DAY 6 - Wednesday / Ballintoy, County Antrim - Beaghmere Stones - Bush Caravan Park, Bushmills, County Antrim / 110 miles

23/07/2014 / Wednesday / Ballintoy, County Antrim - Beaghmere Stones - Bush Caravan Park, Bushmills, County Antrim / 110 miles

After a quick shower I head back to the pub, the Fullerton Arms, where during my eavesdropping last night, I overheard that for £5, you can partake in the Hotels full buffet breakfast, which didn’t sound like an opportunity to be missed. There were only one or two guests when I arrived, but spent most of my time, pleasantly chatting up the waitress called Tori, though it turns out she’s only 21, argh way too young, but it’s good to meet and make new friends.

Now happily stuffed with breakfast and with a good positive start to the day I walk back to the Hostel and load up the bike and hand in my key, making sure to tell them, that I have a few friends that might pass this way the following week and that I would recommend the place to them.

The bike hadn’t even so much as warmed up, by the time I’d ridden the mere mile and stopped at my next point of interest on my list, the rope-bridge called ‘Carrick-a-Rede’ which is partly sold to you as a way of testing your metal, as it hangs some 60ft above the waves crashing on the rocks below. But I didn’t find any fear in it, in fact the opposite, which proves to me that I have no problems with heights and one of the items on my bucket list, of Para jumping, shouldn’t be too much of an issue. As soon as I parked up, three Germans bikers roll in, soon followed by two more and a couple of Brits and an Irish registered bike, the days sunny and hot, a perfect day to ride a coastal road.

The ‘Carrick-a-Rede’ rope-bridge spans 20m/60ft, across to the little isle of 'Carrick-a-Rede’ and has been known to exist in one form or another for over 350 years. Being re-build, maintained and replaced, over most of those years by the salmon fisherman, who fished here until the recent decline in fish stocks. Today’s most recent version was built in 2008 and is suspended 30m/98ft above the sea.

Fig. 1 - Path that leads you towards the bridge.

Fig 2. - View from the path, out over the cliffs and into the crystal clear, cold, waters below, with seaweed forests.

There’s a small hike to get to bridge itself, following along the cliff top. The sun was burning off the slight haze, that still hung in the sky, but other than that the day was bright and hot, with clear views out over the cliffs and down into the clear water below, where you could clearly see the sandy bottom, resembling the Sahara desert with a forest of seaweed around the edges. The cliffs, themselves where busy with seagull life, with the strong smell of guano in the air.

Fig. 3 - Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.

As I was just stepping onto the Isle, I bumped into the American and his two Irish girlfriends, from the night before, as they were just leaving, to cross back over to the mainland.

Fig. 4 - Fisherman's house and boat, clinging to the cliff face.

Once across your free to walk around the small isle, I spot a small fishing cottage and boat, clinging to the cliffs once used by the salmon fishermen and inaccessible to the public though, I would love to have a nosy inside. Today was turning out to be a lovely summer’s day but you could imagine that it could be a bleak and lonely place in the winter, being battered by the icy winds.

Fig. 5 - A singular picnic spot!

Fig. 6 - Looking back towards the mainland, and a sea cave.

As I walked around the Isle, I noticed below me a two man sea kayak perched on a rock, about 50m from the cliff with two people having a picnic, a pretty impressive place to stop for lunch, I’d say. I look back, towards the mainland and spot an interesting sea cave and take a few photos, including looking back across the bridge.

Fig. 6 - Queuing to cross back over the rope bridge.

Fig. 7 - I followed a short, steep track, to a vantage point, where I took this shot.

Today was by now was turning into a proper hot day and lugging even just my bike jacket around with me, broke me into a sweat. On the way back, following the cliff top track, I pass other bikers suffering similarly, including a very portly fellow, "who asked with pleading piggy eyes how much further it was?" Which for his sake I had to lie, with an encouraging, "just around the next corner mate", as he plodded on by. I stopped in at the visitor’s café next to the car park for someone to re-fill my water bottle and grab an ice cream tub to help cool myself down a little. Though I had to stand back and wait a short while, to select my cold refreshment, as they’d literally just had a delivery of ice cream, to fill up their small freezer. I watched in slight amusement, as they worked hard filling it up, as quickly as they could seemingly like ice cream, was running out of fashion, un-boxing and stacking furiously.

