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….