to the south, the Gweedore River to the north, the Derryveagh Mountains and the Gweebarra River (Doochary Bridge) to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The name comes from “Ros”, the Irish word for headland. The area is rocky and barren but contains some areas of what I would consider unparalleled natural beauty; including many unspoiled and often deserted beaches as well as many lakes, rivers and mountains.

My plan was to take a Saturday and Sunday with an overnight stay somewhere around Carrickfinn. I left home without really planning where I would spend the night but knew I would find somewhere. My kit consisted of a relatively basic double-skinned two-man tent, a rolled up sleeping mat and a sleeping bag. I didn’t really need much in terms of clothes this time as it would be only two days and I didn’t need evening attire when I wouldn’t be eating out in a pub or mixing with anyone. I just took an extra layer in case of cold, spare underwear and socks and a waterproof jacket – this is the west coast of Ireland where it only rains for fifteen minutes once every quarter of an hour so best be prepared.

I would fit it all into my Carradice saddle bag. I also took quite a bit of food as I needed my evening meal and my breakfast, enough for a second small meal/snack somewhere on Sunday as well as an extra two litres of water as I wasn’t sure if I would have a tap where I would be camping yet. Water is of course very heavy. I also took a book and a small AM/FM radio (it works better than the radio app on my phone) to pass the evening. Typically the book that I am currently reading is a large hardbacked volume and quite difficult and heavy to carry! In all of my trips previously I have always bought food as I went along to support local businesses but on this occasion I took it with me – partly because I have been wary of buying groceries during the pandemic and tend to wash things or remove packing where I can in an effort to try and avoid possible contact with the virus and also because I had a few things to do on Saturday morning I would not be leaving until later in the evening and you always need to be careful with shops in rural areas as they often close earlier than the large supermarkets in towns.

So, a bit after four o’ clock saw me leave Letterkenny with a stuffed Carradice bag with a tent, a sleeping mat and the sleeping bag bungee-corded to the outside of it. I had put the sleeping bag and the sleeping mat inside a bin liner as it seemed prudent to so. A wet bed is never a good idea. I would use my Townsend BX-40 mountain bike. It works well for touring, the low gears would be useful in a hilly area with the likelihood of strong coastal headwinds and having two inch wide tyres gives options for going off the beaten track should I desire to do so.

I didn’t have a huge amount of options for ways to get to Carrickfinn as there are only really two roads through the Derryveagh mountains. I would use one road on the way out and the other on the way back to make a loop of it without making the distances crazy. To anyone unfamiliar with cycling in the west of Donegal, the distances may not seem huge but there is much climbing to be done – often in short, sharp climbs followed by short, steep descents which make it difficult to maintain a rhythm with your pedalling cadence and remember that you are facing the might of the North Atlantic so headwinds are always present. Distances will always take longer here than you think they should from a casual glance at a map.

I made my way towards Churchill via minor side roads and elected to take the bridal path to Glenveagh and avoid a lot of the traffic and also to make a more picturesque route. It would probably take longer due to a good few miles of unsealed roads but the beauty and ever-changing lighting of the Derryveagh mountains and mirror-like lakes on a fine July evening is something to savoured and not rushed.

From the National Park I turned onto the R251 towards Dunlewey (Dún Lúiche), Errigal and the Posioned Glen. I increasingly hate riding on main roads but this one isn’t that bad most of the time. There isn’t that much traffic and the road is wide so dangerously close passes are very rare. On such a clear day it was possible to see the top of Errigal. It’s iconic 2,500 foot high peak was to be an almost ever-present backdrop to this trip. Beyond Errigal you reach Dunlewey and the Posioned Glen, again crystal clear on this July evening. I never grow tired of the view across Lough Dunlewey, the ruined church and the Posioned Glen. There are various folklore tales about how the glen got it’s name – one story is that it was wrongly translated from Irish to English years ago and the correct name should be ‘Heavenly Glen’ (the Irish word for Heaven is neamh and the Irish word for poison is neimhe). Another story is that the king of Tory, Balor, had a very beautiful daughter whom he kept closed away in a tower out of the view of men. However word of her beauty spread and she was kidnapped and brought to Magheroarty. Balor followed and got her; he killed her kidnapper with a giant stone. At the entrance to The Poisoned Glen one such stone stands and it is said to be the poisoned eye of Balor. The Church was built in the 1830s from locally quarried white granite but fell into disuse due to a declining congregation and the roof was removed for safety reasons. The Church, photographed from deep down the valley with the peak of Errigal in the background is probably one of the most iconic images of Donegal published over the years. I wouldn’t be going down the glen today but it is worthwhile to do so if you have time. It is a fiendishly difficult climb to cycle back up again.

From there it was on through the village of Dunlewey and to Gweedore, Crolly and Annagary. On such a beautiful day the scenery was shown to best advantage with Errigal ever present in the background. This is generally a very remote area. Crolly is the home of the much-acclaimed Crolly dolls and nearby Leo’s Tavern is an award-winning live music venue (but closed like all the others at the moment) known as the home of both Enya and Clannad. I made a little detour from the signposted route to Ranafast and then on to Carrickfinn.
Donegal Airport is also located at Carrickfinn and it has been voted the most scenic approach to any airport in the world. It is easy to understand why it would win such an award. There are quite a few beaches on this tiny peninsula, all with golden sand and clear blue water. The view across the islands is nice too. On a day like today, the silvery peak of Errigal can be clearly seen in the background.

