Things can only get better...

Ok, that’s the end of the trip. We had gone out in the sunshine and returned back in the rain passing once again the thought-provoking plaque to little Clare and Paula before we boarded onto the morning ferry.

The synopsis of our visit to Northern Ireland was very positive, the people we had met and spoken with along the way had been friendly and the drivers very courteous to us cyclists. 

Some flag waving Nationalist and Republican areas still seem uneasy and are a reminder that trouble could quite easily return and the gates could be closed overnight if the peace process was upset in any way...fingers crossed that this never happens.

On the whole, we had a great time so thanks to Buster and Pongo for the company and the ‘craic’...just need to get a few repairs done to the bike for the next one!

Today’s final title track from Derry band D-Ream that included a young Professor Brian Cox on keyboards.

https://youtu.be/V6QhAZckY8w

Chasing Cars...

Today was to be a jaunt taking the riverside route and cycleway down the River Lagan from Belfast to Lisburn.

Breakfast stop off at the Lock keepers Cottage by the overgrown and neglected canal

At Lisburn I stopped for a chat with Eric Morcambe, the comedic inventor of the defibrillator!

A few miles from Lisburn was affluent Hillsborough, with its royal residence for the Secretary of Northern Ireland and somewhere that Liz and Phil can stay when they visit the territories.

When they go out for a pint they usually visit the trendy Smithfield House bar in downtown Lisburn, so we did the same.

Todays track by frontman Gary Lightbody from up the road in Bangor, Northern Ireland lead the successful band ‘Snow Patrol’ that I once saw as a support band to ‘Athlete’ back in the early nineties. 

https://youtu.be/GemKqzILV4w

A Lady of a Certain Age...

Today, was going to be easier as it was not as far to make the return journey back to Belfast up the west side of the lake. We left an overcast Ardglass after a good breakfast. Downpatrick, Killyleagh and then a brew stop at ‘Daft Eddies’ at Whiterock.

From here it was back to Comber and returning down the Greenway towards the cranes on the docks.

The evening beverage was taken in certain lovely old famous Belfast pub owned by the National Trust that was opposite the most bombed hotel in the world...The Europa, bombed 32 times!!

Today’s track is by the the lovely Neil Hannon and Divine Comedy born in Belfast. Some of the best lyrics that you will hear in a beautifully crafted song.

Girl from Mars....

Leaving the hotel we had a quick tour round the dry docks in the cool morning air. It was ‘Titanic’ this and ‘Titanic’ that but disappointingly, the actual ‘Titanic’  was nowhere to be found. We did however find the old pirate radio ship HMS Caroline.

 The funny little fella on the Comber greenway wished us “Top o’ the mornin’” as we cycled on the 10miles for breakfast.

 From here it was up to Newtonards and then the rural back roads clockwise circumnavigating ‘Strangford Lough’ following Sustrans route 99. This took us out to the coast at Ballywalter then down the Mourne coastal route only stopping for Mr Whippy and milkshakes at Portavogie before making our way down to catch the little ferry at the aptly named ‘Portaferry’.

Here, the 4 o’ clock boat brought across all the kids from the Strangford grammar school and then we jumped on, payed our quid, and jumped off 5 minutes later.

At the 52 mile mark with only 2 miles to go our old bones needed oiling so it was fortunate that we came across the ‘Curran’s Inn’

Finally into Ardglass, a small fishing harbour with tiny boats and crab pots and a ‘wet’ pub that sold a locally brewed dark beer called ‘Guinness’....how quaint!

Belfast band ‘Ash’ have always been a firm favourite on my indie playlist so Iv dug this track out for you to enjoy. Tim Wheeler of the band was only 16 when he had this hit in the charts in 1995.

The bright side of the road...

It didn’t take long from leaving the ferry to get a hard reminder of the past, a plaque for a 4 and a half year old child, blown to pieces during the troubles on the side of an old church. Cycling down the and into the modern docklands was however very impressive and lifted the soul as it became apparent that Belfast had turned the corner, thriving again and attracting tourism and business. The city was impressive, a mix of the old and the new and felt cosmopolitan.

Time to have a ride round and look at the sights.

We left the docklands, with the famous cranes that lifted the fated ‘Titanic’ and headed to the outskirts of the town. When we got out to the Protestant Shankhill Road, with the Union Jacks flying, the memorial gardens and the loyalist posters on every corners it was obvious that no one here was ready to forget the past. 

Through the now open segregation barriers into the neighbouring Republican side and along the Falls Road things felt a bit diffferent here compared to the modern city. The high wall was still there, creating a cage for these residents and again on every corner tributes, wreaths and reminders of the years of murders of their people by the British forces. You were left in no doubt how both sides still feel but at least some progress has been made by both sides and good luck to them and may this continue.

Today’s track by the celebrated musician from Belfast leaves no introduction necessary....enjoy Van Morrison here.

Screamager...

 The weather was looking up, a good general synopsis of the sea state was a gentle south-westerly blowing good to fair off Dogger Bank according to the early morning shipping forecast. No warnings in force so with military precision everything was packed and carefully stowed away; egg butties wrapped in a spare pair of freshly-laundered Y-fronts were squashed into panniers along with copious supplies of bovril and baked beans, a harmonica, a packet of love-hearts and a corkscrew...nothing had been left to chance, it was time to depart.

At the port of Cairnryan the Stena Estrid, bound for Limassol Cyprus via Belfast was parked up and waiting to whisk us over the North Sea...

Today’s blog title track is ‘Screamager’ by Belfast band ‘Therapy?’ 

The boys are back in town...

‘Twas the eve of the expedition and the meticulous planning and training for the great event was now over. It was time to meet up with the other athletes to go over the fine detail and get ‘in the zone’ for the start of the epic crusade that would commence at first light the next day.

It was obvious to anyone when we met that we were at our peak 

fitness and ready for the challenge but to take on a few extra carbs at this stage wouldn’t do us any harm so the venue for the team pre-brief was the small but plentiful, Sulwath Brewery only an hour 

or so from the main ferry terminal and a couple of hours hike away 

from our digs for the night at the comfortable residence of ‘Casa Di Pongo’.

Casa Di Pongo

  

With the calorific balance now finely tuned it would be downhill from here, then up hill, then a flat bit for a mile or two and then....well you get the idea, it’s a bike ride, ok....

The blog title comes from the 1976 Thin Lizzy classic featuring the late bluesy guitarist ‘Gary Moore’ who hailed from our next destination, Belfast and died in Spain. Effortless performance here live in Sydney for Phil Lynott and the boys...fantastic!