We were now coming to the end of this part of the tour. With one tent destroyed by storms, a failing gas stove and relentless stormy weather……but more than that, I was beginning to think about some large paintings I wanted to create about this tour, work and gallery/exhibition commitments for next year were beginning to surface in my mind. I had to think about getting back to Cornwall. We had in fact no where to go back too having given up the tenancy on the flat in St Just. So we were to all intents and purposes homeless……I knew that we would need some time to find somewhere to spend the winter…..produce new paintings for galleries and prepare for next year’s continuation of this world cycle tour artist in residence.

Ballybunion

I also had in mind that I would be doing the artist in residence on Tresco. Isles of Scilly, through Gallery Tresco at some point between December 2017 and March 2018. This would also be  part of the world cycle tour…….residencies within residencies….. bringing the tour to an end was not a sudden decision….It sort of grew over the next few day’s, as we cycled from Sandy Bay to Ballybunion and our last but one camp in Ireland in County Clare, where we met a wonderful cat……

But before that encounter we made a scale model of the solar system on the beach at Ballybunion…… for the scale we used the length of my foot to equal 10 million miles. So starting at the sun we had Mercury at 3.7 foot lengths (37 million miles from Sol……and so on), but sadly we misjudged the tide and could not complete it…..but here are  couple of images……

Here we have what’s left of the inner solar system being slowly washed away by the sea – Sol, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and the circular ring is the asteroid belt……

Jovian system

Our last but one campsite was wonderful and happened on the autumn Equinox – 22 September 2017, and that is where we met the cat….other cats, several very friendly dogs…. a couple of donkeys. many chickens and got to use a telescope……

Such  friendly cat…..

primitive technology

To celebrate the autumn equinox the owners had  small event in their celtic maze which was made by a local artist and we were  invited to take part….it was quite special and was a fitting end to the tour, an acceptance of the time of year, the change from Summer to Autumn….but we did stay up late to do some star gazing

……and then the final two days saw us cycle to Ennis, where we then took the coach back to Dublin to say farewell to friends, take the Ferry to Holyhead, train to Bristol, where we had fish and chips….. did  stealthy camp, cycled to Priddy for the last camp this year and on to the  nearest train station and back to Cornwall…….

To be continued……

This ride started Ok, grey and overcast, sure, but not malevolent…..not yet…. a slight wind with the odd light shower. We headed back to Dingle to pick up some snacks for the journey over Connor Pass……..and that is where the weather turned nasty….very very nasty. Spectacularly nasty. We were by this stage getting  really tired of the storms – one tent destroyed…..with only the odd day here and there of sunny weather…… We had cycled through  storm after storm after storm – the tail end of three hurricanes with fog and rain and squally  wind and showers in between. Connor Pass was tough, and to make things just the other side of hateful, the bike got a slow puncture but with gale force winds and driving rain I could not face repairing the puncture in that weather. So at times we stopped while I pumped up the tire……

spectacular place……

……Then the horror……it was really a spectacular place….. the decent sublime and views too, we were just  a little frayed round the edges with having to cycle through yet another bloody fucking storm……

Following the decent we had a horrendous cross wind that repeatedly tried to blow us of the road……it was wearing very thin. The sempiternal autumn continued apace……

Towards the end though we were rewarded with a fab rainbow that stayed with us for the last hour or so of the days ride…….

Finally fixing the slow puncture

Camping once again by the sea…….and then it was time for some much needed hot food…

Once camp was set up we did finally see the clouds break and a little sunshine came to warm us….the rain had been bitterly cold, but it wasn’t to last……it became very interesting as, once again the wind continued to rise. We started to hear loud flapping sounds outside our tent and looking cross from us saw that the large tent thing attached to a mobile caravan was being  destroyed by the gale. It quickly became a total mess and quite dangerous as tables chairs wet-suits, flapping tent and poles were all being blown about, knocked over, and generally wrecked by the wind.

Well the owners were finally contacted but it was after dark before they arrived and we pitched in to help retrieve all their stuff and dismantle what was left of their side tent. I had tried to secure their tent as best I could but it had been badly ripped apart by the gale.

We decided to stay here for  couple of days to explore, and to let this bloody storm pass by and at the head of the strand found lot’s of fossils and some great views…..and finally some proper sunny warm weather

One of many fossil ammonoidea

Strange looking fossil…..

