Today marks the end of an amazing bicycle adventure, when after we rode 56 km, and a total trip of 2,140 km, we rode into Dublin, dropped off our gear at the hotel and quickly took the two bicycles to the closest bicycle shop "Penny Farthing Bicycles" to have them boxed for the airline return trip to Seattle on Thursday.
We started five days ago in Sligo on the NW coast of Ireland and headed SE. Our first stop was in Carrick-on-Shannon, a 54 km hilly ride with EG of 1,460 ft. It was a semi sunny day, hilly, with views of farms, lakes and creeks. After arriving at our hotel I was outside watching the bicycles while Anne as usual went to check us in and work her charm for a nice room.
While waiting, a bar attendant from the hotel bar saw me and came out and started a conversation about our trip. Then she asked if we knew about the canal path to Dublin. Since we hadn't, she told me about the Royal Canal that runs all the way to Dublin!
At dinner that night we heard from our waiter that his mad bicyclist girlfriend had ridden from Dublin all the way back on the Canal Path. We we went back to our room, Anne got on Booking and cancelled our planned stay and booked us new rooms along the Canal.
The next day we left Carrick at 10:00 am and followed N4 which had a shoulder for 18 km. Then small roads for another 40 km for a total of 59 km EG of 1,400 ft, to Rathowen. It was a sunny day and the elevation stayed above 400 ft going to 700 ft then down and up again.
From Rathowen we rode south for 12 km and connected with the Royal Canal and rode on the path for the rest of the day. We rode 31km and EG was 427 ft. At about 20 km we stopped at Lock 26 and met Wesley, the shop owner and had drinks and Ice cream with our lunch. It was a warm sunny day and the path flat. We arrived in Mullingar for the night.
We left Mullingar at 9:45 and on a bright, warm, and sunny day and rode on the Canal Path all day. We stopped at one point and had a long conversation about our trip and bicycle touring in general with Andrea and her daughter Aoife along the Canal. We rode 38 km and EG of 290 ft. We arrived at Moyvalley Resort Hotel and Glof Course at 2 pm.
That night at dinner we met a very nice e couple Paul and Caroline whom had bicycled from outside Dublin to the resort for the night.
We left the resort at 9:30 am and rode along the Canal for 28 km. Then the path turned into a footpath . We then got on highway R148 for a while, then run into Gareth who told us he will show us the safest way into Dublin. Another 28 km along the bicycle paths and streets brought us to Dublin and the end of this amazing adventure.
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