UK Ireland motorbike trip - part 2 [Aug 21-28 2022]

Great riding experience at North Ireland coast, fearful night at Dublin where someone tried stealing my helmet from the motorbike & abrupt end to my UK riding journey.

That is Erika on the right, owner of Botanical Backpacker hostel in Belfast. The one on left is Catherine a volunteer working with Erika. Erika & I had a long conversation about the troubled past of Belfast as to how seeing Irish flag burning was a regular affair & how the police picked youth found with drugs, shot them on their knee & then appeared on the doorstep to collect some part of disability allowance

Part 1 of my UK Ireland motorbike trip is here . I had reached Belfast from London via Leeds, north Lake District & Cairnryan. After doing a walking tour of Belfast, I had earlier thought of leaving for the North Ireland coastal ride but then I got engrossed in a long conversation with Erika & then decided to ditch the ride plan. Rather, I went out for a night sight seeing of Belfast.

Belfast Town Hall in the night

Belfast turned out to be a fun city. I noticed a pub/bar with live music & I walked in. I had roamed around London a couple of times (I need to admit London is so big & I am always confused as to which part of London I should go to if I need to get some good live music) but could never find a great live music atmosphere from outside. But in Belfast, it wasn’t that hard. I took some Irish whisky & stood around the live performance. Quite a few locals & a few tourists danced around but I chose to just enjoy it from distance :). In hindsight, should have clicked some pics but I dint.

I started on my North Ireland coastal ride the next morning. Erika had given me a page which talks about great landmarks on the coast. I dont have it now but I did notice a few nice places on it. I decided to put Larne on the Google Map & then decide to ride on the coast from there.

The planned coastal ride from Larne to Giant Causeway

My first view of sea after entering Larne

Somewhere around Cushendall

The ride after Cushendall is through a forest away from the beach. It was a nice ride but there were no parking spots on the way where I could stop & take picture. I think there were a few but I probably figured them tad too late.

I also remember a couple of bikers crossing me with thumbs up. I chose to ride slow behind/between the cars. I soon reached Ballycastle & figured that from the bustling town. I was not sure where I can park my motorbike. I saw a few folks have parked their motorbike on the pavement but I was not sure if it legal to do that. Most parking spots were filled & I chose to park it on the left side, next to the shops. I was not sure if it is ok to park there & if it is reserved for vehicles that need loading/unloading. So I chose to hang around a bit, just to see, if someone would point that to me & I will remove my motorbike. Nobody said anything & then I chose to move to pick my coffee from Costas.

Backpacker hostel at Ballycastle. Can you spot my motorbike ? Stopped here to have a coffee from Costas (not visible in the picture). Looking at it I felt like I should have started a day before & should have stayed here overnight.

I was a bit amused that a lot of places around this area have their name start with the word ‘Bally’. This was put up at the small harbour on the other side of the backpacker hostel above

After taking a 20 min break & finishing my coffee, I changed destination to Carrick-a-Rede, a hanging bridge & started to ride to the place. The ride was next to the coast & there was a nice scenery spot from where I took the below pick. It seemed like the bridge at a distance.

First view of Carrick-a-Rede bridge

The coastal ride map at Carrick-a-Rede bridge

The history of the bridge

Path to the bridge

Finally the bridge. I chose not to pay for the bridge. I think it was 16 Euros or so. I remember that the leaflet Erika gave me, it said that it probably isnt worthwhile to pay & cross the bridge.

I then rode further to Ballymont harbour. I later figured that Game of Thrones was shot here.

There was an unmarked cave at the parking spot & a few curious people were walking in to have a look. It wasn’t too deep but it was worth the curiosity.

I then started to ride towards my final destination - the Giant Causeway. It is also a Unesco Heritage site. Erika’s leaflet mentioned to park at the Giant Causeway hotel to save on the parking charge. It did mention that you are obligated to order . What it did not tell, is that you need to pay mandatory 10 Euros parking fees & then it can be redeemed at the hotel. It was a bit ‘high end’ hotel for my taste & my effort to look for a ‘take away’ counter went in vain. Finally, I asked a waiting lady if they can give me a takeaway coffee, as it was evening already & I had to ride to Dublin the same day. She then mentioned that the coffee would not cover the entire 10 Euros cost & suggested that I can have something else to eat to which I suggested if it is ok to have it post the viewing of Giant Causeway & she agreed to it. I ordered a soup but said I will have it later & off I went with my coffee.

