HH Challenge, Day Six

Destination: Moville

If I'm staying in a hotel I usually have a look in all the drawers and cupboards.  I don't know why, I'm just interested to see if anything has been left behind by previous occupants of the room and missed during the cleanup. Sometimes there's a book, sometimes a phone charger, you never know.  So after my shower this morning I idly opened the cupboard under the sink in the bathroom and found a cardboard box full of old cassette tapes (although I suppose you don't get 'new' cassette tapes anymore).  This led me on a voyage of discovery around the rest of the room, whereupon I discovered another box of albums and loose photos under my bed, in which I recognised a much younger version of the owner who had greeted me on my arrival, and presumably her family and friends.  There was also a suitcase, but thankfully I left that alone, as that turned out to belong to a fisherman who was also staying in the B&B, but in another room.

HH Challenge, Day Five (Or Inniskeen Road)

Inniskeen Road: July Evening

The bicycles go by in twos and threes -

There's a dance in Billy Brennan's barn tonight,

And there's the half-talk code of mysteries

And the wink-and-elbow language of delight... 

Patrick Kavanagh 

Ah yes, I've started throwing a bit of poetry into my blog entries now, it's getting serious.

I know I've fallen behind a bit with my blog entries, but I'm trying to pick up the slack now, and I don't intend to let them get any more than a week late. I'm going to continue to write as if it is actually the day of the events, just to make life easier.

Destination: Inniskeen

I read in a travel book I got once that you can travel light by only bringing a change of clothes and washing them in hotel/hostel/service area sinks in the evenings, wringing them out, hanging them up and leaving them to dry overnight.  This worked out well when I was coming across Europe last year, and it's even more of a necessity on this trip as I set out to be as minimalistic as I could. Including what I was wearing I left home with:

2 t-shirts - I was given a third, bright orange, Run for Life one at the photo shoot on Saturday

2 pairs of trousers (one with the zippy legs so they can be shorts if necessary)

2 pairs of underwear

2 pairs of socks

1 set of pyjamas - for modesty's sake if I was going to be partnering up with somebody

1 pair of swim shorts

1 set of running gear (shorts, tee-shirt, trainers)

1 long sleeve t-shirt

1 fleece

1 set of rain gear (leggings and oilskin)

HH Challenge Day Four, Continued (or Beating Banagher)

Destination #4, Banagher

"That beats Banagher.  And Banagher beats the devil."

This is what a lady in Connemara said to me on my way to Claddaghduff, when I told her where I was heading after that.  I'd only ever heard the start of that expression before, so I'm going to try and fit that into a conversation somewhere soon.

Some images from the past few days

My host in Limerick

First swap - a tremendous deal

Checkpoint reached

HH Challenge, Day Four

Such a long day, can hardly keep my eyes open, I will tell you everything in the morning if I can wake up.

HH Challenge, Day Two Continued, and Day Three

Time to give a quick run-down of yesterday's events.

But first, I must explain another part of the challenge I hadn't mentioned before.  At the start of the challenge, each team received an orange to take with them, which they’re to try to swap for something more interesting as they go about their journey, and  will continue swapping for the week.  The best or most interesting orange substitute by the end of the challenge will be the winner. 

One reason I hadn’t mentioned this on Saturday, apart from having mounds too much to write about, was that I had not yet succeeded in swapping it out for anything, and I had visions of turning up in Bundoran with a mashed and bruised orange (and all my gear covered in juice).   There had also been stages during the day when I had been considering simply tucking into it.

HH Challenge, Day Two

This is really going to be a quick one, trying to be disciplined and write a blog before bed each night, but each night I seem to be ending up staying up that little bit later.  On day 0 we finished up by one, and I stayed up writing until after two.  Yesterday I got home after our night out in Limerick at about two, and got to sleep at about three after blog writing.  Day three sees me home at four thirty in the morning.  I can't spend an hour writing tonight.

However, so much amazing stuff happened, and I have once again been blown away by people's kindness and generosity on the roads and elsewhere.

Destination #2 - Quin

I can't go into detail now, but made it from Limerick to Quin with just one particularly sound lift.  I knew there was festival on in Doolin, so I made plans to head in that direction for the night.  Tremendous idea, although a) I don't think I'll be able to speak tomorrow, and b) I'm so exhausted I can't even see the screen properly now.

I will make it my mission to write more tomorrow and post pictures if I can get a wifi connection in the afternoon.  But now sleep is the top priority.