Fun Badger Rides Again

I'm indebted to Scott, my partner in crime for the Ireland trip, taking the time and trouble to edit together his Go Pro and iPhone footage to create a lasting memento of our trip.  His title says it all: - Ireland Trip - Somerset to County Kerry on 2 BMW R1200GS Motorcycles Just under an hour long.  I hope you enjoy it - we certainly did! 

But she gazed only at my chart The valleys and the peaks Brought back the time she broke my heart In MacGillycuddy's Reeks (MacGillycuddy's Reeks - Warren Zevon and Paul Muldoon) Day 4 - Ballaghisheen Pass and The Gap of Dunloe Tuesday morning, and we awake to a damp campsite, and more rain threatening.  We breakfast on porridge and coffee, tog up, and head in the direction of Sneem.  The run up to Moll's Gap is enjoyable enough, with spray from the early morning rains rising up from the road.  At the top we turn onto the R568 mountain road, and start the slow steady descent towards Sneem.  Then the rain returns - it's steady and reasonably heavy.  We are wearing waterproof textiles, so no dramas.  Slow down. Relax. Pay attention. After all, it’s only water.  The view from Scott's GoPro as we climb to Beenarourke We pick up the Ring of Kerry again at Sneem and push towards Caherdaniel, with ever diminishing visibility, and by the time...

Day 3 - The Ring of Kerry This is what we came for; to ride the Ring of Kerry.  And in truth, we couldn't have had a better day to ride.  Deep blue skies with puffy cloud for added dramatic effect, and warm sunshine on our backs. I had mistakenly been calling this area the Kerry Peninsula, but in fact it's the Iveragh Peninsula, completely contained within County Kerry.  It's the largest peninsula in Ireland, with some amazing and unique geology.  The Macgillycuddy's Reeks mountain range lies in the middle of the peninsula, and Carrauntoohil, it's highest mountain, is also the highest mountain in all of Ireland.  So we were expecting something special today.  We ditched our panniers, and I dialled in the rear suspension for solo riding; just as well, because the road surfaces in Ireland are quite poor, and occasional potholes are a given.  We fuelled the bikes in Killarney, picked up the N72 towards Killorglin, and set out in high spirits.  ...

Then onward over the mountain And outward towards the sea They had come to claim the emerald Without it they could not leave (Emerald - Thin Lizzy) A Bike Camping trip to Ireland wasn't actually our first choice; if the weather and circumstances had allowed us, we would have set out across the Alps towards Venice, taking in some of the famous alpine passes in the Dolomites on the way there, and then the Italian Alps via Lake Como on the way back.  A bit ambitious, some might say!  But dreaming big hasn't gone out of fashion amongst my friends....  However, a combination of available time, a house move (Jez wasn't free to travel), weather window, and (in my case) financial commitments meant we cut back to a simpler, more affordable adventure in Ireland.  And specifically, the dramatic Atlantic coastline of the Kerry Peninsula.   Having watched a handful of videos on YouTube, we were smitten by the visual appeal of the area, and there were a c...