It was a bit of a challenge finding the path to the Causeway which I figured by asking a few people. It was a short walk & soon I was at the Unesco Heritage site.

The first view.

So my understanding was - of these are interesting columnar, well stacked structure that came out of nature without any human effort.

Google told me the real deal - apparently they are lava oozed from a volcano that solidified into perfect hexagonal structure. I looked again & I said, hmm, ya that is correct. The hexagon was the key, not the stacking.

But then, I was more mesmerised by stacking part anyway. So I collected more evidence to prove my point :-D.

That marked the end of my coastal trip. By the time, I started to ride back, it was 5 PM & it also started to rain a bit, but the rain subsided pretty soon. I was also going to hit reserve & was a bit paranoid because of the breakdown that happened the previous day. So I stopped by to fill petrol. I then realized that I had forgotten my water bottle at the Causeway hotel (I had asked them to fill & they did but I dont have the bottle with me when I checked it at petrol pump). There was a Tesco right opposite the petrol pump & I rushed there to buy a new bottle. Later, when I brought the bottle home, my wife figured that I had not removed the small sachet that is kept inside new bottles to keep them moisture free & I was drinking the water with it my entire journey :-D .

Very interestingly, I was hoping to see some crossing or a formal sign when I entered Ireland from North Ireland, but there was none. The signs changed from miles to kms & my google map was also pretty prompt to update as well. It was a nice surprise :).

Was fairly tired with the long continuous ride since 5 PM & have stopped by at a Services after crossing into Ireland at around 7 PM.

I remember I struggled to find a Services sign when I entered Ireland & the light drizzle made it hard for me to use my phone. I decided to skip it & then stopped at the next one (pic above).

I then rode pretty fast at around 120 kmph (I know that might be slow for folks but my standards of speed are pretty low :-] ). I passed a real nice town (I think it was Drogheda) but I did not have much time time to stop & look around. I had booked a fairly cheap stay through Airbnb for around 30 Euros earlier in the day. I was being told that Dublin is super expensive & I was surprised to find such a cheap stay. I entered Dublin & soon headed to the place. I was not sure how to find a parking place for my motorbike as this would be my first time finding parking in a large city. I knew for smaller cities, motorbike parking isnt a problem but I was not aware of how the laws are in Dublin.

I reached the place. I had got instructions to checkin & it was a DIY setup with codes & collecting key from locker box etc. The surroundings looked a bit ‘dubious’ with a lot of folks hanging around in the dark & I was not sure if the instructions gonna work & I might have to fend for another place. I found a place 20m away from my stay, parked my motorbike & left my helmet thinking I will first sort the entrance & then will collect it. Soon I saw two guys riding on a electric scooter (the one on which you stand & ride) pass me. One of the guys saw the helmet on the motorbike, disembarked the scooter & went to pick it up. I panicked & shouted ‘hello’ (I thought to myself, dude, you are not in India, say something that works in the UK or west .. maybe, hiya would have worked better but anyway). The shouting worked & the guy left the helmet back in the motorbike & leisurely walked away. I was double paranoid now. Maybe I will not have a place to stay, maybe if the stay worked, I will not have my motorbike the next day. I slowly walked back to my motorbike, picked all the stuff I left on it including my helmet & walked back to the stay entrance thinking - lets solve it one at a time :).

The codes worked & I was inside. Soon inside, I figured, it is like a hostel with long timers staying. I was not too worried about the comfort but the safety of my motorbike was bothering me. I immediately went out after dropping my stuff in & moved my motorbike on the pavement next to my stay. There was a largish space & there was also a car parked there. I was not sure if I was taking someone else’s space so I decide to park my motorbike next to the wall ensuring I take as less space as possible.

Interestingly, I heard some folks upstairs talking in Hindi. I was like - maybe I should just shout out & ask them for help to figure out a safe parking space for my motorbike, but somewhere inside, I felt not to ask for it. I put in all the locks I had & then went inside. I do remember waking up twice & coming out to check if motorbike is around & thankfully it was there. I should have taken some pics of the place & motorbike but sadly I was a bit too ‘disturbed’ to do that.

