Day 86
December 28, 2021:
Big day. Cycled from Castlebar to Ballycastle. Route through Pontoon and along Lough Conn. Stopped in Knockmore for food. Picked up an Aero chocolate bar for the first time. I like trying new chocolates and candies, and am also working my way through the various varieties of cookies often sold in convenience stores. Aero chocolate is weird. The internal structure has tons of tiny bubbles. It looks exactly the way it does on the packaging. I spent a while thinking about why they make it this way. Is it just a marketing gimmick? Maybe, but whose idea was it to consider even doing this? Surely they had some intent? Was it just to reduce the amount of chocolate in a bar, to increase their profit margin? Is the texture somehow advantageous? My best guess is that the bubbles inside increase the surface area over which your saliva touches, thus increasing the melt rate of the chocolate. ‘Feel the bubbles melt’ is the slogan of the bar, so I think that’s a good guess. The quality of the chocolate is pretty low though. It’s like a stale chocolate bar. I didn’t finish it, and actually forgot I had it in my bags.
Cycled to the west of Ballina, cutting north toward Downpatrick Head. Got there by evening. Pretty flat roads allowed me to cover a huge distance today. Quickly looked at Ballycastle Beach, looking for a place to camp. Saw two spots that looked interesting. At Downpatrick Head, there’s a gravel parking lot, with a few concrete picnic tables. I could easily camp there after everyone leaves. Parked my bike, locked it to a fence. Walked up to the head. Wet, grassy area. Not too much wind.
The small, windowed concrete buildings I’ve seen across Ireland are WWII observation posts. The Eire 64 sign directed pilots over Ireland to the UK. Downpatrick Head is spectacular. It’s another Scenic Point of the Wild Atlantic Way, and it was very worth coming here.
Asked a few people to take a photo of me in front of the sea stack. Spoke with them: David and Jane. Exchanged contact info. They’re locals to the Sligo area for the last two years. Own a bit of land up here with horses. Used to live in Georgia, US? and before that, the UK? Recommended a few places I should go. Invited me for beer if/when I reach Sligo.
Spent a little more time walking the cliffs. Took a picture for another group. One guy was visiting from the US. Back at bike, saw sign in parking lot advertising free camping behind a pub in Ballycastle. Figured it’d be worth going there. Called them to make sure they were open. Kitchen is closed off season, but there is a place nearby that does take out.
While studying sign, last two people in parking lot called me over for tea. I said sure. Olga and Kuba. Olga visiting from Southampton, UK. Going on a road trip together, going south along the Wild Atlantic Way. Only just started last week. Recommended Largy Secret Waterfall, Gleniff Horseshoe, Slieve League. Had tea and biscuits with them. Traded contact info. If I’m in southern UK, contact Olga.
Cycled to Healy’s Bar. Put bike out back. One gent helped by holding open the doors. Came back in for Guinness. Talked with dad of the guy who helped me. He had some rather crude comments to make about Biden and Harris. Was very pro-Trump. Odd how impactful US politics is in Europe that seemingly everyone over here has an opinion. And yet I can hardly name anyone in the Irish government.
Then went off on my own to chill on my laptop. When the pub closed at 8 pm, I went to the patio out back and kept playing around, watching a few videos, playing some Dominion online.
Set up tent in back on fake turf lawn. Watched a little Dimension 20 before bed.
