Storm Darragh brought a shuddering halt to weekend rides and thoughts turned to warm memories of epic bike tours completed in years gone by – fuelling a thirst for future adventures in the summer to come. Plotting and planning. Part of the fun of bike touring is the planning of routes; the picking of interesting locations to visit, the researching the history of the routes and possible deviations to take in other attractions. Another is looking back at previous adventures to fuel the passion to go again!
On the 4th September 2010 Ronan and myself set out from Canterbury Cathedral in England, along one of the great European pilgrimage routes, the Via Francigena, from Canterbury to Rome.The route we were following was the route recorded by Archbishop Sigeric in the year 990 on his return journey from the Eternal City; there is renewed interest in the old pilgrim routes, attracting a growing number of pilgrims, though nothing like the level of interest in the Camino Santiago.
Entering the grounds of Canterbury Cathedral! (I’ve used AI to create a series of nice images to give a flavour of the journey).
We cycled the Camino Francés when Ronan completed ranga sé in Gaelscoil Eoghain Uí Thuairisc and he was always up for another big adventure. This was on a different scale; starting in the UK, crossing France, into Switzerland, over the 8,114 feet high, St Bernard Pass in the Alps and down into the Aosta Valley and on to Rome!
We had our paper maps and each day we would pour over them; It was disheartening to see how little ground we had covered on the large scale road map! France is huge!
One of the things we hadn’t factored in when planning the trip was that the route passed through parts of France where much of the fighting in WW1 took place and we frequently came upon immaculately maintained cemeteries containing hundreds of white crosses, with so many of them teenage soldiers. The futility of war.
It isn’t all plain sailing while bike touring and the road presents so many challenges, one of them being the weather. The wind always feels like it’s a head wind and parts of eastern France were very exposed so progress was slow enough. Add in a drop of rain and days can be challenging but rewarding when the kilometres clock up!
Map reading in the rain!
Fight with the chain…
But the great memories far outweigh the few hiccups that inevitably happen on a long bike tour. Passing from France into Switzerland was another major milestone and then climbing out of Switzerland up the St. Bernard Pass, to say the night in the monastery there at over 8,000 feet. Incredible feeling to cycle over the Alps!
The famous St Bernard dogs are housed here at the monastery and are used for search and rescue of lost hikers in the surrounding Alps!
Ronan at the border between Switzerland and France in the St Bernard Pass
Italy is one of my favourite countries to cycle in. The scenery, the off road routes, the food, the climate, the history and the people are just amazing. Every village has something special worth seeing or visiting.
Typical Tuscany scene!
Another great milestone was reaching the Mediterranean on our bikes from Canterbury! An incredible feeling to come down out from the rain along the Via D’egli Abati and into the sunshine of the coast. Dipping our front wheels in the sea… unforgettable memories.
Reaching the Mediterranean Sea by bike
So many towns, Bobbio, Lucca, Siena… worthy of a lengthy stop over…
An AI generated of the Guningi Tower in Lucca… not quite right but it conveys the beauty!
Cycling into Piazza del Campo, Siena, where the famous Palio takes place each July..
The Towers of San Gimignano…
Ronan cycling towards the Coliseum
The journey ended when we cycled into St Peters Square in the Vatican. It’s hard to believe it was fourteen years ago now! The memories are as strong as ever and it’s definitely a journey I would like to do again, with more time to do it. My intention then was to continue cycling at some stage in the future and continue to Bari in the south of Italy and cross over into Albania, heading for Jerusalem. That won’t happen now!
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.
Ernest Hemingway
The Camino del Cid Route certainly proves the truth of Hemingway’s words as it meanders across Spain, retracing the steps of the famous Spanish Knight, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better know as ‘El Cid’. Unlike the mythical Don Quixote and Don Juan, El Cid was the real deal, a swashbuckling Knight who fought for, and against, Christian and Muslim rulers. The name ‘El Cid’ derives from an Arabic word, meaning ‘The Lord’.