Dont remember when I booked the morning walking tour of Dublin. My plan was to do the morning tour & then catch afternoon ferry from Dublin to Wales. I picked whatever little sleep I did, on the not so comfortable bed. But well, I was happy. Things could have been much worse without a night stay & without the motorbike, so I was happy I had a bed & motorbike :).

I got up at around 8 & then wanted to grab a good coffee & something to eat (in all the adrenalin rush to reach Dublin in time, anxiety around the stay place & safety of motorbike, I had forgotten about the dinner). I saw that the walk to the walking tour is a 30 min walk & I figured on the way there was a nice quick eat place. I reached the place in the morning & it was manned by a Ukranian guy (forgot his name). He mentioned it was one of the cheapest place to eat & have a coffee & he was right. The coffee was tasty & costed only 2 Euros. I took a sandwich & it was pretty cheap too. Since I was strapped for time, I only ate it half & then dashed to my walking tour start point.

View from the walking tour start point.

Our walking tour guide. I think her name was Tara. The statues behind her symbolize the famine Ireland faced under English rule where supposedly the potato crop failed. Irish people believe that it wasnt as much the failure but it was English folks taking away the produce to mainland UK that caused the famine.

Grafton Street in Dublin where musicians perform on the street (also called busking .. coming from India, I never knew there is a term for it). Apparently Ed Sheeran started his career from this place.

Some Irish bank whose name I do not remember now. There was some weird law which mandated higher tax from buildings that have windows. So the architecture of this place left the space for windows to be built in future, but well, it never got built.

The Temple Bar. Apparently the most popular tourist destination in Dublin. As per our tour guide, Temple Bar refers to the area but this place capitalized on the name. She also said that it is a tourist trap & one should avoid it.

Tara, our tour guide, recommended having a Guiness at The Kehoes. So post our walking tour, I walked to this place to have one. It seemed reasonably empty & I was like - am I at the right place. I did come later here only to realize, I was fortunate to have a beer when it was empty :) .

Being an Ale fan, I chose to have Irish Ale instead. I did have a Guiness later in the day here as well.

Saw another Dueville parked in the main market area. Apparently, parking motorbike on pavement is perfectly legit in Ireland which I did not know.

Somewhere during walking tour, I realized I need to explore Dublin more. So I ditched my plan to leave in the afternoon & extended my stay in Dublin to cover the entire day.

I did not what to do & it became a bit boring roaming around alone. So I looked around for places that I can visit that aint too touristy & cheap. I figured that National Art Gallery & another place closeby are free & worth a visit. I remember Tara telling the same. So I decide to explore those.

This looked like an image in the infinite mirror. But this was a real thing in the National Art Gallery.

This pic caught my attention & I was wondering if I would look like this guy when I grow old. I would not mind at all :).

This poster made me realize that it has been 100 years since Irish independence from English rule while India recently celebrated its 75th year of independence. For 75 years, I think India has done well to emerge as the 5th largest economy in the world. But I do admit, the per capita income in India is probably one of the lowest in the world.

The Kehoe’s pub later in the day. People were sitting on streets & drinking beer.

Later in the evening, I saw some folks playing live music in Grafton street & they were pretty good I should say. I did get bored after like an hour or so & decide to just go back to my stay & catch some sleep. I was also a bit worried about my motorbike safety & if someone who would have kept close eye, would have figured that the owner isnt around & might have tried to steal it. But thankfully, the bike was there when I came back at around 8 PM.

I booked the next day early morning ferry at 7 AM & started on time. The ride to the ferry was uneventful .

Quite a few bikers waiting to board the ferry

Happened to see a Honda Goldwing which, I was told, is the gold standard in motorbike touring. I think it was ridden by an elderly gentleman with his wife as pillion.

Had booked breakfast with my ticket but it was a huge queue. So I waited till the queue become shorter. Anyway, the ferry ride was like 5-6 hours so I had enough time to kill.

An interesting read around different routes from Dublin to Holyhead (Wales, UK). I did go to the deck trying to spot Dolphines but wasn’t successful.

This Stena ferry has multiple theatres unlike the Cairnyran Belfast one which had only one that too, it was open. The ones here are closed, with larger chair & most people chose to use them to sleep rather watch the movie.

