Day 3
I went to bed and to sleep no later than 22:15, but didn’t wake this morning until 9:50; those twelve hour days in England, the bottle of vodka and resulting two hour sleep plus a cold night in a tent no doubt helped me sleep last night.
On the map Buncrana looks to be 30 km away, so I set out at 11:15 ish with my wets, the Kathmandu, yesterday’s clothing, which had been dried out on the radiator last night and the day pack (under the wets) with the camera, the tourist map I got yesterday, a spare tube and my Leatherman. Iris packed a lunch for me (cold lamb cut sandwiches!) and I was off.
I stopped at a building site, a few pubs, restaurants and farms. I stopped at a dairy farm, hoping that the farmer would be impressed by my experience in Israel, but he told me that he hasn’t even got enough work for himself and his son. Most of his cows were in, he said, because of the unseasonal weather. I guess that means it is colder and wetter than it normally is. Lucky me.
I got into a pattern of saying the same thing to every one; I wanted to be as disarming and trustworthy as I could sound.
'Hello', I would start off, 'I am an Australian cycling 'round the North here' (motioning towards the bike) 'and I was wondering if you might have a couple of days work for me.' (I would hurriedly add) 'Not for money, mind you, just for food and a place to pitch me tent'. As Billy said last night, this is a very quiet time of year. Every one I talked to had the same answer; during spring and summer there is plenty of work around and they would have been happy to have me work for them. The weather would have been better then as well, you know. Silly time of year to be riding around the North here. A lot of the people I talked to seemed generally impressed with me, not so much because I was cycling around - it is a popular sport these days - but that I was doing it at this time of year, and also because I was looking for work. Then again, a lot of other people just said no and shut their door on me.
It rained all day. It was never very heavy (on the way to Buncrana) and never windy, but the rain was always there. At some points it was thick with rain, like the inside of a cloud (maybe).
One of my favourite sights is when there is rain in the distance, like on the horizon. The blue/black cloud seems to stretch towards the ground, often at an angle and it is obvious that it is raining there. At the distances I am talking about, it is hard to see where the cloud ends and the rain begins, it is all that dark blue colour. I noticed today that this effect would happen when the rain is as close as 50m. When the rain is this close in other countries, if it is heavy enough, the rain seems like a curtain, sweeping across the ground away or towards me. It wasn’t like that today. That dark grey colour I am talking about would still be visible at such a close distance. I think it is because of the water being so tiny, like it was yesterday. It's as if the cloud is stretching down, rather than letting the water go as rain. It definitely wasn’t just a low flying cloud or fog, as I could see the cloud above me, and the 'wall' coming from it and landing so close to me, and then enveloping me. Without realising that I was getting wet, I was getting soaked. Bloody Irish weather.
It took me three and a half hours to get to Buncrana. This was because of all the stoppages. The inner part of Inishowen is all hill. I rode south to Muff (almost the border) across to Burnfoot, then up to Buncrana. I rode this way to avoid all the hills. Across from Muff (according to the map) seemed to be almost sea level. If I had of taken a smaller road east from Quigley’s Point I would have gone across the Highlands. At 2 pm, about 10 km short of Buncrana, I was about to turn around, as I wanted to get back here before dark. I came across a group of contractors, who were rebuilding the front garden of a house. They suggested I keep on going into Buncrana, as there was plenty of work in there of all types, in the building industry as well as pubs. (I guess that is 'all types of work'). The brilliant idea of catching a bus back to Quigley’s Point occurred to me so I kept going. The first pub I looked for in Buncrana was the Central Hotel. More than one pub along the way had told me that the woman in charge of it was looking for workers. I got to the Central at 14:45, and found the woman. She was gorgeous, though unfortunately not the Raven Haired Celtic Beauty I have been looking out for. She told me that she has hired staff the week before. I asked her where I could catch a bus to Quigley’s Point and was told that there were no buses there, but I could catch a bus to Derry and then another from there, or just get off half way to Derry and ride from there. The next bus to Derry, she told me, left at 15:15 from the bus depot down the road. I went into a couple of other pubs and restaurants in the time remaining but had no luck.
