Monday.
Up a bit later this morning and my 3rd fry up in a row*. No photo as I forgot to take my phone to the breakfast room which is typical as I was dining with a celebrity and his family this morning. I can't prove it so you'll just have to believe me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Mangan
The weather forecasters weren't wrong and it turned out that yesterday's decision to grab an extra couple of hours on the bike was a good one.
As I left Belmullet it started gently raining.
I decided to put my waterproofs on but as is often the way I needn't have bothered. Not for the usual reason of the sun coming out as soon as you do this, oh no.
I needn't have bothered because gentle rain soon became normal Irish rain. That then became torrential before turning into hours of biblical rain and very strong wind, the likes of which I've never ridden in for any length of time. I'd planned on doing Achill Island today, somewhere I've wanted to see for years and something I've been really looking forward to. I gave it a go but despite wearing quality bike gear and quality wet weather stuff on top of that, a formula that has never let me down, by 2 o'clock I was soaked. My backside was broiling nicely in it's own juices and my athletes feet were poaching well. On top of that the roads were covered in deep standing water, my visor had as much water on the inside as the outside and was steaming up and the thousands of tourists in cars on the island were driving as if the pouring rain was driving snow (not that I blamed them).
So I gave up. I'm not generally a quitter particularly with stuff like this. Not because I'm a brave and hardy soul but because my OCD won't let me. But I was literally riding round just so Icould say I'd done it. Icouldn't see anything and I wasn't enjoying it so I called it a day and headed to Westport and the digs I'd booked for the night, for some respite and to try and dry myself and my bike gear out.
It could have been worse though
I was chatting to an Austrian chap (if I'd realised he was Austrian before we'd started chatting I'd never have engaged with him**) and he was camping as he couldn't find a hotel with any vacancies.
Likewise had I not had to pre book I'd have stayed on Achill and carried on tomorrow.
I was also hoping to get a good look around Westport this evening but the weather is still miserable. At least it's given me chance to bore you all with this lot I suppose.
* No more fry ups, I'm sick of them
**
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2009/oct/01/celtic-rapid-vienna-reunion