I couldn’t wait to get back on the bike, to cool off plus I had a mission in mind of finding a motorcycle garage, following the advice I got from the biker I met, the night before.

I rode the coastal road, the short distance into Ballycastle, where at 'Ballycastle Motors', and after a short wait, the owner now fresh back from getting that mornings paper, quickly solved, a small clutch niggle I’d been having, by simply adjusting my clutch cable, in the opposite way to the way I had been adjusting it. I pleaded ignorance and said nothing feeling like a complete novice! He then directs me to try a bike shop, half an hour West back in Coleraine, where I’ll be able to find someone to help sort out my lighting issues. I thank him and with his directions, easily find the shop in Coleraine. Unfortunately, I’ve arrived just as the mechanic’s gone on lunch. I decide it’s a good time to do the same and being assured that nothing will be nicked whilst I’m, away I walk into town to get lunch. Finding a nice café that also has Wi-Fi but my phone’s battery soon dies, so I people watch instead for a while, killing time until 1pm, when I head back. The mechanic arrives 15 minutes later, Irish time again clearly in effect, I explain to him my issues. Having no tail, side-lights and no number plate light as well as my headlights being incorrectly adjusted. Plus if he could give the brakes and tyres a quick check over that’s would be good too. I’d also noticed that my front right indicator was flashing on double speed, which turned out to be a busted bulb, due to the drop a few days before.

All was able to be fixed, thanks to replacement bulbs and a small headlight adjustment, which I was advised I'll have to get re-adjusted, once I’m back home with my travel bags removed. As for the brakes they were all fine as well as both tyre treads, the only thing being a little low pressure in the front, whilst the rear was a little too hard.

With that done, a quick cuppa and £20 later I was back on the road again. After looking over the map, I decided that I was in the ideal location to visit my next point of interest, being an hour’s ride South, into the centre of 'Northern Ireland', to visit the Beaghmere Stone circles and Cairns.

Fig. 8 - Central-North of Ireland's rolling patchwork of hills, valleys and hedgerows.

After riding through a little of Central-North of Ireland, with its rolling hills and patchwork of trees and hedges I arrive around 5pm. The area is quiet with a little breeze and it’s hot as the sun shines down on me. I park up the bike in the small car park provided and look out over at the site. I usually carry a bottle of water ready to hand shoved under the cargo netting on top of my roll bag. I have a few quick swigs and decide, that the bike was probably safe to be left where it is, as I go and explore.

Fig. 9 - You walk up the track and approach the stone circles.

Fig. 10 - Circle with more intricate work.

I can see down a track, that runs passed an information board, which, shows the layout of the site, as well as what’s currently understood about the site. As with sites of this age there’s a lot of unknowns and speculation. The dozen or so burial monuments, called Cairns, date back to the early bronze age of around 2000 – 1200 BC. There are also seven stone circles, ten stone rows and several features that may be collapsed field walls of an earlier period. The circles represent an organised effort and could be for either religious or possibly solar or stellar observation.

Fig. 11 - One of the stone walls.

Fig. 12 - A typical Cairn or burial monument.

I take a few photos and consider this a perfect spot, for some free camping for the night, but it feels just a little too early to call it a day, even though the heat is sapping my energy, the thought off cooling off whilst riding the bike was more tempting to me. Plus I didn’t really get a vibe for the place, even though it was interesting reading all the info boards, my mind was already moving along the road looking for the next place and my body, was being dragged along.

 Fig. 13 - Joy riders, leaving there mark.

Fig. 14 - Forest Park.

Fig. 15 - Enjoying the change in scenery.

I stop just down the road, at a cross roads, to take some photos of the rubber donuts that are produced by bored youths with their cars. I’d heard them a few nights back and had spotted the tell-tail mark’s left on the road, all over the place, but hadn’t bothered to stop to take any photos to use as an example. At the same junction, I also see a sign for Davagh Forest Park and decide to deviate my path a little and to also escape the sun, plus enjoy the forest as a change in scenery, before heading back to Ballycastle, to resume my coastal route, down to Dublin.

Nearing the coast, I keep my eye out for campsites and stop for the night at Bush Caravan Park, near Bushmills and at £6 per night with free showers, I wasn’t complaining.