I found a small campsite overlooking Trá an Bhaid (The Boat Strand) which was extremely basic but it was reflected in the price (€5). It was worth it for the view alone. My original plan had been to camp in the sand dunes at Carrickfinn but the council seem to have put up “No Camping” signs since I was last here. I went looking for somewhere else and asked a man who was practising golf in a field and he pointed me in the direction of the campsite and I’m pleased he did. I would never have come down this road otherwise as I had thought it was a private lane. I couldn’t believe the views from where I pitched my tent and ate my lunch I later took a walk along the beach and the little harbour.

I slept well and awoke early (as is normal for me anyway) so had another look around the beach and the harbour. Now at low tide it was possible to walk to the little island. There is a moment on the island which is called Oileán na Marbh (literally Isle of the Dead). As can be seen from the Irish language inscription below it, the monument is to the famine dead, dead sailors and still-born babies who were buried here in the 19th and early 20th century. It does give pause for thought and we should be eternally grateful that we live in a time of plenty.

After my walk, I prepared and ate my breakfast and packed up the tent and re-filled my water bottles. This is a disadvantage of camping no doubt – it takes much longer to get ready for the road in the morning. Still, there was no rush, I had all day and I was looking forward to a leisurely exploration of the coastline between here and Dungloe about twenty miles away.

I first stopped at the main Carrickfinn beach again for a walk and noted that there were several camper vans parked up on top of the sand dunes so clearly the no camping law is not enforced. The beach was deserted this early on a Sunday morning. It was still dry and clear but it was nowhere near as warm as you would expect in July. I had to put on my jacket.

From Carrickfinn I turned left onto the coast road towards Dungloe and Cionn Caslach (Kincasslagh), probably best known as the home place of Daniel O’Donnell and his sister Margo. Clearly people around here are pretty musically talented as Margo, Daniel, Enya, Clannad and Moya Brennen have all achieved international success and acclaim. My first stop was at Ballymanus beach which is a beautiful beach in itself. A tragedy occurred here in 1943 when a sea mine washed ashore. Some people tried to put a rope around it to secure it but it exploded with the loss of nineteen lives. There is a monument to their memory today.

I made further detours from the coast road to visit many different little beaches and harbours, all deserted apart from the occasionally dog walker or sea kayaker.

I crossed the bridge to visit Cruit Island (Oileán na Cruite), which although a very small island has the sort of little single track coast road which is a true pleasure to cycle. Again you see many beaches and also the famous wrecked ship washed up on one of the beaches.

I continued to make detours to all these little beaches, many of which I am not even sure of their names as there were very little sign posts. I took me a considerable length of time to cover the fisfteen miles to Dungloe. This is what cycle touring is about in my opinion – taking the time to explore all the less obvious places along the way. In the past, I have cycled my apporximate route of the past two days in one day on a lightweight road bike. I did enjoy doing so and would do it again but there is also a different and arguably greater pleasure in breaking the journey in two and taking all the little side roads to see where they go instead of rushing past trying to get home before it gets dark.

I had only really scratched the surface of what you could do. I did make my first visit to a cafe since pre-Covid in Burtonport where I ate alfresco as it seemed better than being inside despite the increasingly overcast day. Burtonport is of course where the Letterkenny to Burtonport railway line which opereated between 1903 and 1947 terminated and now parts of it have been re-purposed as a walking/cycling track. I am not sure what the distance is but I formed a plan to come back here some day in the car complete with Brompton to explore it and see what it is like. Abanoned railway lines make excellent cycleways.

It started raining as I left Dungloe, just a drizzle at first and then very heavy. I passed through Dungloe without stopping. If the weather hadn’t turned out so wet I may have extended my ride and experimented with different options. As it was, I took the turn off the N56 for Doochary (An Dúcharaidh) using the R254. The R254 is a nice a route to cycle really. The first part of it from Dungloe to Doochary is two lane and can be relatively busy at times but has nice scenery.

Doochary concludes my tour of The Rosses as I leave the Rosses area. It is a small village in a picturesque setting famous for it’s salmon fishing. The old part of the R254 from Doochary to Churchill is a little piece of heaven as it changes to single track, is lightly trafficked and follows and is criss-crossed by various rivers and streams and little waterfalls all of which are accentuated by recent heavy rain in the past few weeks. It is not uncommon to find deer or sheep on the exposed parts as you pass through the mountain.

The ride from Doochary back to Letterkenny was one of the surreal ones. It had stopped raining by now and the mist rose from the warm road surface and hung in the air and traffic was pretty much non-existant. I always like the view you can get from this end of Glenveagh but today it was covered in a beautiful, mysterious and eerie mist. My efforts at photographing it didn’t work as I was only using my phone.

