Stats

Here we go, tour stats.

Ginny and I covered 3,478 kilometres / 2161 miles, door to door. 

I made 12 fuel stops and Ginny used 165.85 litres of fuel / 36.48 gallons, at an average of 11.97 miles per litre / 54.44 miles per gallon. Bests were, 12.42 miles per litre / 56.44 miles per gallon.

Fuel costs amounted to €288.87 / £249.46

Grizzly and I were away for 10 nights together, staying in 8 different hotels. We had 1 sightseeing day in Belfast.

We stayed in or passed through, 2 countries together, 4 for me alone. We stopped at 1 LIDL (one for my daughter 😉) and despite being partial to a McDs stop, we only visited one, through neccessity on the first night. A first  for us this trip, we didn't once have pizza for dinner, though I did when I stayed with my daughter, back in Wales. This trips beer count was 23.🍻 

My total cost for the tour, including fuel, hotels and meals was €1,482.74 / £1,281.20, excluding undocumented lunchtime snacks/drinks. That equates to approximately €124 / £107 per night. When I compare that to our much longer tour to Athens last year, Ireland works out £20 per night more. It's certainly not a cheap place to visit, when compared to many countries on the continent but still very much worth a visit.

One more stat, this time regarding the weather. I had expected to be in waterproofs for a good portion of the trip, however, thanks to the heatwave pushing up from the south, I would say we experienced no more than 1 hour of rain, whilst actually on the bikes, though it did thunder and rain heavily one evening, after we had arrived at the hotel. Grizzly said I had been very lucky to see the best of the west coast in dry and sunny weather, as it showed the true beauty, that would have been hidden had the weather been inclement. Result!

Hope you enjoyed this blog. Watch out for the next one. In the meantime, those interested can still follow my other adventures on my Totally Excellent Adventures blog (https://ndtea.blogspot.com/).

Thanks

WHIRL2026 Day - 12

Not sure what time it was that my grandson James woke up. I could hear his footsteps padding about upstairs. It was earlier than I would have chosen to wake up but I knew I wouldn't be getting a lie in, sleeping on the couch and with the family needing to get ready for school/nursery/work.

There were some little taps on the door, almost inaudible at first, gradually getting louder with each repeat until he heard my response. In he bounded, climbing on me, then wrapping himself in the blacket. Then he was up and wanted to play a game where I had to copy him. One young boy and one old boy, 60 years apart, running in circles around the living room at early o'clock! 🤣 

Gradually the rest of the house came alive and soon it was time to say goodbye, as they left the house. James happy to have a cuddle, Ivy, with a firm NO, when asked if she wanted to give Poppa a kiss and cuddle. She picks and chooses her moments. "I'll wave from the car", she did. I'm glad I was able to stop over on the return trip, as I love those kids dearly.

I was probably on the road around 9:30, with a fuel stop at Asda. I was on the M4 at 9:53. I planned to ride straight through to home, about 197 miles, unless I needed a comfort break. No break was needed, so Ginny just cruised along at 70mph for mile after mile, never missing a beat, as usual. Off the motorway, near Bracknell, I had a little fun at some sets of traffic lights, giving Ginny a handful of throttle. I swear the second time the front wheel was skimming the ground. Not sure what I would have done if Ginny had started to wheelie but for an onlooker, no doubt around 500kg of bike and rider with the front wheel off the ground would have been something to behold. 

I hit the usual traffic at the M3/M25 junction but the M25 wasn't moving too badly. Within another hour, I was on home turf, glad to be home but a little sad that another trip was over. I arrived home at 13:00.

Catherine had been tracking me and as I reversed onto the drive, she appeared at the back gate. She helped me unload the bike and I tucked Ginny up in the garage. She performed faultlessly again, Ginny that is. 😉 K1600, what a brilliant bike.

So, that's a wrap folks. Another Wild Hogs trip comes to an end. Where next? Grizzly and I did have a brief discussion but he has issues with his eyes at the moment, so can't commit to anything long term yet, until his treatment is completed. I floated the idea of a French tour. So many times we have ridden through France en-route to/from somewhere else but it's a huge country and there must be plenty of things of interest that we haven't yet seen. We shall see (no pun intended).

As usual, I shall throw out some tour stats but that's all for now.

Thanks for joining us on the journey once again.

 

WHIRL2026 Day - 11

Up at 6:20 and at brekkie for 7:00. Chose something light, eggs benedict. Bit of a disappointment, as it was smothered in hollandaise sauce.