The route begins in the sleepy village of Vivar del Cid, about 20kms north of Burgos and ends in bustling Valencia on the Mediterranean coast. I covered a total of 955kms and climbed for a total of 10,474 metres over 13 days. I used a series of terrific PDF guides of the route – different guides available for MTBs, road routing, gravel touring and hiking available on this website There’s also a very good App to accompany you on the route.
I followed a mixture of the MTB and road routes and threw in a few diversions of my own. The route took me into the very heart of inland Spain, a very remote and sparsely populated territory of a wide variety of breathtaking landscapes and vast natural areas, devoid of people, dotted with small towns and villages that seem to have changed little over the centuries and are remarkably well preserved or restored. It’s a country that values its traditions and heritage, a people that are friendly and welcoming and very similar to the Irish.
Most people associate the word ‘Camino’ with the various pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela but ‘Camino’ in Spanish merely means ‘Path’ and there are literally hundreds of Caminos in Spain, long and short. This route has no connection with Santiago, though it does intersect with many of the routes, such as Camino Frances and Camino Sagunto. Spain is a Mecca for hiking and cycling routes, with many themed routes to choose from. This route is completely different in so many ways from Camino Santiago, especially in terms of numbers doing the route, the availability of accommodation and its remoteness. I loved it.
The Story of El Cid
Most of the Iberian Peninsula had fallen under Muslim rule in the 8th century and became known as Al-Andalus. It was constantly under attack from the Christian Kingdoms to the north. After the decline of the Umayyad caliphate the area broke into a series of Taifas, smaller independent Muslim states and the attacks intensified form the Christian north. In 1081 a knight, Rodrigo Díaz del Cid from Burgos was expelled by the King and forced into exile with his followers, spending years wandering around from Kingdom to Kingdom warring against both Christian and Moorish Kingdoms. Alliances were constantly being formed and broken. El Cid acquired a huge reputation as a warrior and strategist and he eventually captured the Moorish city of Valencia where he would die as a prince in 1099. And in death he became immortalised in songs and fables. This route connects various locations associated with El Cid and this journey followed the story of El Cid as he wandered between the different Kingdoms he was identified with.
The first lines of The Song of El Cid, considered one of the finest examples of European epic literature:
He turned and looked upon them, and he wept very sore As he saw the yawning gateway and the hasps wrenched off the door, And the pegs whereon no male nor coat pf hair there hung There perched no malting goshawk and there no falcon swung. My Lord the Cid sighed deeply, such grief was in his heart and he spake well and wisely: "Oh thou, that in heaven that art, our Father and Master, I now give thanks to thee, of their wickedness my foemen have done this thing to me!" Then the shook out the bridle rein, further to ride afar, they and the Crow on their right hand, as they issued from Vivar..
The Way that I went
So many memories and so many highlights; it’s hard to sift through them all so I’ll give a flavour of what stood out for me and what makes this route so special.
I set out with the intention of completing the off road Mountain Bike route but I quickly realised that my hybrid bike would not take the hammering of the rougher parts of the trail and I had to improvise and mix it up with back road and gravel tracks. I also had the wrong rear rack which meant the panniers were hung too high and that created a lot of instability That was an early disappointment but in reality the way that I went was equally challenging and equally beautiful.
The logistics for me were to fly to Bilbao (it cost me an extra €50 luggage charge – only for Aer Lingus to not bother put the bike on the flight… hard to do a bike tour without a bike! It arrived 24 hours later but I had to return to the airport to collect it or I would have lost another day). A bus took me to the start of the route in Vivar del Cid, just north of Burgos. The bus deposited me on the side of the main road on the outskirts of the village. I carried the bike and my three other bags into the village and reassembled the bike in a bus shelter and I was ready to go! It was great to start at the very beginning of the route,
First ‘sello’ or stamp was obtained from the elderly owner of Molino del Cid who gave me a sword to pose with for the official start!