Today I got to the bus station with plenty of time, not wanting to miss or nearly miss yet another form of transport. On the way to Bridgend - where I got off - I had a fun talk with a big group of kids going home from school. I fascinated them with talk of Israel and England and travelling. They asked me if I had been all over those places with the bike and I told a fib, saying no, not all over, but most places. The boys asked me if I went into races and this time I told them to truth. Not a chance, I said. I am too unfit. I laughed at the thought of entering races considering I can only ride 20 or so miles a day, but they didn’t find it as funny as I did.
I have seen my first female Raven Haired Celt; unfortunately she wasn’t a beauty, but neither was she ugly, just plain. Still, the black hair and green eyes did something for me. I am still hoping to knock on a farmer’s door and see his beautiful green-eyed daughter peering shyly over his shoulder.
I caught the bus to Bridgend for £1.70 and rode back here in thick rain. It was quite heavy, but not half as bad as it was when I was returning from my trip to Greencastle yesterday. The road was mostly downhill which was fun - and it proved my theory that the way there had been all uphill. In Muff, I went into 'Harkin's' and bought an Ordnance Survey map of the region. It is just for North Inishowen (1:50 000) and is nicely detailed. Though not as I had imagined. Every house is shown as a dot (I can find where I am now) though they are not identified as a farm or otherwise as I had hoped.
Two pubs I have seen: The Squealing Pig and Hair O'The Dog. I saw The Dixie Nargyle while in Moville yesterday.
I got wet on the way home. The rain was heavier and it soaked through my wets. The inside of the raincoat was really wet, not just damp. The water had formed more than beads and was running down the inside of the lining. This can’t be sweat, I am sure of it. Sure, I was sweating a bit, and when I was riding in the Kathmandu I got really hot, but there was a lot of water inside the raincoat. I did take off the Kathmandu on a couple of occasions, but as soon as I stopped the cold would catch up to me and I would have to put it back on. To put it on requires me to take off the raincoat, take off the daypack and then put it on. In doing this, I got my shirt a little wet and I don’t want this to happen, no matter how hot I get.
Despite my precautions, the shirt still got wet. This is a bit of a worry. Tonight it doesn’t matter, as I have a dry set here and a radiator to dry today’s clothes. However, if I find myself in a tent for two nights running, I will have nothing but wet clothes to change into. A bit of riding will warm me up, but it doesn’t have a healthy sound to it.
Visitors came around while Billy, his son David and I were watching the England, Scotland match and they asked me how long I was staying. Billy came out with 'his time is his own', though I replied I would leave tomorrow, as I didn't want to outstay my welcome.
They will probably offer for me to stay tomorrow night as well, but I have decided that I will go. The first reason I have already stated, the second is that I have to prove myself to myself. I could take the easy option, but I want to go on. God has comforted me in these two days here. I have a new plan. I will ride for about three hours or so a day, and at about 3 pm will start knocking on doors asking for a place to pitch my tent. People here are so friendly, I am betting that they will offer me a spare room, or at the least a meal and a shower. That's the plan. I am happy not to leave until 12 noon the next day and only ride for a couple of hours each day. If I do between fifteen and twenty miles a day, then that is fine. The main road in Inishowen is the Inishowen 100. It is not just one road, but a sign posted route for tourists. It basically follows the coast going from Muff through to Moville, then north-west to Culdaff, a jump up to Malin Head and back to Carndonagh, across to the west coast and south to Buncrana, Burnfoot and back to Muff. It goes off the main road at times to take in a tourist site, like an old cross (there is a famous one at Carndonagh). The map that the lady gave me in the shop yesterday is an illustrated map for tourists of the 'world famous' Inishowen 100. Call me cynical, but I had never heard of it. My point is that there is only one hundred miles of road around Inishowen - and I do have a month - so I don’t think it matters all that much if I don't cover a lot of ground.
