Donegal

The past week has been difficult but beautiful. The weather has been good, with clear skies and generally low winds. The tourism season seems to be over, and accommodation is no longer a problem. The Wild Atlantic Way has been called 'the most scenic route in the world', and after riding some of it, I can agree that it must be in the running. There have been all sorts of scenic beaches, green mountains, cliffs, rock formations, castles, monasteries, whatever you prefer. However, the terrain is challenging, and +10% grades are common, leaving me in my low gears and wearing out my brakes for what has been slow progress. The steep hills make for hot climbing and cold descents that leave me cold and sweaty at the end of the day. It is not uncommon to be at ocean level, then climb 500-700 feet where the mountain passes resemble the Scottish highlands, to go back down again. On my way to Malien Head, there were several such passes which caught me off guard, one of several days where conservative planning was well justified. I arrived at the hostel later and much more tired then I anticipated, only wanting to shower, eat, and pass out.

I've been following the Wild Atlantic signposts for guidance. The route strings together popular sites, and supports mixed amounts of useful tourism information, side trips, accommodations, and so on. The route nicely provides scenic turn by turn direction whereas my GPS only does point to point navigation. People have noticed, as I have, that some of the natural phenomenon are under represented, and on more then one occasion I missed something where there was no obvious signage or entrance. The Wild Atlantic has also been problematic in that it often joins highways that are unsuitable for bicycles. Navigating around these sections been tricky but doable with GPS and cell phone coverage.

Aside from this I've also had some equipment problems and a lingering cough that has gone on for about a week. I was glad to take a rest day today, do some necessary shopping, bike adjustments, laundry, and get extra sleep. I feel guilty for having to shortcut or otherwise bypass some of the sites, but there is just too much to do and I'm feeling worn out. I already took a shortcut through Donegal, bypassing much of the coastline by cycling through the interior. The remainder of the Wild Atlantic is quite a long way (1500 miles I believe) and I'll likely end up turning off towards Dublin early then I anticipated, for the sake of time, colder temperatures, and an actual desire to get going on real life. In the mean time, I'm trying to make the most of my time here, not stress out about what am missing but what I'm still able to do, and what's yet to see.