Hand shakes and hugs with Grizzly and on the road by 7:40. Arrived at Rosslare just before 8:00. There was a long queue but that turned out to be for the Brittany Ferries sailing, so those of us sailing Irish were waved by. We didn't have long to wait to board, me and a couple of other bikes loaded first.

With Ginny tied down I made my way to a lounge with reclining seats. Time to catch up on some lost sleep. 

Ferry was scheduled to leave at 8:45, it got under way 9:05. It lost some more time on the journey, so I didn't disembark until 13:20.

My first stop was at Tesco, just a mile from the port. I decided to get myself a meal deal and some cookies for my lunch. Then it was on to my next stop, a visit to the Museum of Land Speed at Pendine Sands. My only other visit to Pendine was when Grizzly and I did our 3 Nations Tour. At that time, they were rebuilding the museum, so we couldn't go in it.

The museum is only small but packed with information and some interesting exhibits, the feature being BABS, JG Parry-Thomas's land speed record holder of 1926. Sadly, Parry-Thomas was killed trying to regain the record, from Sir Malcolm Campbell in 1927. BABS was buried in the sands and lay there for the next 60 odd years, when she was resurrected, rebuilt and run again to commemorate the record centenary in April 2026. If you like speed on 2 or 4 wheels, then this is a must visit when in the area.

BABS, clearly

The sands themselves are immensely impressive too.

Miles and miles of sand!

Next stop, my daughter's house in Pontypridd. I could have ridden home but after having been up around 6:15am, I wouldn't have been home till around 9pm, so fatigue would almost certainly have been an issue. Not only was it a break in the journey, it was chance to spend some time with my two grandchildren, bouncing on the trampoline with them, the highlight.

I had the option of the inflatable bed on the floor or the couch. I chose the couch, less fuss and I'm so tired I doubt I'll notice. It's quite a comfy couch anyway.

Tomorrow I'll be heading straight home. I'll stop for fuel and then probably do the whole thing in one stint, bladder allowing. I've had a great time away but am looking forward to getting back home and my own bed.

WHIRL2026 Day - 10

So, today was the last day of the tour. There were spots of rain as we prepared to leave, so I put my waterproofs on. They would be on most of the day. This was probably the sort of day I had been expecting, a mixture of sunshine and showers. 

The rain barely amounted to anything on our way to the first stop but the waterproofs also keep the wind out.

We arrived at our first stop, the Powerscourt Waterfall, which at 121 feet, is the highest in Ireland. It's a short walk from the car park to the waterfall through fertile woodland, covered in ferns. The waterfall itself was ok but I suspect it would be far more impressive later on in the year, when the flow would be a lot greater.

Powerscourt Waterfall

Having made our way back to the bikes, it started to rain and by far the hardest and most persistent rain we had seen in 10 days of touring. Still, it wouldn't be long before it had stopped and by the time we made our second stop at the Lough Tray viewing point, it was dry, if not exactly sunny.

Lough Tray

It was at this point that Grizzly announced that the Shadslow's fuel light had come on.

Now, as part of my tour planning, I build in fuel stops. This trip we found that we didn't need to fill up at the scheduled places, so for days we have been winging it. This is ok if there are loads of fuel stations around (Grizzly -"this is Ireland, petrol stations are everywhere") but they are in short supply when you are up in the mountains.  There was nothing showing on the next part of the route, so Grizzly searched the nearest fuel station. I misheard him and thought he said 5km. It was more like 25! and in the opposite direction to our next stop. There's a good reason why I go to the trouble of locating these fuel stations, even if it means filling up early. Lesson learned maybe?

Fuelled up we made our way back onto the road to our scheduled stop, though this was not without incident. At one point I was on the main road, just tipping into a left hand bend, when a black car came out of an adjoining road from the right. Luckily for both of us, nothing came of it, the car stopping, when it realised it wasn't on the main road and should have given way. Grizzly confirmed we were on the main road, so the car was at fault. It could have been a bad end to what has been a great tour.

The next stop was a the Glendalough Monastic Site. The site houses various buildings that would have comprised the monastery built in the 13th century, including a cathedral and a 100ft bell tower. Aside from these buildings, the site seems to have been used as a graveyard since the monastery's demise.

A slightly leaning bell tower

We had one more stop to make, the Tulach a'tSolais Monument, that commemorates the formation of the Irish republic in 1798, I think 🤔. 

