driftindustry · 5 years ago
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Ireland Moto Trip Day 05
Westport to Bunratty in THE RAIN
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We woke pretty early without much sleep. Two surfers were out on the beach, probably from the van parked across the cove. They didn’t take too many passes before heading back in - it was pretty cold out and I can only imagine how cold the water was. We were able to make coffee and breakfast and pack up the camp gear without rain, which was so key. After looking at a map, we decided it didn’t make much sense to ride back to Westport to meet mom and dad because it was going to take us two hours just to get to their first stop at Dunquaire Castle en route to our next destination, Bunratty. So we texted the plan to meet them at the castle and hit the road again. Then it poured again. I mean like really fucking poured. I was freezing by the time we stopped for gas about 20km out from the castle. Despite the heated grips on the F700 my hands were completely numb (I had on two layers of gloves - one inner layer I use for extremely cold weather snowboarding days and one outer layer of armored leather). My Fox dirt riding boots had collected an actual pool of water inside them by this time. Even the inside of my helmet was wet because I had to vent it to prevent fogging. We had all rented Klim gear from Celtic Rider - jacket and pants to try out for the ride. And it proved to be far superior to any road riding gear I’ve had in the past. And this day tested it’s threshold. My core was completely dry. What Klim gear can’t do is protect your ass from a completely soaked sheepskin seat. Write that down.
A little clip from leaving the camp site and riding to Dunquaire that day:
We finally got to Dunquiare Castle and somehow beat my mom and dad. We found out later they had tried to take a quicker route to get there, and got led THREE times to a road that no longer existed. The first word out of my dad’s mouth when we saw him was “miserable”. I’m laughing now, but at the time it actually was pretty rough. Once we found out the castle was completely outdoors and there was no place to escape the rain, we all said screw castles and decided to just hammer the remaining 80km out to Bunratty on the closest highway we could find.
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A completely soaked GoPro and soggy sheephide seat.
In Bunratty we were staying at a place called Bunratty Villa; more of a family-run Inn than a hotel, outside of town in the countryside. It was beautiful, and I was soaked and frozen but all I needed was a nice drink. No bar. Ok a hot shower and then we’d ride into town for a drink. No hot water in the room. For a brief moment I wanted to bail and go to the next town where I could find an actual hotel with an actual bar and actual hot showers, I was SO COLD. But we all dried off, the rain miraculously stoped and we walked the 15 minute walk into town for dinner at Durty Nellies, a bar that had been there since the 1600s (and I stopped being a baby). I’m not sure whether my dad ate more there or on the way there - he obsessively picks blackberries any time he sees them and the streets there were lined with them in every direction. We made a few stops at gas stations and gift shops to pick up some alcohol so our rooms could be properly stocked in the absence of a bar. The family running Bunratty Villa were so extremely nice that it made up for anything originally bothering me. They took all our soaked clothes to wash and dry them, and even hung my sheepskin out on a line to dry.
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tonyb-blog · 2 years ago
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BMW F800R at Molls Gap. BMW F800R: A visit to the beach. Make life a ride. BMW F800R. #makelifearide #bmw #bmwf800r #bmwlife #BMW #motorbikeroads #mototbikelife #breakfast #coffeetime #f800r #shoeigtair2 #shoeihelmets #motorcyclelife #motorcycleireland #ireland #waw #wildatlanticway #ringofkerry #mollsgap (at Moll's Gap) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeTstO_o4gq/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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tonyb-blog · 2 years ago
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Decent road: #makelifearide #healeypass #motorbikeroads #motorcycle #motorbikelife #motorcycleireland #theemeraldisle #greatroads #greatroadsofireland (at Healy Pass) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeRFbk7ocY6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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tonyb-blog · 2 years ago
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BMW F800R: A visit to the beach. Make life a ride. BMW F800R. #makelifearide #bmw #bmwf800r #bmwlife #BMW #motorbikeroads #mototbikelife #breakfast #coffeetime #f800r #shoeigtair2 #shoeihelmets #motorcyclelife #motorcycleireland #ireland #waw #wildatlanticway #ringofkerry #beach #beachlife (at County Kerry) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeQI35-IMQo/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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tonyb-blog · 2 years ago
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BMW F800R #bmw #bmwf800r #makelifearide #motorbikeroads #motorcycle #motorbikeireland #motorcycleireland #ireland #tourireland #motorbikesofinstagram #motorbikes #petrolstop #fuel (at Ireland (country)) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeMKfxZoiKa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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driftindustry · 5 years ago
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Ireland Moto Trip Day 06/07
Cliffs of Moher, pool sharks of Shannon, the End
Day 06 was a shorter 120km ride from Cliffs of Moher and back, and that was a pretty good distance considering we stayed at the cliffs for a couple hours. The main area was gated and you had to pay to enter, so they were a completely different experience from the Slieve cliffs, but still breathtaking.