I had covered a little over a hundred miles over the two days (Sunday was the longer day), which is easily enough daily mileage for touring as I had time to pay attention to my surroundings. It feels good to be able to tour again and I enjoyed my little tour of Na Rosa and I have a few ideas for other relatively local tours or day rides which I hope to do in due course.

Why Cycle?

08 Tuesday Oct 2019

Posted by theoldbikeshome in Cycle touring, Donegal, Dunlewey, glenveagh, Letterkenny, The Poisoned Glen, Uncategorized, Viscount Aerospace, wild atlantic way

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cycle touring, Donegal, Dunlewey, Ireland, Poisoned Glen, Viscount Aerospace, wild atlantic way

In the age we live in with fast and reliable cars, buses, trains and planes it can be hard to explain why cycling is my preferred mode of transport. A few generations back, cycling was the main source of transport for the working class in this country yet now only a tiny minority cycle and we are often an object of scorn and derision. So many just simply refuse point blank to even consider riding a bike and will drive ridiculous short journeys which could easily be cycled – often quicker and certainly cheaper.

There are many different sides to cycling. There has been an increase in the amount of sports cyclists in recent years who aim to train hard and constantly improve and push themselves to the limit and are happy to invest considerable amounts of money in their bikes. This is a positive thing really as more cyclists on the road make it safer for all cyclists as drivers get more used to dealing with cyclists and it is good for the health and fitness of the participant.

There are also the utility cyclists who ride for general transportation and this is the branch of cycling I would like to see most promoted and catered for as each utility cyclist is another car off the road which brings untold benefits in terms of reduced congestion, air and noise pollution as well as improving the health of the participant. Utility cycling is sufficient really if simply being healthier is your main aim. Ride just a few miles every day, hail rain or snow and it is enough to improve your general health, reduce blood pressure etc, suffer less colds and ‘flus. What I suspect many drivers don’t realise is that over the sort of short journeys most people make on a day to day basis, a bicycle will be often just as fast a car in most cases, especially when you add up time spent looking for parking spaces, etc.

I’ll leave sports cycling and utility cycling for a later date. The object of this article to explore the fact that a great deal of genuine joy can be had from simply going out on the bike. A few hours or a full day if you have the time – just riding leisurely as fast or as slow as the mood takes you, exploring the lesser travelled highways and byways and avoiding the main roads wherever possible. This is the side of cycling that gets over-looked nowadays and I think this a great shame.

It can be done on virtually any bike (I’d avoid any of those horrible, cheap dual suspension things). The most important thing is that the bike works as it should, the saddle height, reach to the bars, etc is set up so that you are in an efficient and comfortable riding position and the gear ratio(s) should be such that the bike can be comfortably ridden in the type of terrain you normally ride in. For me, the ability to take wider tyres and mudguards is pretty essential and rules out nearly all modern road bikes (just my opinion, if you’re loving your carbon steed, keep riding it). Wider tyres give you more options for the types of surface you can ride on as well as reducing fatigue due to the greater shock absorbing qualities. Rural roads are often dirty – mudguards will keep you and your bike clean.

My ride today is typical of the sort of thing I think is one of the most enjoyable sides of cycling. I woke up to unseasonably good weather for the time of year and had no particular plans so decided to spend a day cycling. My Viscount Aerospace is a typical example of how an old road bike can be tweaked to make it ideal for this type of riding. There is room for 32mm tyres which is wide enough for most normal surfaces including unmetalled roads. The Continental Tour Ride tyres are a strong and reliable tyre with puncture protection. I’ve fitted a 50/36 chainset (the original was most probably a 52/42) and a wide range 12-32 cassette (I fitted modern wheels to this bike). The original freewheel block would likely have been 14-24. The advantage of this wide range gear set up is to make it easy to ride up most hills (even when loaded touring). I have Brooks B17 saddle because I find them more comfortable than modern type saddles and it also has the loops to fit my old fashioned Carradice bag which tends to go with me everywhere. Inside I have tools and puncture repair kit in case of problems, a rain jacket, an extra bottle of water and my lunch. This a day out after all. In winter I may carry a Thermos flask of soup.

I left home without any particular plan other than to go westwards as I usually do. The scenery is prettier and the roads are quieter. It was still reasonably earlier on a Sunday morning and the traffic was stll very light so when I joined the R251 after about 18 miles of minor roads, I decided to modify my plans slightly and instead of taking the bog road to Creeslough as originally planned I stayed on the R251 towards Glenveagh National Park and to Gweedore. I didn’t stop at the National Park. If I had wanted to go there I would have used the bridal paths and ridden my mountain bike. I continued on towards Gweedore. This takes you past Errigal, the highest mountain in Co. Donegal at around 2,500 feet. Errigal is one of several peaks in the Derryveagh mountain range. It is well worth the effort to climb it.

Opposite Errigal is what is known as the Poisoned Glen or Dunlewey. It’s a deep glen with Lough Dunlewey at the bottom. The views across the Poisoned Glen from the R251 vantage points are beautiful and possibly one of the most iconic views in Donegal with the disused Church on the lough’s shoreline the subject of many postcards down through the years. I decided to go and visit the church. The Church of Ireland Church was built by the widow of the local landlord who had the Church erected in memory of her recently deceased husband but in such a remote area the congregation was always tiny and the famine, years of hardship and breakup off the estate further declined the congregation. The church fell into disuse and the roof had become dangerous so it was removed for safety in 1955.

