I will admit to feeling a bit despondent yesterday, what with the bike shop in Kenmare being unwilling/unable to look at my bike.
At first I thought about booking into a camp site, but the nearest one was 14km back the way I came. Because I didn’t feel like cycling back the 14km, I just wild camped.
Ride to Killarney
I had to find a bike shop, and as there was one just 35 km away in Killarney, today I cycled to Killarney.
I had no idea if they’d be able to fix my bike, and if so, if they’d be able to do so today, but I had to try.
Google maps said it was only 35 km away, but Google maps didn’t explain that I’d have to cross a mountain!
It’s an exquisitely beautiful route, and after the pass, the descent into Killarney included at least some parts of the Ring of Kerry.
I wanted to be able to just let go of the brakes, and let gravity do its thing, but I was nursing a rear wheel with bearings that were shot, and a bodge repair to my bike’s rack. Every bump in the road made me cringe and made the bearings pop and clunk.
No litter
On the ride I encountered something only for the 3rd time since Cork: a single piece of litter. Ireland is so incredibly litter-free. This is true for rural roads as well as towns. We can learn so much from the Irish!
During the 35 km ride, I had ONE impatient driver, who gave me a close pass. Unsurprisingly, that car had UK plates.
O’Sullivan’s – a damn good bike shop
Once in Killarney, it was easy enough to find the bike shop. It’s called O’Sullivan’s and is owned by David O’Sullivan.
He had a look at my bike, then told me to strip all the luggage off, and leave it in the back of his van. Next, he told me to go grab some lunch and be back in 2 hours.
An hour later I was back at the shop, to find he’d fixed my bike! I was SO relieved! The bike has a new rear wheel, and he managed to remove the sheared-off bolt and fit a new bolt.
If ever you’re anywhere near Killarney and need bicycle maintenance, David’s your man!
Camp site
Because of the uncertainty of today, I checked into a camp site. Just being able to have a shave and a shower made the whole world a better place.
Due to the trouble with my bike, I’m skipping on cycling the Ring of Kerry, as well as the Dingle peninsula. On the one hand, I’m gutted, but on the other also relieved to avoid the campervan convoys along the Ring of Kerry. It also means that I will be dipping out on cycling up Connor Pass, but that can’t be helped now.
Competition!
To be in with a chance of winning John Devoy’s fantastic book, Quondam, you need to answer all the questions that I post on a daily basis.
Just to be clear, I’m not telling you about this book as a favour to John. I’m doing it as a favour to you.
Here’s today’s question: Housed in Trinity University, Dublin, it is one of the most visited manuscripts in the World. What is it called?