Summer 2023 was wet, the wettest July on record, it rained almost every day.
And this is why this year’s trip wasn’t as enjoyable as the previous ones. Packing a wet tent almost every day, cycling in horizontal rain, looking for a place to stay overnight in a hurry to pitch the tent before the storm started, all this made it more complicated than a year or two ago, although, at the same time, it was a good and an overall fabulous experience.
Due to the weather and some private stuff I had to deal with, this year I went on three trips instead of one long trip. The longest, 1050 km from Dublin along the Grand Canal and River Barrow south to Wateford, then Wateford Greenway to Cobhn, Mizen Head, Cliffs of Moher, The Burren and Galway.
Two weeks break and return to Galway from where I travelled through Connemara for a week. I came back home for a few days and after a couple of days, seeing that sunny days were forecast, spontaneously packed up and went south for 2-3 days towards Wexford, it turned out to be a nice few-day trip around south-eastern Ireland, I saw a few new places, it turned out once again that the unplanned is usually the best.
First trip - three weeks - 1020 km
Second trip - six days - 500 km
Third trip - five days - 320 km
Trip 1
Just like last year, I wanted to spend the night at the Cliffs of Moher, and just like last year, I was fortunate, the weather was perfect, with no wind, peace and quiet. I’m aware that pitching a tent so close to the edge of the cliffs can be risky, I don’t recommend it to anyone unless you really know what you are doing, the gusty wind is strong enough to blow away the tent with you inside easily. Anyway, it was another unforgettable night, one of those that you remember for most of your life.
Trip 2
The second, shorter six-day trip was mainly about visiting places I already knew but wanted to see again. A fantastic, remote camp spot on Gorumna Island, beautiful Dog’s Bay and something I haven’t seen before – Sky Road in Clifden.
Trip 3
The third trip was a completely spontaneous decision made after I saw the weather forecast for the next few days. Decided that it’d be a shame to waste the last days of summer, so I packed up and went south for two or three days towards Wexford. The weather turned out to be actually quite ok and the short trip turned into a longer five-day trip. They say the best parties are the unplanned ones
