#34 Co. Antrim

7-in-7 challenge – Day 2

Eight hours stopping at a B&B isn’t really long enough to leave an accurate review, but nevertheless the welcome I got from Pat was first class including a generous donation to the MND cause.

I had barely spent long enough in the bed to get it warm when my iPhone alarm burst into life at 3am, thankfully I had everything prepared and with just a 250m drive down to the ferry terminal I was soon enjoying the complimentary coffee and breakfast in the club lounge which I had to myself for the entire crossing.

The calm sea conditions were welcome as following breakfast I managed to grab a handy extra hour and half of sleep in the quiet of the empty club lounge. I trundled down the ferry ramp and drove a short distance through Larne town centre and north up the coast to my starting point at Drains Bay Park.

Having been woken up on the ferry by a steward and encouraged to return to my car immediately I had no time to go to the loo, the public toilets in the car park at the start point were frustratingly locked despite a sign saying they should have opened 30 minutes previously at 6am. Embarrassingly I approached a Hi-Vis jacketed worker to ask if he was about to open up only to get the reply “No I just want a shite mate” in a broad Belfast lilt. Just as I had grabbed some kitchen roll from the car and resigned myself to finding an early secluded spot I was blessed by the presence of a jolly cleaner carrying a huge bunch of keys and singing happily to herself as she opened up the toilets. Once she had finished checking them over she invited me to use the facilities and warned me to “watch out for the eejut drivers round here”.

The first few pedal strokes quietly reminded me that I had ridden a healthy distance the day before but as I headed uphill for the first 10km away from the coast I was soon warmed up and full of excitement to discover what Northern Ireland had to offer.

Slemish stands proud from the rolling hills around it and tradition holds that St Patrick was enslaved here as a youth to tend sheep and it was here that he found god. I didn’t find god on my way up the steep, uneven scree-covered track cum road to the small visitor centre but I did burn enough calories to resort to an early Stroopwafel as I took in the view. On a clear day the view here would be even more glorious. I was just 26km into riding around Northern Ireland but was already falling in love with the terrain.

At Broughshane I crossed the river Braid and swung northerly focussed on reaching the planned lunch stop at the Bushmills distillery – I didn’t need warming up but was looking forward to a shot of the famous Whiskey to spur me on for the second half of the days ride.

The Dark Hedges on the Bregagh road is an atmospheric avenue of ancient beech trees made internationally famous by the Game of Thrones TV series. Never having seen an episode, the location was perhaps less enchanting for me than the coach loads of Italian and Spanish tourists who didn’t seem the slightest bit disappointed by the murky weather and snapped a thousand selfies shrouded in the limbs of the beech tunnel.

Just my luck! The distillery kitchen cafe was closed for the day. Plan B was to head to the tourist honeypot of the Giants Causeway for lunch just four clicks away.

Before reaching the Giants Causeway I stumbled upon The Giant’s Barn cafe where my excellent locally sourced lunch was finished off with a slice of cheesecake to rival any that had gone before it (there’s been plenty). As I saddled up ready to leave, two busloads of tourists pulled up for their lunch and lo and behold it was the excited Italian and Spanish groups I had bumped into at the Dark Hedges. As always their English was somewhat more fluent than my Spanish or Italian so I had no difficulty conveying to them that they were in for a treat for lunch and that I was looking forward to meeting them again further down the Antrim coastline.

Giant’s Causeway proved to be disappointment number two of the day. A mild-mannered security guard took no pleasure in advising me that access to the causeway was not permitted with my bike and took one look at my cleated soles and said it would take at least 20 minutes to hobble down. If I was willing to wait until 4pm (another two hours away) he said he could turn a blind eye to me scooting down the path on my bike. I was already beginning to feel very tired from the two long days I had had so said thanks but no thanks and wished him good-bye. The road unfortunately offered no views of the Causeway so that remains on my bucket list to see. I had always promised Shirl we would visit one day so at least I hadn’t ruined that plan by seeing it all on my own.

As the road cut away from the coast, I knew I was nearing the final climb of the day, keen to get this out of the way as I knew once I had descended into Cushendun, I would pick up the much vaunted and flat, Antrim coast road for the last 40km back to the start point. En route I was intrigued by the sign Loughreema the vanishing lake (Lough of myths and Legends) I hung around to take photos but it didn’t vanish so I vowed to look it up at the finish. Thanks to Wikipedia and the Amusing Planet website I now know that the lake does indeed randomly vanish from time to time. Sitting on a porous chalk bed with a plug-hole that at times blocks up with peat the lake forms and swells after heavy rain, when the peat plug clears the lake disappears out of sight underground. Legend has it that the area is haunted by a Colonel who forced his coachman to drive his coach and horses through the lake resulting in their deaths, succumbing to freezing waters after the horses had reared during the crossing. Thankfully the road today is elevated above the lake and I kept my feet dry!

The descent into Cushendun was an absolute delight, I’m not the most technically gifted or fearless rider so anything too steep, gnarly or twisty puts me way out of my comfort zone. This six-kilometre descent was on smooth tarmac rarely steeper than 6% gradient with flowing corners and rippling undulations, even the two hairpins were well within my ability zone allowing me cruise round them at a reasonable speed.

The A2 coast road hugs the shoreline for thirty kilometres or so from Waterfoot to Larne and even on a dull and dreary day the views of the numerous cliffs and headlands plunging down to the Irish sea provided dramatic vistas for the last hour of riding. The stunning surroundings accompanied with pan flat roads was exactly what was needed as my energy levels flagged. I had steeled myself for the first two days of this challenge as the logistical elements of car and ferry journeys added to the days riding had limited sleep and recovery time and added additional load to each day. As I pulled up to the car I was sure the toughest two days were behind me and reflected on the two days with a good degree of satisfaction. The one negative was the surprising and undesirable sensation every long-distance cyclist dreads – saddle soreness. I have rarely suffered this way and was uneasy at the thought of this developing so soon with a 1000km’s of riding still ahead of me. The big pot of Sudocrem I had brought with me was going to come in very handy sooner than expected.

The Glendaloch B&B, located close to the shore of Lough Earne between Belfast and Antrim was only a short drive away and was a great choice. Set in large open gardens with well appointed rooms the accommodation was ideal for a good nights rest. The host showed great interest in my challenge and after advising me to use the Top of the Town bar and grill for my evening meal handed me £20 for the MND cause.

A dirty burger and sweet potato fries replenished the days calories nicely but I didn’t partake in the Guinness or any local fire water and was tucked up in bed early after preparing everything for a quick getaway straight after breakfast for day three in Co. Londonderry.

Strava

Komoot

The ride in numbers

166.27 km Distance

Elevation Gain 1995m

7hrs 46 min moving time (21.4 km/h)

3 coffee stops

5 bottles of water

No punctures

4 categorised climbs