I had never even been bikepacking before and had only taken ownership of my secondhand Orange P7 mountain bike a few weeks earlier.  How would we get along?  We’d just need to start pedalling and find out.

Wetter and wetter I got but it really was a lovely road then, whoosh! a reindeer leapt right across the road in 3 bounds and into the woods at the other side!  I couldn’t believe my eyes!!  What an incredible sight it was.  Who knew there were wild reindeer in Ireland?  It was enormous!

The best thing about TAW for me was the amazing people I met on the journey and learning so much from them, seeing how they ride, what they go through and their different ways of approaching the rides.  Muchos respectos!  I know the lessons I learned from everyone will remain with me and help me in my own riding too.

Eventually I realised I was climbing up the Sky Road.  It was blowing a hooley up there.  When I got off my bike at the ‘viewpoint’ I couldn’t see a thing and my bike almost blew over the wall so I decided it was safer for me to stay sitting on it then roll my way down to lower ground!

I plucked up the courage and asked the receptionist if they happened to have a sun lounger anywhere that I could rest on for an hour – a sun lounger in Ireland? –  I know she probably thought I was delusional.  Anyway, they didn’t, but she said not to worry as I could use the resident’s lounge that nobody used in the morning and have a nap there.  She even got me a blanket!! 

I told him [Keith] if he wanted to see me again just to let me know and wait at a Spar or something and I’m sure he would’ve seen me but NO, he had to get himself hit by a car. Ouch.

CURRENT POSITION – no idea but nowhere near the front, pretty near the back and miles away from the party 🙂  The women at the pointy end were absolutely smashing it.  It’ll probably be one of my proudest moments ever, just getting to the start line with everyone!