nbjtours

Tralee

38 miles

1752 ft climbed

Today saw no improvement in the weather and initially it was too windy to cycle next to the coast. As today was only meant to be a short day interrupted by a ferry ride we decided to camper the 14 miles to the ferry.

The highlight of the day undoubtedly being the visit to the Lartigue monorail in Listowel where the four volunteers running the whole thing could not have been more willing, including a former Irish footballer & Minister in The Irish Government, Jimmy Deenihan, who had been instrumental in getting US and EU funding to get the project off the ground.

Although it was raining, following the visit we then decided to continue cycling as there were only 25 miles to go it may not have been a wise idea as the rain and wind worsened. It was one of the grimmest cycles we’ve ever done. However it was a challenge to which we rose.

We were somewhat reluctant to leave http://www.strandcampingdoonbeg.com as Jamie was most welcoming and his site next to the beach was easily the best we have stayed at on the tour. They even played soft music in the toilet block.

Nigel was concerned that there was a small water leak in the skylight in the camper and so we called in at a hardware store in Kilrush the nearest big town. Whilst Nigel was there the rest of us jumped out. Nick needed some trousers so we popped into a charity shop where Nick tried on a few items

We wondered down the Main Street and called into Ryan’s Deli & Butchers to get some real Irish Soda bread and met Ryan who was the best type of Irish salesman and we also left with his award- winning scones and sausage rolls too. On returning to the van we decided lamb would make a great dinner so I returned with Monica to buy some of his best Galway lamb which was not cheap ( as he told us) but was some of the best lamb we’ve ever had. Thanks Ryan.

Remaining in the camper we got to the Shannon ferry and took the short trip across the estuary.

On the other side it was not raining so we decided to give the cycling a go. If the weather got damp it was only 12 miles to the next stop, Listowel so it couldn’t be too bad. It wasn’t, only a bit of light drizzle and we successfully got to the monorail station just as the volunteers were opening up.

We had lunch having established that it was ok and then went into the museum. Just as a bit of background the monorail was designed by Frenchman Charles Lartigue. The only other such railway being in Panissieres where three years ago my French friends son Remy and his wife Audrey were married. The following day they took us on a walk along the site of the track, although that monorail did not ever enter service following an accident which disgraced Lartigue. He did not recover and his family would not attend the reopening of this line because they still did not want to be associated with it.

If you are interested to read up further on this fascinating engineering oddity which ran from 1888 to 1923 when it was damaged beyond repair in the Irish civil war, check out their website http://www.Lartiguemonorail.com

This is where after a cup of tea we thought it’s only 25 miles to Tralee that will be ok even if it’s a bit wet. It was a full headwind and non- stop rain so we did not really stop or take any photos because we were keen for it to end Talking was at a minimum as Chris and I followed peloton leader Nick. The only respite being a short stretch of greenway on an old railway line the last km into Tralee

A swift shower and then Ryan’s magnificent lamb steaks were a good end to the day

One reason we could look to risk this very damp leg was because we are in Tralee for two nights looking to restock and get the washing done with Chris & Nick taking a respite from the tents at a hotel in the centre of town

Whilst we had only a relatively short day of cycling we still had a great day enjoying some great Irish hospitality. The weather is set to remain moist so we may have more days like this to come.