Stay in Your County!!
I struggle with the logic of travel within your own county given the disparity in sizes between the smallest and the largest but at least it gives us a little more freedom! Today after months of 5kms restrictions today was the first day to seek out new horizons and to get out into the south!
What a joyful 30kms cycle in the Deep south of Ceatharlach! We really have a beautiful little county and we don’t even know it too well ourselves.
If you want to spend an afternoon or a day away from crowds, in splendid isolation, look no further than Rathanna as your base. I always approach it coming from Killoughternane side and the view that hits you as you round the bend at Tomduff matches anything in Ireland. It compares favourably with the views across to the Three Sisters from Slea Head in my books. Its a patchwork of 40 shades of green underneath the heathered slopes of The Blackstairs Mountain Range.
Its always nice to know the local place names; each county has its own unique landscape and the descriptions are often in the place names. Irish place names are so poetic – Ballyglisheen, Rathgeran, Slievedurda, Rosdellig, Rathanna, Ballymurphy, Knockymulgurry, Knock, Gowlin…
Traffic free narrow lanes make this route a smashing cycle route with a nice bit of climbs along the way to keep you honest… nothing major but a few nice pulls. And did I mention the scenery? Ah my God…
Or the hurlers? Down every by road are the famed Rangers and St Mullins camán wielders, territories marked out by red and black or green and white flags.. there must be great banter here around County Final time…
The more I cycle the more convinced I am that instead of investing millions in greenways, we should concentrate instead on creating dedicated cycle routes using the extensive local road network that links our isolated villages and parishes. It would cost an awful lot less and would not entail further damage to our biodiversity or result in the creation of more hard surfaces than we need.
Video link https://youtu.be/T4wmF1syKJQ
2 Responses to “Stay in Your County!!”
great post Turlough … simple beauty on our doorsteps!
I often wonder why more people don’t appreciate the fact but then I realise that maybe I’m in a minority?
I think Covid might be helping people to realise what we have! There’s so much to see if you adopt slow travel – walk, hike, cycle… there’s real potential to promote Carlow as an alternative to the tourism hot spots, less crowds, more authenticity, stunning scenery, genuinely friendly people, loads of heritage sites, many unmarked and not sign posted… a real push to develop some really good walking trails that could link the Blackstairs to the Barrow; similarly with cycle routes…. a necklace of routes giving the opportunity to extend the range for walkers would be incredible. New life in old places…