Tomorrow I am going to ride back south to Quigley’s Point and take the road northeast to Carndonagh. It's not the most direct route, but the road I am taking seems to cut between two sets of hills. Also, its a larger road and seeing as it is too wet to pull a map out to see where I am going, I reckon sticking to the main roads is a good idea.
According to the BBC (Northern Ireland), the weather tomorrow is sunny and dry and 7ºC. It will be interesting to see what the Northern Irish definition of sunny and dry is.
Both last night and tonight I have had mashed potatoes for dinner. Hee hee.
I have decided to give the Doherty’s (and anyone else I stay with) my sister's address, so that they can contact her and she, me in case any of these people come to Australia and are in my part of town.
My feet were cold all day, but my hands were warm most of the time. I have been putting the gloves Julie gave me inside the ski gloves. When I got back here, they were both wet. Also, I was wearing two pairs of socks and both were damp. The shoes were wet in places, but not sopping all over, which I think is pretty good considering the shoe covers have no inner lining to keep out the wet.
I had a good day today, despite the fact I got no work. I have now spent three days in Ireland and come to no harm (thank you, God!). Soon enough the thirty days will be over and I will wonder what all the fuss was about.
The landscape I pass through is just incredible. Fields dotted with sheep and carpeted with green, green grass edged with either low stone walls or hedges. The fields go from hill to hill. There is simply no flat land. The hills rise and fall with gentle slopes, becoming quite steep as they approach the central 'highlands', which - as far as I can see - don't have crops or animals on them. Stone churches are everywhere, farmhouses dot the landscape. I have no fear of leaving the bike outside while I go into a shop. The lough is so beautiful. Lough Swilly is on the other side of Inishowen, which I saw today. It is half the width of the Foyle but just as nice.
I just can’t believe I am staying in a house on the shores of the Lough Foyle about five miles or closer to where the book was set! An incredible thought.
On the map Buncrana looks to be 30 km away, so I set out at 11:15 ish with my wets, the Kathmandu, yesterday’s clothing, which had been dried out on the radiator last night and the day pack (under the wets) with the camera, the tourist map I got yesterday, a spare tube and my Leatherman. Iris packed a lunch for me (cold lamb cut sandwiches!) and I was off.
I stopped at a building site, a few pubs, restaurants and farms. I stopped at a dairy farm, hoping that the farmer would be impressed by my experience in Israel, but he told me that he hasn’t even got enough work for himself and his son. Most of his cows were in, he said, because of the unseasonal weather. I guess that means it is colder and wetter than it normally is. Lucky me.
I got into a pattern of saying the same thing to every one; I wanted to be as disarming and trustworthy as I could sound.
'Hello', I would start off, 'I am an Australian cycling 'round the North here' (motioning towards the bike) 'and I was wondering if you might have a couple of days work for me.' (I would hurriedly add) 'Not for money, mind you, just for food and a place to pitch me tent'. As Billy said last night, this is a very quiet time of year. Every one I talked to had the same answer; during spring and summer there is plenty of work around and they would have been happy to have me work for them. The weather would have been better then as well, you know. Silly time of year to be riding around the North here. A lot of the people I talked to seemed generally impressed with me, not so much because I was cycling around - it is a popular sport these days - but that I was doing it at this time of year, and also because I was looking for work. Then again, a lot of other people just said no and shut their door on me.
It rained all day. It was never very heavy (on the way to Buncrana) and never windy, but the rain was always there. At some points it was thick with rain, like the inside of a cloud (maybe).