I also took another little scenic detour from Dunlewey down to the lake shore and across the bridge/causeway which separates Lough Dunlewey from Upper Lough Nacung. I’d never been down here before but it shows Lough Dunlewey from another angle with Errigal in the background. The road continues and I’d have liked to have continued on it but I suspect it would lead to a dead end. I must consult the OS Map to check if the road actually does go somewhere as it would be an interesting route.

I continued on through Gweedore, Crolly (home of the famous Crolly dolls), Loughanure and to Dungloe. I didn’t stop much but kept riding. The road was becoming busier now. It is an amazing route though with so many mountains and lakes. It’s a challenging route to cycle too. I like travelling main road to Dungloe but I’d never ride the N56 in summer as it would be too busy. I stopped briefly at a shop in Dungloe before continuing.

It was nice to turn off the N56 again on to the much quieter R252 to Doochery and then R254 back to Letterkenny. This is one of my favourite cycle routes in the county. It doesn’t carry much traffic and large parts of it are single track. It also offers great mountain scenery and for large parts of it the road runs parallel to a small river and you can here the running water as you cycle along. There are also quite a few small waterfalls as water runs of the mountains. It’s a really peaceful route and there is another option here to take bridal path back to Glenveagh Castle and then to Churchill. I’ll save that for another day when daylight comes back again. It would be easier on my mountain bike anyway.

I found my self back in Letterkenny with around 90 miles covered. My average speed would have been pathetic if I‘d measured it but I was out for the day, not to set new personal bests. It was an enjoyable ride because I had slowed it down and taken the time to see the things that most other people will rush past and not notice. This is the point of a leisurely perambulation and why I think more cyclists should do this at least occasionally as they are missing out on so much of what cycling has to offer. As for non-cyclists, give it ago! You don’t need to cover 90 miles – the ability to do that comes with time if desired. Just pootle around local places of interest and gradually build you fitness.

So in answer to the original question of “Why cycle?” the answer is that it is an enjoyable pastime which allows me to cover more miles in a day than I could on foot but allows me to cover those miles in a way in which I interact and feel part of the landscape I pass through in a way that I could never do in a car. In a car you are too isolated and travelling too fast to notice the details – the shadows and lighting, the wildlife and the scents and the smells. Cycling has the further advantage of being as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it. It also helps to keep me fit and active and is as excellent stress-reliever.

Perhaps a more pertinent question would be “Why don’t more people cycle?” – Answers on the back of a €10 note….

Easter Monday Meanderings

23 Tuesday Apr 2019

Posted by theoldbikeshome in Cycle touring, Donegal, Dunlewey, glenveagh, Letterkenny, The Poisoned Glen, Townsend BX-40, Uncategorized

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Downings, errigal, Ireland, MTB, Townsend BX-40

I remember my maternal grandmother used to always say that the older you got, the faster the time seemed to pass. I am now beginning to realise just what she meant as I age myself. For the younger version of me, the three-month summer holidays from National School always seemed like an eternity stretching way into the future. Nowadays, it seems, three months pass in the blink of an eye. New Year seems as if it were only yesterday yet in reality we are now at the end of April, Easter has just been and gone and we will soon be halfway through 2019.

The Easter weekend of 2019 was to be blessed with some very nice weather as the summer sun was to put in an early appearance this year. Weather like this need to be put to good use by getting a few miles in on the bike. It is always a nice time of year to be cycling as you see all the signs of new growth – the buds on the hedgerows, the young lambs and calves skipping playfully in the fields, the planting of this year’s crops and the sweet scent of the bluebell and the whinbush linger in the air and add a dash of colour to the countryside.

I was to get plenty of miles in this Easter too – a leisurely twenty miler on the Brompton after work on Good Friday, I was busy with other things for most of Saturday but did manage around thirty miles through the Lagan Valley on Saturday evening on my Townsend. I would have liked to have done big miles on Sunday but a visit to Church in the morning and a plan to meet a friend for dinner and a few drinks in the evening meant only about thirty miles in the afternoon. I would make Easter Monday a big day.

I had a plan for a while to combine some of my favourite rides in the north of Donegal into one big ride but hadn’t really got around to doing it. I knew this would be touching on a hundred miles in terms of distance but I felt fit enough, I had all day to do it and it seemed a perfect way to spend a bank holiday Monday.

I toyed with the idea of using my recently re-commissioned BSA racing bike but the gearing would be wrong for some of the areas I would be passing through. I would just use my Townsend. I own lots of bikes but right now I find this relatively low end early mountain bike is the perfect companion for the sort of cycling that interests me most at the moment.

