Ride 3 – Chester to Bordeaux – September 2023
This ride took us through more of Wales (YES!), southern Ireland (YES!!!), and to Bordeaux in France (YES!!!!!!). That route required two ferries – across the Irish Sea from Fishguard in Wales to Rosslare in Ireland (3-1/2 hours), and from Kinsale in Ireland to Roscoff in Britanny, France (overnight). Both ferries had excellent food, and the overnight’s sleeping accommodation was tight but comfortable.
Wales was, again, fantastic. A fascinating stop was Portmeiron, ‘The Village’ of the 1960’s TV show The Prisoner. The villages, hills, streams and views made for some of the best riding of all of our travels.
We hugged the south coast of Ireland between Wexford and Cork, and then headed inland to meet our friends Lynn and Steve for a couple of nights in Killarney. A great guide took us around the Dingle peninsula to see the rugged coastline of south-west Ireland. Our ride to Killarney was very, very wet, with three punctures to repair in cold pouring rain. Memorable! A driver ferried us in his van back down to the coast at Clonakilty to save us from hurricane force winds and torrential downpours. The final ride to the ferry at Kinsale was sunny, dry, and beautiful.
The ferry left us in Roscoff, Britanny, to begin our first cycling on the Continent. An interesting stop was Saint-Nazaire to visit its huge Nazi submarine pen. We shared Nantes with hundreds of Welsh and Argentinian rugby fans who had travelled to see their team play in the Rugby World Cup quarter-final. La Rochelle was enchanting, with a wonderful oyster lunch on the Île de Ré. Great sea views and wide esturaries as we approached the wine regions of Bordeaux.