We split this journey into 2 stages spending  couple of nights wild camping just outside  pub right by the beach at  place called Inch. The pub was fab, with live local music, singing and poetry. Various people would join in with their own recitals and poetry readings….it was amazing…….

ancient track

Beehive huts

Looking West

Enjoying the view

Ogham Stone Dingle

Oghm Stone Dingle

Looking West to  Inishtooskert

Dinner

Wild camp

This was another extraordinary ride. We visited Valentia Island in search of some 385 million year old fossil tracks and found them. What struck me most was that 385 million years ago this creature left it’s footprints leaving water and walking in soft mud, and 385 million years later this creatures footprints are still by the water…..though now in a different part of the world. It was amazing sitting there contemplating that amount of time…..

On our way to see the Tetrapod tracks on Valentia Island

Just above the 385 million year old Tetrapod track on Valentia Island. Not only can you see the footprints but it’s tail drag can also be seen.

This is the oldest in situ fossil record of a Tetrpod, this is an ancestor of all land animals……before this all vertebrates were fish. What an incredible place, and what a wonderful humbling experience to visit this extraordinary place…..

On the way to Cahersiveen we passed through a place called waterville. where Charlie Chaplin used to go on holiday and there is a film festival at Waterville every year……due to continual storms and fierce head winds we missed out on this…..but that is Ok we want to go back. and just before we came into Waterville we passed this ancient site…..we tried to get closer but no matter which way we went there seems to be no public access which was quite disappointing….ah well can’t have everything…..

And at the end of the day a sunset and our camp, by the sea

We spent several days at Caherdaniel enjoying the first really summer like days since crossing the Somerset levels….it made a nice change……then another storm came by and destroyed Aaron’s tent…..

Pausing for a break

Building  Ziggurat

Another day of astonishing cycling. Here are just a few images….

We camped at a really wonderful farm campsite half way up a hill with very friendly people and dogs and were treated to some spectacular sunsets every night…..We stayed three nights here, as we wanted to explore the area without carrying all our stuff in order to find some local ancient stone circles…..cycling through a fab forest to find them……..Here are just a few images of what we found……

The next few days were filled with mist and rain…..and fairly flat rides. Cycling long winding estuaries that were fascinating. The changing light, rolling mist….the green-ness of the estuaries with there wildlife. It was very atmospheric, visually stunning….

These roads like mid Wales were so quiet….hardly any traffic.

Towards the end of the day we started to look for  place to camp finding  a terrific strand of dunes called Long Strand Dunes, and in a sheltered dip between the dunes we made camp, had some food and spent the evening watching the mist roll cross the sea. This was for me unexpected. The sea was fairly active and with sketchbooks I made some attempt to capture the atmosphere of this place…….This huge long beach was really quite something and I expect to create some interesting seascapes from this experience……

The next day dawned misty and damp and it took us a couple of hours to get rid of the condensation from the tents. We had pitched our tents in a dip surrounded by sand dunes to stay out of the wind and of course during the night the wind completely dropped…but by mid morning we had some blue sky and eventually broke camp and  continued our journey to Skibbereen.

On the way we headed for ….. Drombeg Stone Circle…. and what  place it was

Tent life

Breakfast

Some time later…another day another ride…..Camping at Eagle point…….

Eaglepoint Sunset

This was such  spectacular place that we stayed here for  few days…….the days passed in alternating rain and wind and mist….it was challenging cycling but really enjoyable. The time spent here…3 nights in all was a much needed pause. I had come down with some low level bug courtesy of a very ill person in the local supermarket…..It did not affect me in any serious way, and we still did  fair mount of exploring, and well sometimes it is nice to unload the bikes and cycle without panniers….though not without sketchbooks

Kilkeel stone circle

Kilkeel stone circle

After only one wild camp on Angelsey we headed for Holyhead and the ferry crossing to Dublin…..it would be my second ever visit to Eire and long overdue. In 1986 I had been part of a student exchange between Wolverhampton Polytechnic and Limerick School of Art and Design…..31 years ago…where did all that time go….It was the highlight of my degree course, and as an artist it is where everything began as a painter. Something clicked some sense….nothing I could ever put into words. The short time I spent at Limerick and on the field trip to Dun An Oir on the Dingle peninsula set me on a course to becoming a landscape and seascape painter. Finally having wanted to return to this place for many years we were on our way to renew friendships and to do some proper exploring……

The Ferry crossing was rough and fun…at least for me…..We stayed a few days in Dublin staying with my fab friend Tanya who I met 31 years ago on that student exchange to Limerick and visiting some art….