I knew I was to have a long day ahead of me, some of it in difficult terrain so I left relatively early at around 10am. Possibly not as early as I had originally planned but I had met a friend for a few drinks the night before…As I said, I had planned to combine a few of my Donegal routes into one. Part one would be to Downings, Atlantic Drive and Ros Goill peninsula, one of my favourite parts of the county if not the entire country and I particularly love Trá na Rosann beach, the totally unique hostel there and the glorious Murder Hole beach at Melmore Head. There are many ways to get there from Letterkenny, my preferred one as it’s the quietest road as well as the most scenic (unless you do the much longer Fanad Drive Loop and cross the Harry Blaney Bridge) takes me via Chruchill, Lough Gartan and towards the Glenveagh National park before turning off across the bog road to Creeslough (L1332) where you will see the eerie remains of the ill-fated Owencarrow Railway Viaduct where the tragic rail accident occurred in January 1925 when gale-force winds derailed the Burtonport train from the top of this exposed bridge. On the outskirts of Creeslough I would be making a right turn and following the road to Carrigart (The R245).

You will pass the the picturesque Doe Castle on this road. You can visit the castle, it is a detour from the main road of just over a mile but I didn’t do so today as I had a lot of ground to cover and I had been so many times in the past. Further along the road towards Carrigart you can stop at a lay-by which gives and excellent view across Sheephaven Bay toward Doe Castle (unlike many such towers, this one has survived in good condition).

It was the home of the MacSweeney clan. I spent a little time here as I ate a snack before continuing on my way. I didn’t go into Carrigart as I took the road which turns off to the left just before the St John the Baptist Chapel. It was Easter Monday after all just past the Chapel at the graveyard there was a 1916 Easter Rising commemoration service taking place. You come to another forked junction where you join the road which loops the Ros Goill peninsula (known as Atlantic Drive). You can continue into the town of Downings or else turn off to the right about 1.5 miles before you reach Downings and some relatively tough climbing at Rosapenna as you begin your short tour of the peninsula.

Normally I would be turning left toward Melmore Head and Trá na Rosann as those are my favourite places on the peninsula (Mervagh Boat yard is also worth a quick visit) but on this occasion I decided to complete the Atlantic Drive loop, something I hadn’t done in quite a few years and I had forgotten how beautiful it is, especially on a day like this with a clear and unfettered view of Horn Head in the distance. I stopped at the vantage point for a short time to admire the view and eat my lunch before continuing on my way towards the seaside resort of Downings.

The road drops steeply and the final mile or so into Downing has the potential to be a high speed fun descent. Not today though. The cars badly parked outside the pub and holidays homes on this narrow single-track road and impatience of other traffic means I was dragging the brakes. As morning gave away to afternoon, the volume of traffic at the coast increased and Downings itself was jammed with cars. On a bicycle, I was able to filter through it and leave all the over-sized four wheel drives and expensive German saloon cars to sit going nowhere fast! I did stop at Downings Harbour first though. Here you can see the gun rescued from the wreck of the White Star Line’s ocean liner, the SS Laurentic which had been commandeered by the military at the outbreak of WWI. The ship went down not far from here after striking German mines in 1917 with the loss of over three hundred lives. The ship was also carrying forty-three tons of gold bars. In a major operation, Royal Navy divers recovered the majority of the gold when the war ended but twenty bars remain un-accounted for and wreck of the Laurentic remains a popular destination for divers who still continue to look for the missing gold…The anchor and chain from another shipwreck – the Greek ship Caliope (torpedoed in 1943) can also be seen at the harbour.

I had covered just a little over thirty miles at this point. I would be making my way back towards Creeslough and it’s amazing how the volume of traffic had suddenly increased along the R245 from it’s almost deserted state a little earlier. Clearly people were having their dinners before going out for a drive at the coast. I was to go into the town of Creeslough this time, and then take the sign for the signposted route for Dún Lúiche which would take me past Muckish and on to the other side of Errigal. I had touched on parts of this route before but this was the first time I would do it in completion as signposted. The distance would be a bit over twenty miles.

After the busy roads of Downings and Creeslough, it was nice to turn on to the proper cycling roads again – narrow ones with nice views, little or no cars and often grass growing up through the middle of the road. This is the life! I did of course meet that great, tradional part of rural Ireland, the elderly farmer in a venerable Massey Ferguson 135 (or TE-20, 35x, 240, Fordson Dexta or some similar Harry Ferguson based small tractor) with a cheery wave and a sheepdog sitting on the link box.

The route is well signposted and easy to follow. It is hilly as you might expect as you cross the foothills of a mountain range but it’s the headwind that made it tiring. The hills are definitely there but there is nothing major and indeed I remember riding in this area from the Gortahork side on my Raleigh Twenty a few years ago (part of an organised ride – the story is in one of the early entries on this blog) and finding the Sturmey gearing just fine. Today though, the wind made it a struggle even on the level but such is the reality of cycling in the west of Ireland.

You do criss-cross parts of the old Letterkenny to Burtonport railway line which operated between 1903 and 1947. It must have been no easy feat to have built this line given the terrain it passed through and the remains of the track bed where it was raised on embankments or blasted through rocks as an effort to keep it as level as possible is very much in evidence.

There are also many fine old arched bridges and houses and other buildings that were clearly associated with the railway line can still be seen – some still in use and well preserved, others having fallen into disrepair. I have written about it before (and also the history of the line) but parts of it, especially between Creeslough and Falcarragh have been surfaced and turned into walking/cycling tracks. I did a large part of it on foot quite recently with a friend and found that the surface is now better and it has been extended from when I rode my bike along it a few years ago. Hopefully, it will one day reach Burtonport. Cine camera footage of this picturesque railway journey made by the late Father Doherty of Dunfanaghy in the 1930s exists and extracts of it can be seen on the RTE archives.