One of my favourite sights is when there is rain in the distance, like on the horizon. The blue/black cloud seems to stretch towards the ground, often at an angle and it is obvious that it is raining there. At the distances I am talking about, it is hard to see where the cloud ends and the rain begins, it is all that dark blue colour. I noticed today that this effect would happen when the rain is as close as 50m. When the rain is this close in other countries, if it is heavy enough, the rain seems like a curtain, sweeping across the ground away or towards me. It wasn’t like that today. That dark grey colour I am talking about would still be visible at such a close distance. I think it is because of the water being so tiny, like it was yesterday. It's as if the cloud is stretching down, rather than letting the water go as rain. It definitely wasn’t just a low flying cloud or fog, as I could see the cloud above me, and the 'wall' coming from it and landing so close to me, and then enveloping me. Without realising that I was getting wet, I was getting soaked. Bloody Irish weather.
It took me three and a half hours to get to Buncrana. This was because of all the stoppages. The inner part of Inishowen is all hill. I rode south to Muff (almost the border) across to Burnfoot, then up to Buncrana. I rode this way to avoid all the hills. Across from Muff (according to the map) seemed to be almost sea level. If I had of taken a smaller road east from Quigley’s Point I would have gone across the Highlands. At 2 pm, about 10 km short of Buncrana, I was about to turn around, as I wanted to get back here before dark. I came across a group of contractors, who were rebuilding the front garden of a house. They suggested I keep on going into Buncrana, as there was plenty of work in there of all types, in the building industry as well as pubs. (I guess that is 'all types of work'). The brilliant idea of catching a bus back to Quigley’s Point occurred to me so I kept going. The first pub I looked for in Buncrana was the Central Hotel. More than one pub along the way had told me that the woman in charge of it was looking for workers. I got to the Central at 14:45, and found the woman. She was gorgeous, though unfortunately not the Raven Haired Celtic Beauty I have been looking out for. She told me that she has hired staff the week before. I asked her where I could catch a bus to Quigley’s Point and was told that there were no buses there, but I could catch a bus to Derry and then another from there, or just get off half way to Derry and ride from there. The next bus to Derry, she told me, left at 15:15 from the bus depot down the road. I went into a couple of other pubs and restaurants in the time remaining but had no luck.
Today I got to the bus station with plenty of time, not wanting to miss or nearly miss yet another form of transport. On the way to Bridgend - where I got off - I had a fun talk with a big group of kids going home from school. I fascinated them with talk of Israel and England and travelling. They asked me if I had been all over those places with the bike and I told a fib, saying no, not all over, but most places. The boys asked me if I went into races and this time I told them to truth. Not a chance, I said. I am too unfit. I laughed at the thought of entering races considering I can only ride 20 or so miles a day, but they didn’t find it as funny as I did.
I have seen my first female Raven Haired Celt; unfortunately she wasn’t a beauty, but neither was she ugly, just plain. Still, the black hair and green eyes did something for me. I am still hoping to knock on a farmer’s door and see his beautiful green-eyed daughter peering shyly over his shoulder.
I caught the bus to Bridgend for £1.70 and rode back here in thick rain. It was quite heavy, but not half as bad as it was when I was returning from my trip to Greencastle yesterday. The road was mostly downhill which was fun - and it proved my theory that the way there had been all uphill. In Muff, I went into 'Harkin's' and bought an Ordnance Survey map of the region. It is just for North Inishowen (1:50 000) and is nicely detailed. Though not as I had imagined. Every house is shown as a dot (I can find where I am now) though they are not identified as a farm or otherwise as I had hoped.
Two pubs I have seen: The Squealing Pig and Hair O'The Dog. I saw The Dixie Nargyle while in Moville yesterday.
I got wet on the way home. The rain was heavier and it soaked through my wets. The inside of the raincoat was really wet, not just damp. The water had formed more than beads and was running down the inside of the lining. This can’t be sweat, I am sure of it. Sure, I was sweating a bit, and when I was riding in the Kathmandu I got really hot, but there was a lot of water inside the raincoat. I did take off the Kathmandu on a couple of occasions, but as soon as I stopped the cold would catch up to me and I would have to put it back on. To put it on requires me to take off the raincoat, take off the daypack and then put it on. In doing this, I got my shirt a little wet and I don’t want this to happen, no matter how hot I get.