The route passes through some of Spain’s most picturesque friendliest small towns and villages. Forty of them have been declared Historic and Artistic Sites by the Spanish Government. Spanish people are very easy going and friendly, not many speak English along this route but it’s not a problem and we found easy to understand each other with our attempts at translation and gestures! It was a short first day due to the late arrival in Vivar and things only really got going the next day from beautiful Burgos. Burgos is stunningly beautiful and is one of the major destination points of the Camino Francés. It’s a small city and I was in the country side within a matter of 2 or 3 kms and onto the off road section. I was quickly cycling through a beautiful pine forest and I was suddenly aware that I was in splendid isolation, a big contrast with the bustle of Burgos!
There are more than fifty protected natural areas along the route with moorland, valleys, mountains, rivers and coastal areas. I was immediately struck by the colourful mosaic of wild flowers, the birdsong and the biodiverse habitats that I was cycling through. Not a sound of a car, or sight of another person for miles on end. Listen to the cuckoo here!:
Cuckoo!
It was hard to believe this was 21st Century Spain as I followed these ancient paths that led towards tiny villages associated with the story of El Cid. In many ways little seems to have changed in these sleepy hamlets.
Off road between Burgos and Santo Domingo de Silos.
I didn’t meet many cycling or hiking The Camino del Cid but I did meet a lovely couple and their dog whose path crossed with mine in Santo Domingo – they were heading in the opposite direction to me towards Santiago.
Leaving Santo Domingo I quickly climbed up to La Yecla Gorge, a 1km long deep gorge carved out of the karst limestone, a fabulous walk located below the road. I had it all to myself in the early morning sunshine!
Spain is the most mountainous country in Europe and I think I cycled over every mountain top on this route! Constant heavy breathing ascending and elation on epic switchback downhills Every turn in the road brought exciting new contrasting vistas – rugged mountains, dried up river beds, green valleys, pine forests, orchards, vineyards, vast open plains of wheat, but no sign of Don Quixote fighting against the huge wind farms on the mountain tops!
One of the great highlights was reaching Albarracín, one of the most picturesque villages in Spain.
But there were many other villages equally as captivating and most pf them over looked by impressively preserved hilltop fortresses.
Words can’t do the scenes justice, so I these photos give a good flavour of the real Spain.
I got a lovely message way back in 2014 from Edmond Spruhan, formerly of Naomh Eoin, who had emigrated to Boston wishing me well as the new Carlow Football Manager and also wishing Pat English every success with the hurlers. It meant an awful lot to me and I never forgot it.
Leo McGough filled me in on his playing career – what an encyclopaedia of all things GAA! Ed was a great character with the county under age teams, he was goalkeeper on the 2002 minor team that beat Laois and drew with Dublin in the championship proper before losing to Dublin by a point in a play-off. That team later won that years All-Ireland minor B. They had lost the final the year before when Edmond was full forward. He played for five years with the county U-21s, winning 3 Leinster Specials, beaten in two All-Ireland finals. He hurled with the county seniors in 2003 and 2005, his 03 debut v Longford at full forward scoring 1-1 in a Dr Cullen Park NHL game but by the last game of the league he was in goal and in the championship was No 1 in the win over Meath in Navan and the losses to Laois and Kerry (in the All-Ireland qualifiers). In 05 he played four more games in goal, won a Kehoe Cup medal. In 2005 too he won his biggest honour of all, a Carlow SHC medal as Naomh Eoin goalkeeper, Myshall’s last title. It’s sad that Naomh Eoin have been in the wilderness ever since; it would do wonders for the game to see them back competing on County Final day.
On my bike rambles back in 2017, I travelled the back roads around Myshall, along what I dubbed ‘The Hidden Sky Road”. You might have noticed the signposts marking that cycle route from Borris to Myshall via Tomduff Cross and looping back around through Garryhill.
I took some photos of the derelict Rathnageeragh Schoolhouse in 2017.
I was struck by the beauty of this old ruin and its location on the side of the mountain. It looked bleak the day I was there but the setting was idyllic, with a view back down towards Rathnageeragh Castle from the gate. I couldn’t but wonder on how many local children got their first education here and how their lives were improved by their learning. There’s a great bit of history on it on the parish website:
It was built by local funds in 1883 and by 1896 it had 96 pupils!! It continued to provide education in the locality until it closed in 1967.