RTE Archives

It would be nice to be able to cycle the old railway in it’s entirety but it is also a great pleasure to cycle the roads which pass over it. This is not an easy route but it is a bonnie one, with mountains, rivers and loughs and each corner you turn and each hill you crest reveals something else of beauty which comes into view while originally from leaving Creeslough, the table-topped Muckish mountain and later as you near Dún Lúiche the iconic twin peaks of Errigal soar majestically 2,500 feet into the air casting shadows in the afternoon sun. I really must climb Errigal again very soon.

Eventually Loch Dún Lúiche comes into view as the road drops sharply for the final descent into Dún Lúiche where you re-join civilisation it the form of the R251. It’s back to high speed traffic again, although I’ve never found the R251 a bad road to cycle. It’s wide so close passes are rare. I stopped to re-stock on food at the shop in Dún Lúiche and sat for a time at the picnic table outside, re-fuelling, admiring the view and also the pre-war Morris Eight which happened to be sitting outside. The efficiency, build quality and reliability of the modern day car is incredible but they really do lack the cuteness and character of cars like this Morris. I cannot imagine the driver of a Morris Eight getting frustrated and causing road-rage in the way a driver of modern day Audis do. I wouldn’t want a Morris Eight as an everday car but can see the appeal of leisurely drives on minor roads at the helm of a car which doesn’t have power-assisted everything and a load of electronics to keep me out of trouble. Proper driving!

After leaving Dún Lúiche village, I stopped briefly at the vantage stop over-looking the Poisoned Glen and Loch Dún Lúiche which must surely be one of the greatest viewing points anywhere in the country. It is even better if you go down into the Glen and view the ruined Anglican Church with Errigal towering above it – just like the postcards but I wouldn’t have time for that today. From the Poisoned Glen it is a long, draggy climb for many miles along the R251 and there is always a headwind here. When I reached the National Park, I had options – continue on straight on the main road towards Kilmecrennan – the best surface, least climbing and probably fastest despite being longer or I could have went home via Lough Gartan and Churchill. There is another option though – go into the Glenveagh Estate and take the bridal path back to Churchill – this is what I did, after stopping to replenish my water bottles at the public drinking tap in the car park at Glenveagh.

The ride along Lough Beagh and then up over the mountains past Lough Inshagh as the sun set in glorious red-orange hue behind the Derryveagh mountains was the possibly the best part of a long, varied and interesting day. I hadn’t bothered to take my camera, I just relied on my phone and I regretted that as my proper camera could have done a much better job of capturing the glorious technicolour sunset. Sometimes I feel I should be using filters, etc to improve my photographs but I like the simplicity of just trying to capture the moment without the hassle of lugging a case full of equipment around.

I clocked up 103 miles in (for me at least) an epic ride. I didn’t even feel overly tired. My route took in mountains, bog, rivers, lakes, sea and forests on varied terrain from gravelled footpaths to (short sections) on National Primary routes. I am delighted with my fitness levels and my new-found confidence for tackling long rides. This for me is what cycling is all about – exploring my surroundings and taking time to enjoy it. I think back to all those people stuck in a traffic jam in Downings – cycling bring freedom and enjoyment in a way that a car can never do.

Glenveagh National Park via Lough Inshagh Part II (Enjoying a slow bike ride)

19 Tuesday Mar 2019

Posted by theoldbikeshome in Cycle touring, Donegal, Dunlewey, Garten, glenveagh, Letterkenny, St. Columbkille, Townsend BX-40, Uncategorized

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Budget cycling, churchill, cycle touring, glenveagh, Ireland, lough gartan, MTB, stress relief, Townsend BX-40

As a follow-on from my musings on cycling the bridal path over the mountains to Glenveagh, I decided to repeat it and also to continue further along the lakeside path. Looking at the Ordnance Survey map (Discover Series Number 6 covers this area) shows that this path continues until it reaches the R254 road to Doochery. Most of my planned route is marked as unclassified road but the last few miles is just marked as a public path. Would it be cycleable? There was only going to be one way to find out…

As before, I cycled to Churchill along minor roads and turned on to the bridal path over the mountain. I’ve come to really enjoy this route. It’s so nice to get away from motorised traffic. I can’t emphasise how nice it is to ride on routes like these, something I’m only now starting to appreciate as my various road bikes sit at home gathering dust. It was beautiful dry and sunny day although with a real nip in the air. The previous day’s snow could still be seen on some of the higher mountains. I was pleased I had worn plenty of layers. It might be the beginnings of spring but winter is not leaving without a fight. It would be warm in direct sunlight and cold everywhere else but I’m not complaining. Weather like this is infinitely preferable to endless grey clouds and drizzle.

Eventually Lough Beagh comes into view and you make a left turn at a T-junction to follow the road along the lough shore to reach Glenveagh Castle. I took advantage of the covered in picnic tables behind the castle to eat my lunch in shelter. As this was St. Patrick’s day I was expecting a lot of people to be out and about but there was basically no-one at all. I guess the cold weather must have put people off.