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Once you get to the cliffs, you can either head south or north, towards O’Brien’s tower. We headed north and found out you can actually walk the cliffs past the park grounds, where signs are posted everywhere that you’re entering at your own risk. It was pretty windy that day, and I was amazed at how many people were walking along these skinny dirt paths and out onto the cliffs edge (I mean, so did we). It wasn’t until after we all took turns sitting on the edge that we saw the signs talking about how the cliffs have been crumbling in recent years. There were 12 deaths in the past year alone. I’m always conflicted when I hear about deterioration of places like this. I’m sure some of it is naturally occurring over time, but the extreme amount of human foot traffic is no doubt contributing, and that makes me sad even though I’m one of the people walking through it. It was nonetheless an amazing sight to see and I was glad this was one of the last places we visited before our trip came to an end.
We rode back to Bunratty a little earlier than we had been ending rides, because it was most likely going to rain again that evening and after two days in the rain we didn’t feel like getting caught in it again if we could help it. Our last stop before pulling in the bikes for the night was at the Bunratty Meadery, where we all got to try the local meade and the Irish version of moonshine, called Poteen. It’s made from barley. I came home with a bottle, naturally.
We got cleaned up at the villa and ride into a neighboring town, Shannon, for our last dinner together in Ireland. I doubled up with Ty for the night, and we stayed to play a few games of pool with some locals. It was a rare night indeed - I completely sucked and Ty carried us to save face for the American doubles team ; )
The next morning we hung around town for a while, touring the local historical village and getting our last conversations in with the animals. Goats, deer, chicken, pigs, and some really cool Irish wolf hounds. We took the highway back to Celtic Rider to save time. Nobody in the group really enjoys highway riding as much as back roads. The views definitely aren’t as interesting. But I personally don’t mind a straight 70km cruise from time to time. As long as I’m on a bike, I’m pretty dang happy.
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10/10 loved it. See ya Ireland. Maybe never again. There’s so many places to explore!!!
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driftindustry · 5 years ago
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Ireland Moto Trip Day 02
Glenveagh National Park and Slieve League Cliffs
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It rains a lot in Ireland. We knew this. But our first whole day of riding was absolutely perfect. It sprinkled for maybe 15 minutes or so the whole day, and the sun even came out a few times. The first few days of riding, it took a lot of concentration to just remember the differences in traffic. Look right, stay left. Sounds easy, but it really does take intense concentration to break years of habit. It wasn’t until day three or so that we were all comfortable with the change. And I was also getting used to what it felt like to ride a touring bike. I don’t have many four strokes, and definitely nothing that weighs as much as a fully packed BMWF700GS. Getting used to the engine brake, and riding a bike that was heavy enough that pulling the throttle in made me speed up was enough to completely occupy my mind during the 226 km of day 2. Tyler led for most of the day, and ended up leading for the majority of the trip. He’s such a good rider - his pace was always perfect for the road and level of traffic, so it made sense for him to take the lead. 
The route was incredible. I’ve never seen country side so lush. You could feel the history everywhere, and our first stop at Glenveagh Castle solidified that. Set within the Derryveagh Mountains, we spent a good two hours walking around the castle grounds, which I found much more interesting than the castle itself.
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We rode past Errigal mountain, and took a couple stops to get some photos on the way the Slieve League Cliffs, Ireland’s highest sea cliffs. This ended up being one of my favorite stops of the trip. The cliffs are a bit difficult to get to via a winding mountain road. There was a gate at the road, which in Ireland doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t enter - it’s just there to keep livestock in. It had already been opened by others on that day, so we rode straight in. We rode up to a small top parking area before getting off the bikes to climb the rest of the way. 
The Slieve Cliffs are obviously a popular spot, but not commercialized. No gates or payment required. Just get there and explore. I loved it. We spent several hours wandering around. There were sheep everywhere, which started a trip-long obsession to try to pet one. Irish sheep aren’t very interested in humans. But they definitely know the best landscapes. We hiked out to a watchtower on one of the cliffs that was surrounded by more sheep shit than I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t blame them. That’s where I’d hang out all the time, too. The views were insane.
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On the way back to Donegal we stopped in Killybegs. a fishing port, to have dinner. It’s Ireland’s largest port, and still has more charm and character than even the smallest ports in the states. Returning to Donegal, Tyler and I parked in the town square, where several other bikes were parked after the day’s ride. The street parking gets really crowded - my dad had woken up that morning to a van parked a literal inch away from his bike. We didn’t even know how he could've fit in there without moving the bike. We spoke with a few local folks that said it shouldn’t be a problem to just park the bikes in the square all night. I wish the states would be more accommodating to bikes like that. 
That evening, the bars were packed for Saturday night. Tyler and I found a spot off the square a little bit with a pool table and we shot a couple games. It’s a lot different there, and I remembered playing this way in France years ago. The balls are not numbered - they’re yellow or red, and smaller than typical pool balls (along with the pockets). A scratch gives your opponent two shots on their next play. I smoked Tyler that first night, but he would be the one carrying us a few nights later playing doubles with some rowdy locals. 
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