End of the ferry ride when the ship was docking at Holyhead

So I was pleasantly surprised that nobody checked my Passport in Dublin while boarding the ferry. I did not have a valid permit/visa to visit Ireland. North Ireland is part of UK so I can go there without any hassle but Ireland mainland requires a visa for non-British nationals. I was worried that I would be barred from boarding the ferry at Dublin & they might force me to go back to North Ireland & take the ferry from there. I had read some TripAdvisor posts where some people have said that there usually is no checking but then some folks said that Police keeps an eye & they usually ask Passport/visa from the folks who dont look British citizen. While I rode my motorbike from ferry to enter into Wales, I did see some British police on the exit. I was not much concerned as I have valid UK visa with me, but surprisingly, they did not stop me. Maybe, they were not expecting a non UK citizen to buy & ride a motorbike in/out from UK in their very first year of stay :).

Once out, I had put destination as Llyn Gwynant Campsite in Wales & I was riding towards it. I had earlier plan to stay one night at the campsite but then I decided to trade that night in favour of one more day stay at Dublin. I was in touch over email with the campsite folks & they had suggested that I can drop by at the campsite for a small day visit maybe.

I remember stopping by at a petrol pump which had some sign like ‘cheapest petrol in Wales’. While paying for the petrol, I had a conversation with the person on the counter who mentioned that he is also a biker. I told him that I may intend to ride my motorbike to India someday & after peaking outside to have a look, he said something like - ya this bike can go to India. Such casual remark took me by surprise. I realized, for a few folks, riding from UK to India is not as much a big deal as it is to quite a few folks I had earlier tried talking about it. Some folks in India dismissed it saying it is too risky to do so.

I continued the ride & soon had some lovely views in front of me. There were a lot of cars parked on the roadside & stopping by to have a view turned out to be difficult so I kept riding but then could not stop myself from stopping at this location to take a pic.

Reached campsite & figured why it is always booked. The view of hill & the lake next to it, makes this a great place to camp. I am not sure but that could be the Snowdon peak, the highest hill in Wales. When I was planning to stay here, I wanted to go for the hike climbing the Snowdon peak but guess that never happened.

I casually checked out the shop & ended up buying items worth 40 GBP including the mini stove, headlight & a beer. They were very reasonably priced

The stove

& the beer. Probably one of the tastiest & hard hitting beer I had. The buzz lasted lot longer than what usually does to me. Even after taking a dip in the water, I could not get rid of the buzz.

It was super hot & I decided to take a dip. Also, to get rid of the beer buzz before I start to ride again. Water was super cold (as per Indian standards) but fun.

I had to reach London by the day end & it was already 4 PM when I started to ride back. I remember it was around 300+ mile ride back to London & I did not want to ride too fast on the motorway.

Alternate view of the hill on the way back.

If you google Snowdon, you will see pic like a large cauldron, a dip surrounded by hills on the side. I think it must be that which I saw in this pic.

I started to ride back after taking a quick pitstop on the view point above. After riding 20 miles or so, I saw a nice restaurant on the roadside & decided to halt to eat something, hoping eating something will kill the residual beer buzz in my head (or maybe coffee can do the trick). I wanted to eat at the campsite but their restaurant was closed & it opens again at 6 PM.

While I ate my sandwich, I saw a group of ladies who must be in 50s . I dont remember how, but they were coming from the Snowdon peak trek. Maybe I heard them talking.

Saw this message in the restaurant. I have hung my clothes overnight after washing them but it never occurred to me that this can be done to quickly dry them. The closest I tried was leaving my clothes hanging in bathroom on the radiator in a hostel in Geneva Switzerland hoping nobody takes them away (or bathroom cleaning folks discarding them)

I remember having conversation with a guy while coming out, who was also riding his motorbike, but was from a nearby place. He narrated about the incidence when someone reached out to him for a possible stay options of a group of riders their vespa scooters from South Africa to Ireland. After knowing about my India tour on Royal Enfield, he mentioned how Royal Enfield are becoming increasingly popular among motorbikers in UK because of its retro look, low cost & limited power (most folks riding motorbikes in west are old people who want some way to enjoy their life while they have nothing else to do).