Tulach a'tSolais Monument

The last stint was the run to our hotel, The Farmer's Kitchen, from where we had started the tour 10 days ago. The lady on the desk remembered us and was interested to know where we'd been.  We were early enough this time to get a meal in the restaurant, which was perfect for our end of tour dinner.

Tomorrow we shall be going our separate ways, me 10 miles or so to the ferry at Rosslare, Grizzly home to Portlaoise.

Tomorrow's post should be a bit shorter. Not much happens on a 4 hour ferry crossing!

Till then.

WHIRL2026 Day - 9

Back on the bikes today, we set off under cloudy skies and at about 15 degrees. Our first destination was the last point on the compass, Burr Point, acknowledged as the most easterly point in mainland Ireland. There's a steel circular structure with a large E in the middle to mark the spot. I've not seen anything the same at the other 3 points, though obviously, the southern point was inaccessible. Maybe for the other two I just didn't walk far enough?

There was a chap there who struck up a conversation when he noticed Grizzly's Route 66 badge on the bike. Somehow, I was the one who got enbroiled in the conversation, including where we had been and where he had been when delivering furniture! Grizzly just got on with taking photos whilst I was 'stuck'. Eventually I managed to bring the convo to a close. The Irish are very friendly but this was a little OTT.

E means the most Easterly Point

My photos taken, we set course for Portaferry, stopping just outside the ferry port to fuel up, before taking our place at the head of the queue. This was our third and final ferry and the cheapest of the three. We were making the short crossing across Strangford Lough.

First on, first off!

10 minutes after setting sail, we were riding off the other end  and on our way to Inch Abbey. The abbey, or remains of, were once inhabited by cistercian monks. It was very quiet there today and must have been a tranquil place to live.

Inch Abbey

We had a short lunch break before our next  place of interest. I had another chap approach me, asking about the bike and saying how lucky we have been with the weather. Couldn't disagree. It's not that we haven't had rain, but it's been a light shower here and there, nothing sufficient to warrant stopping to get the waterproofs on. This convo was much shorter than the earlier one and more bike related. I'm not a great conversationalist but it'd be rude to ignore people and they all wish us a safe journey to signoff, so what's the harm in taking a few minutes to engage?

The next stop was a neolithic tomb, Ballykeel Dolmen, dolmens are also called portal tombs. The portal/door into the tomb would be formed by 3 upright stones, with a flat stone on top. On arrival, Tomtom said we had arrived but we couldn't see anything. Turning round we then saw the portal in a field. To get to it, I had to walk down the road a few metres and climb some stone steps, almost like a stile. Grizzly didn't seem interested and sat on his bike. As I was investigating, one of those short showers arrived. Luckily, I could shelter under the portal. A couple of minutes and it had passed.

Ballykeel Dolmen

From the Dolmen, we were on our way to our hotel, south of Dublin. The ride in the main was on a couple of  motorways which apart from a section around Dublin where traffic was tailed back, allowed us to make good time. We arrived at the hotel about 5:15pm, which gave us time to watch some of the Brazil v Japan game, before going for dinner. There's not much in the area, so we ate in the hotel bar. A chap had one of the specials, ribs, chicken wings, onion rings, salad and chips. It smelt great, so that's what I had. It was messy and took quite a long time to finish but it was very tasty and definitely the right choice.

Tomorrow, believe it or not, is my and Grizzly's last full day together. We have a few places on the itinerary to visit, after which we'll be back to where we started, in Wexford.

Day 10 beckons. Bye for now.

WHIRL2026 Day - 8

Not on the bike today. Today was sightseeing day in Belfast. 

We breakfasted as soon as we could, then made our way to Dunmurry station for the train into Belfast. It's 4 stops. From Belfast Grand Central Station, we walked the Belfast City Hall. In the grounds they have 2 memorials of interest to me, one to the Titanic dead and one for the Royal Irish Fusileers. Photos taken, we popped round the corner and got the G2 bus to the Titanic Quarter and the museum.

Belfast City Hall

I won''t say too much about the Titanic museum, as I don't want to spoil it for any potential future visitors, suffice to say it is very well laid out and takes you through some of Belfast's history before getting embroiled in the Titanic story itself, which all comes to life over four floors. We probably spent a good 90 minutes going round.

I had to, didn't I?