From the castle I continued on my way alongside the lough following the signs for Astelleen Waterfall (you can’t really go wrong anyway so long as you follow the lake). Eventually, the lake becomes a small burn (River Owenacoo) which feeds into the Lough. The water level was high today with all the snow-melt from the mountains. The road surface deteriorates after you leave the castle and is more loose and rougher but it’s not a problem on any bike with reasonable width tyres.

There are a number of small waterfalls from the mountains (more were probably visible today than usual due to the melting snow) but the big one is known as Astelleen. I did cycle out here on other occasions and walked out tot he waterfall on many more occasions but this was to be my first time to venture beyond that. If I had read my map properly, I’d eventually be joining the R254.

So it proved, although the distance was a little longer that I had expected and quite a bit of climbing was involved which were steep enough to call my 28 tooth inner ring into service. It is well worth it though. The scenery is nothing short of amazing and freed from the constraints of the traffic on a normal road, you can quite literally stop where you feel like and go as fast or as slow as you want without any other road-users to consider. I think I met just one group of hikers this far away from the castle. As you go along, the road does indeed deteriorate although the surface remains easily ridable. It just gets narrower. It may only be about three feet in width in places although this isn’t a problem when there is no-one else there! I guess in peak tourist season, this path would experience more hikers and probably a few mountain bikers as well.

When you reach the R254, it is worthwhile to take the time and to look back. You are quite high up at this point and you can see the river and path snake through the deep-sided glen and see the lough in the distance and I think that this may actually be one of the best places from which to view the “Glen of the birch trees.” I was actually very tempted to return and trace my steps but I had been determined to make this a circular route so would continue along the R254 back towards Churchill. I will do this loop in the opposite direction at some point. I think it would be worthwhile as you often see everything in a different perspective.

The ride back to Letterkenny was relatively uneventful on little trafficked road. The R254 must surely be one of the best cycling roads in the country although I wasn’t on the most interesting parts of it (I would have needed to go in the opposite direction towards Doochery for that). I didn’t take the direct route but explored a little around Lough Gartan and I actually did one of my regular training loops in the opposite direction from normal which gave me a whole different perspective on it.

I managed to make it all into a ride of just little short of fifty miles in length. No personal bests were achieved during the course of this ride. It is entirely possible I achieved a few personal worsts as my average speed was very low at times. I don’t actually care, speed isn’t the point of a ride like this. If I had just wanted to go quickly I would not have been riding this hefty, upright and un-aerodynamic bike and I would not have selected this route with large parts of it surfaced in gravel. There is a time and place for enjoying a fast ride on lightweight road bike but I think too many of today’s cyclists are missing out on the simple pleasures of a relaxing ride with no stress or rush, the freedom to stop when you feel like or make an improvised detour should the mood take us. Life is simply too short to waste rushing around like an idiot!

Dunlewey – The Poisoned Glen

24 Monday Jul 2017

Posted by theoldbikeshome in Cycle touring, Donegal, Dunlewey, Glebe Gallery, glenveagh, Kalkhoff, Letterkenny, St. Columbkille, Sturmey Archer, The Poisoned Glen, Uncategorized, wild atlantic way

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Budget cycling, churchill, cycle touring, Donegal, Dunlewey, glenveagh, hybrid gearing, Kalkhoff, lough gartan, Poisoned Glen

What I consider one of the finest vantage points in the country is the view over The Poisoned Glen (or Dunlewey or Dún Lúiche – the fort of Lugh who was an ancient Irish god) in north west county Donegal. It is best viewed from the top of Mount Errigal which at around two and a half thousand feet is the highest mountain in the county. Errigal is actually part of chain of seven mountains which also include Mackoght, Aghla Mor, Ardloughnabrackbaddy, Aghla Beg, Crocknalaragagh and of course Muckish which make up the Derryveagh Mountain range and are known as the seven sisters. I climbed Errigal for the first time last year and it is well worth the effort and I was blessed with an unusually clear day which gave clear views of Lough Dunlewey and The Poisoned Glen. I hope to climb Muckish later in the year.

This photo was taken from the top of Mt. Errigal last October.

There was to be no mountaineering today however. Luckily, as it turned out, as despite the beautiful weather elsewhere the Derryveagh mountains were shrouded in a thick mist. Indeed there were times I could barely see my front wheel never mind the peaks of the Seven Sisters. Although it never rained I was aware of the moisture in the air I could see the dampness on the tread of my tyres despite cycling on what seemed to be a dry road.

I had long marked The Poisoned Glen out as a place for a day ride by bicycle but hadn’t got around to it until today. It’s only about twenty-five miles from Letterkenny via my preferred route but this is a mountainous region with some tough climbing involved. It’s definitely not an easy route as you are only a few miles from the coast and there are often strong headwinds to contend with as well. The return journey is easy however!