The rest of the day wasn’t interesting & mostly fast riding with stop every 50 miles. I also figured how ‘loud’ fairing based motorbikes are compared to the ‘naked’ ones. I did not have ear plugs & ended up putting my earphones inside my helmet to block the roaring wind sound. I reached London at around 11:30 PM. I checked my tripmeter & I had done close to 1100 miles.

All excited by the first successful test ride of my Deauville, I was all pumped to do another European ride to test its reliability further. My wife & I had to go for Spain & Rome trip immediately after this motorbike trip & I decided to go for my Europe trip after that. I planned to go to Norway for their amazing fjords & some very scenic roads. Check the website https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/travel-tips-a-z/norwegian-scenic-routes/ for details.

For a long time, I thought of taking the ferry from Harwich to Den Haag (The Hague) in Netherlands but then I finally ended up booking Dover to Calais ferry on Sep 14, a day before. I pushed my date a few times. Not sure why. Somewhere I was not sure of something.

I started on Sep 14 morning for Dover. I was a bit late to start. The route was through Blackwall tunnel. As I was about to enter the tunnel, my GPS rerouted. I had installed a higher touring screen buying it online on ebay. I had read that the high touring windscreen reduce the wind noise inside the helmet. Unfortunately, the screen wasn’t clear & I had tried cleaning it the previous night, but to not much of luck.

I being distracted on GPS & the touring screen being unclear made me miss the car that has suddenly braked in front of me (apparently, the guy in front of it has braked). By the time, I realized, it was late, I panic braked, the tyres started to skid (sadly my bike did not have ABS), I fell on my right & the bike skidded to rear end the car & the front headlight got caught inside the car.

My first feeling was of fear & panic. It was my first accident in a foreign country. I had ridden motorbikes in the past for a good 20+ years & never had a crash. I consider myself a fairly safe rider. Why am I not India. These were some of the thoughts that flashed into my mind.

The car guy got done & came to me. A car stopped behind me & that guy helped me pul the motorbike out as the front of it was stuck inside the car. Both first enquired if I am all right. I was. I checked my body & it seemed nothing bad has happened. I was able to stand on my legs all well. The riding gear had saved me.

I called my breakdown folks RAC for rescue (towing) as my motorbike was not in a position to be ridden. They said that inspite of I having breakdown cover, this isnt covered as it was an accident. I then said that I would pay. After taking my money, they said it is going to take 90 min. I was super scared at the moment. What would happen now. The car guy took my details & then went off. By all means, I felt it was my fault & I told him that I would pay for the damage.

Soon, I realized the vehicles are not coming in the tunnel anymore. The tunnel was blocked. Then a police & towing vehicle came. My heart froze. Dealing with police in India is a nightmare & I was about to experience it in a foreign land. The police asked me if I noted the number of the car guy & I said, I dint. He did take my reg number & we exchanged phone numbers. They then offered to tow me to outside the tunnel so that it can be opened. My bike was put behind the towing vehicle & I sat inside it. They took me out to a place nearby so that the tunnel can be cleared & opened again.

The receipt they gave me. It was fun reading it. ‘Well developed countries have so many such freebies to offer :).

At the Boord Street where we deboarded my bike

I waiting for RAC folks to turn up. They did not for 4 hours. I finally cancelled & booked another local rescuer who turned up after 30 min. I piled up all my stuff on the footpath that you can see on the farther end.

Well, I reached home all safe & sound at around 1:30 PM. I was sad that my motorbike journey in UK has come to an end & the dream of riding my motorbike to India got nipped in the bud. But I was happy that it could have been lot worse.

I also got to see the bright side of humanity during my 4 hours wait on the street waiting for the rescue folks. There was an office on the other side of street. Folks there graciously let me use their restroom when I requested. There was a guy (sounded east European from the way he spoke) who while entering into the office, came to me & said that he saw me at the place 3 hours before & if I need any help. There was a driver of a road sweeping truck who passed me twice & asked me both the times if I need anything to eat or drink (it was hard hearing what he is saying in the truck noise so we just talked in the sign language). There was an Indian subcontinent origin guy who was passing in his bicycle & stopped by to talk to me. I was a bit too distraught to click pics with these folks, so I thought of mentioning them here, as a way to say thank you to them.

So what next ? I dont know. It is hard for me to give up my motorbiking dream but well, I think rather force fitting my dream, I will let the time decide how it turns out.