Dry Run

Morning - blue skies, sun.
As we ride, dark clouds gather,
winds whip, hail stings - spring.


Well, this being Ireland, it was never going to be a completely dry run. But that was the whole idea - to put our newly aquired gear through it's paces before heading off into the wide blue yonder in just less than 4 weeks time.

Saturday morning was glorious - so naturally we spent most of it sleeping in. By the time we breakfasted and packed the bikes up (or should I say, loaded the bikes down) it was midday.

No matter - we were only planning a short jaunt into the hills. A couple of hill climbs (one inadvertant - I didn't notice the contour lines on the map amongst the urban sprawl when planning our route - sorry Neil) , a bit of meandering around the countryside south of Dublin, then a quiet camp in the forest on Glencullen Mountain.

Fitting the new lights.

Neil's bike, almost fully loaded.

Lunch stop by a forestry work site.

Of course, the first rain shower hit as we stopped for lunch just uphill from Kilternan. As we stopped and took in the view (the nice one, out to sea, not the one of clear-felled mess) we were treated to an education in Irish Forestry by an elderly gentleman who was leaving his plantation for the day. He planted the Sitka spruce you can see in the top of the above photo in 1969. The forest he is currently harvesting he planted in 1955 (when he was 29). He advised us to invest in forestry.

And yes, the view was worth the climb - that's Killiney Hill we are looking down on.

Once through Glencullen, resisting the allure of a warming break in the pub we headed for the Boranaralty Bridge over the Glencullen river, and the Wicklow Way. At the turn for the bridge, there were large red signs announcing the bridge closure. As the chilly rain turned to stinging hail, we debated what to do.

There was no other cyclable way to our planned campsite (a spot we had previously seen while walking a section of the Wicklow Way). As the hail eased back into rain we decided to go down the hill to the bridge, to see if there was still pedestrian access (and therefore bicycle) - on the strength that there was no signage stating that the Wicklow Way was closed.

Our hunch proved correct and while there was no car access, the workmen kindly allowed us through after only a couple of minutes wait for them to finish gravelling one particular section.

Then it was uphill again on ever worsening paths, over two locked gates. Yes, over. This fun manoeuver involves fully unloading the bikes then passing both bikes and 8 panniers (4 each) plus assorted bits and pieces over the 5' high gates before reassembling and continuing. Times two. I had remembered one gate, but not the second. They don't have quite the same importance when you are on foot.

Character building, I guess.

Looking down on Boranaraltry from the second gate.

Uphill push on loose gravel from the second gate.

Cosy campsite overlooking Glencullen.

Finally, fingers freezing, bodies tired and cold, we arrived at our destination - a small clearing between trees with a tumbledown stone building, overlooking Glencullen and Two Rock Mountain, first seen when foraging for mushrooms a couple of years ago.

Our new green tent - a bit less noticeable than the orange one !

Tent up, time for food and drink.

Comfy in my armchair, with a warming hot chocolate.

Cool skies as the sun sinks.

Last rays of the dying sun.

Things we learnt about our new gear:

- The Altura Pocket Rocket lightweight waterproof jacket was worth every cent. It withstood showers light and heavy as well as hail. As a lightweight layer it also kept the chill winds at bay.

- Our new tent, the Vango Spirit 200+ stands up to lashing rain and wind but the small ventilation windows you can't close let in an awful lot of breeze when the wind chill is taking temperatures down below zero (we stuffed the scrunched up pocket rockets into them and solved that problem). It has an amazingly large vestibule great for storing gear and for cooking out of the freezing wind.

- It is possible to light the MSR Dragonfly stove with flint and steel when your half box of matches gets used up trying to light the stove in gale force winds (did I simply forget the spare box of matches or was it my inner cave girl taking over insisting we didn't really need them ?).

- I am never going camping again without a Thermarest Trekker chair. After a tiring day walking or riding the last thing you want to do is relax on a hard rock or squat using those tired knees. This is really amazing.

- And no gourmet camping venture would be complete without our new lightweight kitchen. Our new MSR Quick 2 pot set and skillet helped create last night spiced couscous with stir fried vegetables and tuna. Yum. OK, the oversized apple pancake got a bit messy this morning, but it tasted great.

- Old Man Mountain Ultimate Lowrider front racks - we only mounted these on the bikes last week-end and this was our first trip using front and back panniers. These racks are mounted through the front wheel hub and onto the front brake brackets, leaving room for front suspension. It took a few minutes to get used to the change in set up - more weight at the front means heavier steering but it was better than having all the weight at the rear going up those nasty Wicklow hills. Once used to the different handling, the racks were great, low enough not to affect your centre of gravity but not so low you bottom out on the rougher off-road bits. Another happy choice.

And that's about it. Happy with our new gear, ready for our vagabonding days...


words by Gabby, images by Neil
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