This image is of Tanya who did this fantastic art work of a bronze millennium sundial, Aaron  and me…..

We had such a great time with Tanya and seeing her fabulous artwork was so inspiring and this piece is my favorite

A few days, bottles of wine, late nights, laughter, memories and a wee bit of gardening as a thank you to Tanya for letting us stay we got the coach from Dublin to Cork….bikes and all…but chatting with Tanya and getting lost on the way to the coach pick up point…… plus delays on route left us arriving in Cork after dark and with no where to stay…..so anyway we decided to head to the coast and hopefully find a field to wild camp in, on the way though a car pulled over and this was so typical of the kind and hospitality of the people of Ireland throughout our journey. The driver asked where we were heading and offered to help us find somewhere….made some phone calls and then offered to drive us to a B&B place several miles away and up a long long climb and so panniers off……bikes semi dismantled and in the back of the car Aaron in the front with me squashed in too off we went. Rob who runs cafe Velo in Cork was so helpful a painting will shortly be on it’s way to him in Cork……and the painting arrived safely is now on display at Cafe Velo….and here is an image of the painting which Rob kindly sent to me……

painting in cafe Velo Cork

The adventure continued as once we were settled in the B&B, and this was now about 10.30 pm I realised that after careful and repeatedly recounting the number of panniers potential disaster dawned…… I had left a pannier by the roadside….The worst thing I could have left behind….a pannier that contained my very expensive 2 person Terra Nova Quasar tent…..so back out on the bikes and low and behold we find it. I cannot begin to say what a relief that was as the loss of that tent would have been a complete disaster……and then back we went for some much needed Guinness…..

Leaving Kinsale after the best fish and chips I have ever eaten

We where cycling the beginning of the Wild Atlantic way…..and it was stunningly beautiful and every person we met was so friendly. One lass who I wish I had taken her contact details suggested a part of this route called Sandy Cove……one of the best bike rides ever…..

And this was our first wild camp

On our way to Llanberis……

This was our campsite at Nant Peris, Llanberis…..

This was a terrific campsite – just down to Earth, no fuss, no  frills, inexpensive and so we stayed here for  several nights waiting for the weather to ease and allow us a good day to do some mountaineering. We were both looking forward to scrambling along the Crib Goch ridge…..if the rain stopped and the clouds cleared…..We also desperately needed to purchase new waterproof jackets and we had spotted a camping outlet shop, it became even more necessary as my well worn Keens finally started to fall apart…..

We also found a fab cafe….. Pete’s Eats you can check out their web site here

It’s a great place with great food and lot’s of it – just what you need for long days in the saddle.

When the clouds and rain lifted for the day we had a great day walking up Yr Wyddfa 3,560 ft, Carnedd Ugain sometimes referrred to as Crib-y-Ddysgl 3,494 ft and Grib Goch 3,028 ft….. a long day and our legs felt it. But the views were absolutely stunning……Crib Goch as always was a magnificent scramble

View from Carnedd Ugain

Tent life……

Sheep on Carnedd Ugain

Moody sunset

The following images were taken by me on the Crib Goch ridge…The best part of the scramble….exposed on both sides this is a serious undertaking even in good weather you need a head for heights and a good sense of balance. Far less crowded than Yr Wyddfa we still had to pass 6 or so people heading in the other direction….Just after these shots the weather started to charge….wind started to rise and clouds started to come in – blowing over the ridge faintly bluring the landscape around…..I was relieved that the weather held for Aaron and I, looking back Carnedd Ugain and Yr Wyddfa with it’s over crowded summit had all but disappeared in cloud…..

Looking towards Crib Goch from Carnedd Ugain…..

We took two days to cycle from Llanberis to Angelsey…..wild camping in the sand dunes somewhere on the south coast of Anglesey…..after Wales cycling across Angelsey was a a bit of a change….mostly flat and without the grand scale of North Wales…..But we did take a slight detour to find this…….

Bryn Celli Ddu

An amazing place…..