The garage of the van was designed with the bikes in mind. Once everything is in, we can drop the wheels off them, and they fit easily.
The plan was that we could park up, and then bike to less accessible places. In reality, getting the bikes out of the van, putting the wheels on, getting our kit on, and then doing it all in reverse, takes us as long as we tend to spend on the bikes. And every time we need something from the garage, the bikes have to come out, and then go back in again. What seemed like a good idea in the planning, was not such a great idea in reality. We persevered, but eventually gave up on the bikes all together.
They have not been the only waste of money. We also had the idea that it would be great to have a “spare room” in case the grandchildren, or friends came to stay. We bought a man popup tent and an airbed and packed camping chairs. Once we had loaded everything in the van, we were overweight. Out came the tent, airbed and spare chairs, and we have never needed them.
Covers for the front windows did not last long either. We bought internal covers, as we don’t like having anything to remove externally, in case of a quick getaway. They were a pain. Once we were all cosy, in our PJ’s, in the evening, we inevitably realised they still had to go on, and someone (Neil) had to go out in the cold. Now we have a blackout screen, which hangs between the cab and the back of the van. It works much better, and was much cheaper, being made by me.
We stayed in Westport for a couple of nights. Apparently it is the stag and hen hotspot for the west of Ireland. It was ok, and nice to stop for a couple of nights and regroup, but not somewhere we would hurry back to. We saw people who were competing in the Sea2summit event – a road running, cycling and then a mountain hike up and down the front face of Croagh Patrick. We didn’t even manage a walk up Croagh Patrick. We did manage a couple of bars though, and one had an Irish music duo performing. They were so professional. It was out of season and they were only performing to four people, including us, but they kept their enthusiasm and were really good.
The next night we spent at a cute little pier in Rosmoney. It was very peaceful and in the morning I saw a baby seal. He was really inquisitive, as happy to stare at me, as I was at him.
My dad rang with our first storm warning, so we left Rosmoney and headed inland. We found a camp site, so we caught up with our washing, emptied and refilled the water tanks and recharged the leisure batteries. We also got our bikes out, and cycled to the shop. We have electric bikes and bought these sometime before we started travelling, but with the view to use them as part of vanlife. When living in the flat, we used them a lot. Neither of us would consider ourselves cyclists, so electric bikes seemed the perfect. They are mountain bikes so we took them off road, and they were great fun.
After storm Debi, we headed to the wild seas of Downpatrick Head, via the tranquil beach of Lachan Strand. There was such a contrast. We drove on to Lachan Strand. It seemed to stretch forever, and was so peaceful. There was a route across it during low tide, but the van is heavy and we were not brave enough to try it.
Downpatrick Head was approached across very green, mossy soft ground. The cliffs were huge, the sea crashing against them, and up through a blow hole in the ground.
Just off the cliffs, standing alone in the sea, is Dun Briste, a sea stack 150 feet tall. There were children’s stories, based on the legends of Downpatrick Head to read.
It was a must for inclusion in Sleeping Giants: A Puca Adventure (The Puca Adventures Book 1) eBook : Abbott, Emily : Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
“As we were only walking a short way, we took Delilah with us. She was wide awake and restless, so Iris took responsibility for her, making sure she was wrapped up warm, and she stayed close. The ground we had to walk over was very strange. It was very green, even in the moonlight, and like walking on a sponge. The moss was springy and squelched, but it was not too wet, and we found the blow hole quickly.
As we all peered down it, Lyra said “Have I really got to go down there? Is the giant at the bottom?”
“No,” I said, wishing it was that simple. “Can you see the stack of rocks off the coast?” They all nodded, “The top of that is the giant, Bris. He hides in plain sight, looking like a stack of rock the same as the cliffs. The top of the original stack disappeared hundreds of years ago. He knocked about 24 feet of it into the sea and took its place. He doesn’t like to be inside, and he has to keep hidden under the agreement, so this works for now. For a giant, he has a quiet temperament and likes to blend into the landscape. He is still dangerous though. We must still be wary.”
We continued around the Erris Peninsula, finding a swimming spot, high cliffs, mad seas and another impressive blowhole.
We struggled to find a park-up, probably for the first time, and ended up on the side of the road. We called into the Moynish B&B for a drink and they were lovely. They invited us to park in their carpark and had traditional music in the bar.
We chatted to a couple who invited us to theirs for coffee the next morning. They lived on the road onto Achill Island, our next destination. In true Irish style, the address we were given was the pink house, with a bike on the wall.
I am not as sociable as Neil, and the thought of turning up at the house of a virtual stranger is my worst nightmare. Just as I was hoping I had accidently driven past, Neil spotted the house. G was outside and recognised the van, so I had no option but to pull in. It was surprisingly fun, but I won’t be making a habit of it.
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