I would ride my hybrid-geared Kalkhoff, maybe slightly over-geared for this terrain but still perfectly manageable for me. It is sturdy and comfortable and I find it makes a good touring companion. From Letterkenny I would follow the R251 via Newmills, Lough Gartan and Churchill and this would also take me past the entrance to Glenveagh National Park, somewhere I have visited quite a few times by bike but had never went any further along this road by bike. The journey from the National Park to The Poisoned Glen is only about ten miles but I had never done it by bike before.

This is actually one of my favourite routes, the scenery around Lough Gartan and Churchill is beautiful and the road is mostly very quiet. If you have time there are other places worth a visit en-route like the Glebe Gallery, house and garden and the area around the St. Columbkille heritage centre, both of which I have written about quite recently.

It had been a beautiful sunny morning with clear views of everything but as I entered the Derryveagh mountains the mist started to descend. It never actually rained but it got surprising cold for the time of year. I had to put on my jacket. Normally this road around the Gleneveagh area gives you beautiful views of the mountains but not today. Everything was shrouded in mist and fog, so much so that I was concerned at times of the possibility of someone driving into me from behind.

As I passed the car park at the base of Errigal I was surprised to see so many people preparing for their ascent of the mountain in these conditions. I was pleased though to see that to my left I had at least some visibility through the mist over The Poisoned Glen. The mist wasn’t as thick in the deep glen.

The question is often asked about how such a beautiful place became known as The Poisoned Glen. There are several stories – one mythology story and one more recently and possibly based on fact. One story goes that King of Tory, Balor, had a very beautiful daughter who he had kept closed away in a Tower out of the view of men. However, word of her beauty spread and she was kidnapped and brought to Magheroarty. Balor followed and got her and killed her kidnapper with a giant stone. The poisoned eye of Balor leaked it’s poison into the glen. At the entrance to The Poisoned Glen, a large stone stands, and it is said to be the poisoned eye of Balor.

Another story involves the first maps of the area made by English soldiers. The Glen was originally known as The Heavenly Glen. An English soldier had made a mistake with translation, confusing the Irish word the Irish for Heaven (neamh) and the Irish word for poison (neimhe) and so the name Poisoned Glen stuck. So a name given by an ancient Gaelic legend or by a confused cartologist – I guess we’ll never know the truth but it adds a sense of mystery.

The other feature of note of the glen is the ruins of the Dunlewey Church of Ireland Parish Church. Set near the lake-water’s edge, the church, built from locally quarried white marble and blue quartzite is instantly recognisable and features in just about every photo and postcard of this area. The church is a ruin with no roof, quite small and probably nothing very exciting from a architectural point of view but with it’s picturesque setting and coloured stone walls and steeple, it is an iconic, beautiful and enduring landmark when photographed either from the road or higher up the mountains with the lake in the background or photographed from below with the peak of Errigal in the background. I tried my best to create my versions of the more publicised photos but the mist blotted out the view of Errigal and the mist in the glen didn’t help much either.

The church was built by Jane Smith-Russell as a monument to her late husband James Russell who was the landlord of the Dunlewey Estate. Russell died in 1848 and the church was consecrated in 1853. The remains of James Russell actually lie underneath the church floor. A two-story rectory was also built nearby but the church only ever had one full time Rector in the 1850s as the congregation was small and with the decline of the Dunlewey estate it was to decline further and the church fell into disuse as the cost of maintaining it was too much for the parish. The roof became unsafe and was removed in 1955 as a safety measure and the furniture and other items salvaged were distributed amongst other churches in the Dioceses of Raphoe and Derry. The church bell is actually installed in Cashel Church of Ireland near Doe Castle.

Apart from the church itself, I didn’t spend a huge amount of time exploring the glen. It would be better done on a clearer day I think. There are boat trips which can be taken on the lough which is also something that would interest me on a future trip. There are also mountains to climb and many side roads to explore. Today’s trip wasn’t ideal in some ways as I had procrastinated all morning with other things and I had a prior engagement later which meant I was late of leaving in the first place and had to be home again by a set time so didn’t have the time to fully explore the area. The mist and fog gave everything an eerie and mysterious feel but made photography difficult.

I enjoyed the ride though and pleased I’ve done it and given myself reasons to return. After leaving the ruined church, I had thought that the climb out of the glen back up to the main road might be problematical but was actually quite easy. It’s not as steep as it seems when viewed from the main road. I did find time for a very quick visit to Glenveagh on the return leg but made no further stops on the way home. The return journey was much quicker than outward leg as it’s mostly gradually going downhill and the wind was behind me now.

I really enjoyed the ride and I really need to make the time to do more day rides like this to explore my local surroundings more. This to me is what cycling is all about – the freedom of the wide open road, quiet lightly trafficked roads, scenic surroundings and a sense of adventure. Riding solo I could do as I pleased in terms of route, speed and scenery stops. There is no need to spend a fortune on bike or kit either. My old parts-bin special did the job just fine.

theoldbikeshome

~ The musings and observations of someone who restores and rides old skip-rescue bikes

Category Archives: Dunlewey

A Short Tour

The Road to Arranmore

A tour of the Rosses

Why Cycle?

Easter Monday Meanderings

Glenveagh National Park via Lough Inshagh Part II (Enjoying a slow bike ride)

Dunlewey – The Poisoned Glen