Despite my precautions, the shirt still got wet. This is a bit of a worry. Tonight it doesn’t matter, as I have a dry set here and a radiator to dry today’s clothes. However, if I find myself in a tent for two nights running, I will have nothing but wet clothes to change into. A bit of riding will warm me up, but it doesn’t have a healthy sound to it.
Visitors came around while Billy, his son David and I were watching the England, Scotland match and they asked me how long I was staying. Billy came out with 'his time is his own', though I replied I would leave tomorrow, as I didn't want to outstay my welcome.
They will probably offer for me to stay tomorrow night as well, but I have decided that I will go. The first reason I have already stated, the second is that I have to prove myself to myself. I could take the easy option, but I want to go on. God has comforted me in these two days here. I have a new plan. I will ride for about three hours or so a day, and at about 3 pm will start knocking on doors asking for a place to pitch my tent. People here are so friendly, I am betting that they will offer me a spare room, or at the least a meal and a shower. That's the plan. I am happy not to leave until 12 noon the next day and only ride for a couple of hours each day. If I do between fifteen and twenty miles a day, then that is fine. The main road in Inishowen is the Inishowen 100. It is not just one road, but a sign posted route for tourists. It basically follows the coast going from Muff through to Moville, then north-west to Culdaff, a jump up to Malin Head and back to Carndonagh, across to the west coast and south to Buncrana, Burnfoot and back to Muff. It goes off the main road at times to take in a tourist site, like an old cross (there is a famous one at Carndonagh). The map that the lady gave me in the shop yesterday is an illustrated map for tourists of the 'world famous' Inishowen 100. Call me cynical, but I had never heard of it. My point is that there is only one hundred miles of road around Inishowen - and I do have a month - so I don’t think it matters all that much if I don't cover a lot of ground.
Tomorrow I am going to ride back south to Quigley’s Point and take the road northeast to Carndonagh. It's not the most direct route, but the road I am taking seems to cut between two sets of hills. Also, its a larger road and seeing as it is too wet to pull a map out to see where I am going, I reckon sticking to the main roads is a good idea.
According to the BBC (Northern Ireland), the weather tomorrow is sunny and dry and 7ºC. It will be interesting to see what the Northern Irish definition of sunny and dry is.
Both last night and tonight I have had mashed potatoes for dinner. Hee hee.
I have decided to give the Doherty’s (and anyone else I stay with) my sister's address, so that they can contact her and she, me in case any of these people come to Australia and are in my part of town.
My feet were cold all day, but my hands were warm most of the time. I have been putting the gloves Julie gave me inside the ski gloves. When I got back here, they were both wet. Also, I was wearing two pairs of socks and both were damp. The shoes were wet in places, but not sopping all over, which I think is pretty good considering the shoe covers have no inner lining to keep out the wet.
I had a good day today, despite the fact I got no work. I have now spent three days in Ireland and come to no harm (thank you, God!). Soon enough the thirty days will be over and I will wonder what all the fuss was about.
The landscape I pass through is just incredible. Fields dotted with sheep and carpeted with green, green grass edged with either low stone walls or hedges. The fields go from hill to hill. There is simply no flat land. The hills rise and fall with gentle slopes, becoming quite steep as they approach the central 'highlands', which - as far as I can see - don't have crops or animals on them. Stone churches are everywhere, farmhouses dot the landscape. I have no fear of leaving the bike outside while I go into a shop. The lough is so beautiful. Lough Swilly is on the other side of Inishowen, which I saw today. It is half the width of the Foyle but just as nice.
I just can’t believe I am staying in a house on the shores of the Lough Foyle about five miles or closer to where the book was set! An incredible thought.
posted by Bren Carlill @ 6:55 AM
<< Home