Ed was recently in touch asking me if I still had the photos I had taken back in 2017 as he explained that he had begun restoring the school 3 years ago. Nothing would do me but to get the bike out and head back down to have a gander. A strong cold wind was blowing up from the south as I headed out through Kellistown, Rathoe, Ballon and over by Taylor’s Cross. The morning had started bright and sunny but by the time I passed through Ballon, a few drops began to fall. Thankfully it held off and I eventually got to Rathangeeragh after about 90 minutes.
The almost fully restored Rathnageeragh School! Isn’t it class?
Cycle to Rathnageeragh
Rathnageeragh Castle ruins
Didn’t expect to see this sign for Graiguecullen in Shangarry!
Grangecon on an autumn day and the approach roads bounding local stud farms are full of golden coloured beech trees and hedges. It’s a beautifully situated historic village in West Wicklow, just 3kms from the border with County Kildare. Horsey country. That was my destination today, a lovely mild autumn day, if a little bit drab with a great mantle of a grey sky overhead. Little wind, perfect for the bike.
It’s a common theme on my blog, but the local roads of this country as just so good for cycling, so good that there is little need to be spending millions on soulless Greenways! In the 60 kms I covered today it would be an exaggeration to say that I met 20 cars along this beautiful rural route across the three counties of Carlow, Kildare and Laois. What I did see though were lots of beautiful sights, stunning scenery, roads cocooned under towering golden beech trees, old church ruins, castles and one tiny little gem that I was delighted to spot as I passed by. More of that later.
Never take a main road when there is a minor road to take you to your destination. I often cycle out by Knocknagee Cross and around by Newtownallen. It’s a good way to approach historic Castledermot and head towards Froughan Hill, as my father called it, but named on Ordnance Survey maps as Corballis Hill. The road along side Froughan Hill over by Sheriff Hill is a joy to cycle on, a sweeping hill that’s lovely to freewheel down and then to pick up another quiet back road that brought me over to Grange Con.
I’ve heard much talk of the Grangecon Kitchen and thought I’d like to visit it. I knew it was trendy when I saw the fancy little Mini Coopers parked up outside and a queue waiting to get in to the Teepee in the garden! There are great reports about its delicious cakes and brunches but I didn’t fancy getting cold so I didn’t get in line and just had a quick run around this picturesque village before heading back for home. That will be a treat for another day when Mary is with me.
It wasn’t long until Jessica Harrington’s gallops came into view and when I got back to the junction at Killelan Church I diverted from my return route and took a bóithrín that brought me down by Bolton Abbey, the beloved Cistercian Abbey now consisting of seven monks. I popped in for a quiet prayer before I headed in the direction of Moone High Cross Inn.
I traversed Bolton Hill and down onto the now very quiet old Dublin Road before taking the slip road by the famous Moone High Cross Inn.
Back on familiar territory now and my route home took me by historic Kilkea Castle, always a lovely place to cycle through and where the red carpet was being rolled out, but not for me!
I was on the home stretch now and was in for a pleasant surprise along stretch of road that I’m very familiar with. Just after crossing over at Sill’s Cross roads is a farm house on the right, named ‘Kilkea House’. I’ve passed it hundreds of times but today for the first time a small understated name plaque caught my eye and it caused me to turn back and have a look at it again. Yes it said ‘Kilkea House’ and underneath was a depiction of three penguins. Immediately I guessed there had to be an association with the famous Antarctic explorer, Ernest Shackleton.
My hunch was right and I looked it up when I got home I googled it (the internet can be great at times!). It was indeed the birthplace of the great explorer Ernest Shackleton!
A light mist started to fall and I was glad to be on the home run at this stage. Just before Oak Park I spotted this beautiful sight, purple flowers as far as the eye could see.
All in all a great spin, plenty of exercise fresh air, interesting sights and locals history. Just perfect before heading to Newbridge for the mouthwatering clash of Naas and Cuala in the Leinster Club SFC First Round game. Kildare GAA have done a fantastic job with Conleth Park.