Outside, there is more to see, other ships, where the Titanic and Olympic were laid out and not forgetting the two massive Harland & Wolfe cranes, Samson and Goliath.

Samson or Goliath

Having done the Titanic thing, we took the bus back to city hall, where we took yet another bus a little way up the road. From here we started the mural part of our day, with a brief visit to the Belfast Cathedral thrown in.

Our ultimate goal was to walk the Falls Road and check out all the memorials and murals on show there. I'm not sure what was/had been going on but there was quite a police presence and I even saw two of the white armoured landrovers that the Ulster Constabulary use, that I've only ever seen on the TV before. By the time we'd walked almost the entire length of the Falls Road, it was around 4pm. We jumped on another bus (I should mention we had a travel pass) back to city hall again and then walked back to the station. We had about 50 minutes before the train was due to leave, so we had a toilet break followed by a beer in the Brewdog Bar. The train left dead on time at 5:35pm meaning we were back at the hotel by 6pm.

Not on the Falls Road

The hotel restaurant was rammed again and I was told there was no room at the inn, so we decided to go back to Millies. To our surprise they were doing a sunday menu, giving a choice of 1,2 or 3 courses. We chose 2, main and pudding. I had a turkey dinner and sticky toffee pudding. With that and 2 pints of Carlsberg I'm stuffed.

We're back on the road tomorrow, initially heading east, to the most easterly point, then south, ending the day in the Dublin suburbs.

Till tomorrow.

WHIRL2026 Day - 7

The day started quite overcast and with a few spots of rain on the breeze. Grizzly put his waterproof trousers on. As we only had a 20 minute ride to our first stop, I took the risk. It paid off. It was an acceptable 18 degrees and the sky looked fairly bright.

The first stop was at the Doagh Famine Village. It's a collection of old buildings, with thatched roofs, that were inhabited until as recently as the mid 80s. It tells the story of Irish life from the Great Famine through to the present day, using restored homes and exhibits that bring each era to life. The entry fee gets you a free coffee and cake, plus there are guided tours. Our guide Paddy actually lived in one of the cottages up until 1984, when the building was condemned by the council and families forced to move to more modern council accommodation. It's an interesting place but I'd wished there was more from the guide about the famine and those times, rather than having to read about it ourselves. Still, we spent about 2 hours there.

Doagh Famine Village

Next up, Malin Head, the third point of the compass visited, the most northerly point this time. At the top of the steep hill to the point, there are a number of buildings, a tower that was used in times gone by for telecommunications and a number of WWII lookout posts. What I was particularly interested in though, was the white stone markings on the ground, reading 80 EIRE. There are a number of these dotted around the coastline and theyw ere put in place to warn pilots that they were flying over the Republic of Ireland, which was a neutral country during WWII. 

You arte now flying over Eire

With a few snaps taken, we set of towards Lough Foyle and our ferry across to Northern Ireland. Still the weather was holding, though at the ferry port, it was quite windy. This would be reflected on the crossing, where on a couple of occassions water sprayed over the front. As it was a tad choppy, we sat on the bikes, just to be sure they didn't topple over. It's about a 20 minute crossing and seems a bit pricey at €12 per bike/rider.

Lough Foyle Ferry

On the NI side the weather perked up and the temperature climbed to 24 degrees. We made our way across country to the Antrim coast road, which we have done before but is such a delight to ride. Leaving the coast road we made our way towards Belfast, skirting around the city itself to Dunmurry and our home for the next 2 nights. As we pulled into the hotel car park it was full of cars. It turned out there was a wedding reception being held here but luckily there was one space and we dived in it. I don't think there was any other spaces free. 

We seem to have drawn the booking.com  room this time, with the wing our room is in accessed through the restaurant and the room itself at the end of the corridor with the window within 2 feet of a fence!

We decided to eat out and went to a place 100m away called Millies, where I had breaded chicken escalope smothered in parmesan cheese with  garlic skin on potatoes. Beer choice was limited, so we both had a couple of pints of Carlsberg.

Back in the room I am watching England v Panama, well, I have one eye on it whilst I type this, and have very loud music coming through the door. Not sure how close we are to the dance floor but can't be far.

Tomorrow is sightseeing day. We have tickets to the Titanic Museum and have a train to catch at 09:04, which will be a squeeze, as brekkie doesn't start till 08:00. Luckily though the station is only 6 minutes walk away. There's a full day planned, which I'll share tomorrow.

Bye for now.