Spent the morning collecting the windfall from our sole pear tree (anyone for pears?) and gathering leaves so it was late enough heading up to Monaghan’s County High Point, Slieve Beagh. You see I thought this would be a doddle on a lovely Saturday evening! How wrong was I!
This climb caught me by surprise; at only 373 metres I reckoned I’d be up and down in no time and back home early. I passed through Clontibret and Scotstown on the way, two great football strongholds and both about to contest the County SFC Final. The amount of flags and bunting was fantastic and it was great to see the Club committees get behind their senior teams so wholeheartedly. They know what it takes. It’s a religion in these parts!
An Bhoth – Scotstown
Starting point is at this electronic gate above Knockatallon. It was 4pm by the time I arrived there and there’s a clear definable trail from here …. for about 200 metres …. and then it’s every explorer for themselves! After that it’s blanket bog all the way to the summit. And very very wet underfoot.
As the map shows, this part of Monaghan juts into counties Fermanagh and Tyrone and is called the ‘Three County Hollow”. It’s very isolated and a true wilderness. Sliabh Beagh is an important mountainous area shared between both jurisdictions. The mountain covers over 3000ha and contains a number of protected area designations: Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI), Ramsar wetland of international importance, National Nature Reserve (NNR) and Natural Heritage Area (NHA), in recognition of its importance for biodiversity.
I didn’t see any grouse but I had plenty of sightings of Snipe, which seem to wait until the very last moment and then suddenly take flight from the dense heather cover. Here’s a lovely drawing, by Eleanor Sutherland, which I saw on the National Parks website about ground nesting birds:
This is spongy bog territory; it’s muddy on the approach trail and then it’s pure heathland which is so difficult to cross. Imagine doing high knee lifts for 5kms with water up to your ankles and the ground trying to suck the boots off your feet!
Because of the absence of a defined trail and a lack of trail markers, it’s essential to have a map, physical or digital and to note the surrounding landmarks. The first landmark was Lough Antraicer on my left shortly after I started out.
As there is no defined route I took a more or less straight line over the crest of a hill, avoiding any bog holes and being especially careful not to twist an ankle or knee in these really difficult underfoot conditions. It’s a barren landscape, almost featureless and devoid of any sign of human habitation. The only sounds are the wind and the song birds. There are no roads and no man made constructions. In its own way it’s beautiful and walking here was a great way to clear the mind and live in the moment.
Knee high in heather, making walking very difficult and progress very slow.
Big sky country. Nothing but bog in all directions.
Finally, the summit. Marked by a solitary wooden post. It was glorious in its simplicity. Just beyond the post is Lough Sallagh, which was hidden from view until I climbed on the small mound at the top. Not far away from here was another lake, Shane Barnagh’s Lough and it has an interesting story. Shane Branagh was an Irish rebel in the 17th century, a bit of Robin Hood man, a highway man who robbed from the rich, the Protestant Ascendancy class and gave to the poor. He hid away in these isolated parts for a long time before finally being captured and brought to Dublin Castle where he was executed. His body was supposedly cast into the Lough of his name…
I was hoping I might pick up a trail when I arrived at the summit that might make the return easier but there was no sign so I turned around and headed back, spotting two hikers in the distance who were coming around the side of the hill that I had struggled over earlier. We exchanged a wave in the distance and they headed for the top. Being much younger and fitter it wasn’t long before they reached it and they quickly followed my path back to the starting point. Turned out the two young ladies, one from Portlaoise and the other from Monaghan, were also doing the County High Point Challenge and this was their 18th Point completed. They had climbed Cuilcagh (Stairway to Heaven), the Cavan High Point, in the morning! It took me about 2 hours to complete this walk and I was glad to finish in daylight as darkness was beginning to close in – I wouldn’t fancy crossing that bog at night!
This was one of the toughest walks I’ve done, even though it wasn’t very high or steep but it was 7kms of pure bog covered in heather. It was hard to pick level ground to plant a foot on and it was full of bog holes and surface water. Lifting a foot was like trying to defy gravity with the bog trying to pull the boots off! Not one I will do again but a great experience and it would be much nicer on a summers day!
