parkrun tourism: Ardgillan

Posted on October 11, 2018 by lindaharley

Event # 54 parkrun # 224

Being the 14th birthday of parkrun UK, it was International parkrun day!  Last year I’d had the pleasure of joining a whole rake of UK parkrun tourists at Bushy Dublin (and producing a bottle of Bushmills for anyone who had “double Bushy-ed”).  But there were no obvious plans for this year’s get together.

However, the parkrun legend that is Nicola had hinted she might be at Ardgillan, just north of Dublin, and when local toruist Ben said he’d be heading there, I decided to join him at what was my 2nd closest NENDY.

Access:

This is an easy get-to for Norn Irn tourists.  Junction 6 on the M1, and it’s clearly marked with brown signs from there.  The Applgreen makes a handy stop for wee-wees and leg stretches, and make sure you have some euro coins for the Boyne Bridge toll. (é1.90 each way at time of writing)

Facilities:

Ardillan Castle is set in gorgeous surrounds, and is well appointed with car parking.  There is a large park as you enter the estate, and a smaller one closer to the start. 

There are cute loos on the edge of the castle, and a cafe that allows dogs for aferwards. Oh, and stunning sea views.  What more could you ask!

Course:

It’s a toughie!  Staring at the castle, it follows a gentle downwards track before 2 loops through forest, which have an upward undulating section, followed by a final uphill 300 m.

Even Minnie, my hill-getter-upper, was looking at me at this stage and going “you cannot be serious!”

Each km is well marked.

The surface is mostly gravel, with a few forest trails.  But those views!

Crowd:

There aren’t big numbers here, just over 50 on my visit, and that’s typical.  There’s a very relaxed feel to the pre-run brief, though we did get a shout out to Nicola doing her 400th run!

  For me, as a running-with-dog person, this was perfect.  The starting crowd thins out pretty quickly, and I cen let Minnie do her bit without worrying about tripping up or getting in the way of others.

 

Gear:

My darling husband had given me an early birthday present of bone-conduction earphones. Road races in NI are becoming more strict about using earphones while running, but these kind are acceptable as you can still hear what’s going on around you, cars, instrcutions from marshalls etc.  They were fab.

Strangely Approproiate Song On Shuffle:

I really enjoyed having music to accompany my run on this clear crisp Autumn morning, and my Eurovision soundtrack brought many smiles to my face. But the Dixie Chicks version of “Some Days You Gotta Dance” summed up my mood.

Time:

I was aiming for sub-30 and managed it.  I do hope I can come back some time to  try and knock off a few seconds!

All My parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

 

Filed under: Dogs, Dublin, Ireland, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

222 or tutu too at Tymon

Posted on September 29, 2018 by lindaharley

The distance between milestones can seem awffy long, so I often find different challenges or number of runs to celebrate.  Usually with a sutiable outfit.  And cake, of course.

My 222nd parkrun was due to take place on 22 September.  I liked that coherence already, and started to research which parkruns would be having their 2nd birthday, or 2nd, 22nd or 222nd runs.  And lo, my friends in Tymnon, Dublin were having their 222nd event on the same day. I got in touch, asked how they felt about a theme, and did they prefer 2 little ducks or Desmond Tutu.  They laughed and we agreed on a tutu theme, one which reflects my dancing proclivities.

So, what to wear.  I already had a comedy number 2 which I’d pinned to my 100 shirt on the occasion of my 200th run.  I still had the black ribbon and the white fabric paint so another couple of number 2s were easily produced.

I’ve borrowed tutus from friends in the past (see Waggy Races Fairy Dogmother outfit), but felt it was time to invest in my own.  A black one was procured from Elliotts for the princessly sum of £4.75. Watch out for it being reused at Hallowe’en.

I persuaded hubby to come with me and make it a day trip, so thanks to him for the transport and photos.  Sat nav assisted we arrived just before 9 am to find the set up underway.

Last time I’d been here, there was just a table by the car park wall, but now they have use of the GAA facilities including an indoor space, and there were sweets aplenty, as well as a special rocky road cake.

I got a shout out in the brief.  The course was somewhat changed form my last visit, a reminder to ALWAYS listen to the run brief.

The weather was cool and slightly damp, but compared to the gale force winds of recent weeks that made for very pleasant running conditions.  With Minnie’s assistance I easily managed a PB, dancing my way over the finish line before enjoying some pleasant chat over the post-run goodies.

I was very touched by the gift that they had made for me – a large pebble painted with the date of the run on one side, and an uncannily accurate portrait of me on the other.  What a really lovely idea!  I made it my FB profile pic, and tweeted “Free Weekly Timed”, the podcast, that this week’s three words were “personalised tutu stone”.

 

Thank you to all at Tymon who made this such a fun way to spend a Saturday morning,

https://twitter.com/tweertweet/status/1043625058294489088

and who even tweeted a short video

 

of me dancing across the finish line!

Filed under: Dance, Dogs, Dublin, Parkrun, parkrunDANCER, running | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

parkrun tourism: Delaware and Raritan Canal

Posted on September 7, 2018 by lindaharley

event #53 parkrun #219

I’m not sure if this one qualifies for the longest name of any parkrun, but I’m sure glad I didn’t have to get it to scan or rhyme in my “50 Ways” video!

Having missed out on Crissy Field last year (I may have mentioned this a couple of times….) I literally whooped with delight when I discoverd that a brand new parkrun was starting up which was reachable from New York, and that I would be there on a Saturday!  And so for their event number 3, I set off to join them on my first one outside UK and Ireland.

IMG_0217

Access:

OK, so it’s doable from Manhattan, but only by the really dedicated and serious tourist! It’s in New Jersey, so the NJ Tranist system is your first friend.  We were staying on 35th Street, just a couple of blocks from Penn Station, and I’d timed how long it would take us to walk there in time to catch a 7 am-ish train.  Your next and most important friend is the Facebook page.  So far, this has been outstanding at giving advice and and arranging station pick-ups for visiting tourists, and it was from FB that I contacted Neil, who offered to pick us up from New Brunswick station.  A return train ticket cost $28.  If you were going to get a taxi or Uber from there, it’s about 8 miles away.

A fellow tourist travelled out from her more southerly Manhattan base via the PATH, getting a lift at Bridgewater.  There definitely needs to be a volunteer credit for these fabulous local folk!

Facilities:

The Park is huge, and there is good parking and some restrooms nearby.  No cafe on site, and the usual meet-up spot was closed for Labor Day when I was there. It was very hot and humid in September, so do bring some water and maybe a small towel.  Start and finish are very close, so it’s easy enough to leave coats and bags there.

drvcoats

Course:

The pre-run brief takes place by the lovely wooden bridge across the canal, and the start is on the far side.  From there it’s an out-and-back along the side of the canal, with a turnaround point well marked, and across the bridge to finish. There’s one section of brick slipway, where you need to watch your step, but it’s flat the whole way.

Crowd:

Young and enthusiastic!  parkrun is still just getting going in the States, and there were only 36 runners there on my visit.  I’m sure it will be a “must do” for dedicated tourists, in the future, as well as attracting more home grown participants.

Time:

Running in the heat and humidity is hard work, especially for an Irish woman more used to the wind and rain.  But I was happy enough with my 32-ish time, and even more delighted that I grabbed a new age-category record.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

I was running with no music, enjoying the sounds of the cicadas, but I did use the old Perry Como hit “What did Delaware” as my Cracker Says Facebook post.

 

All my parkruns

Filed under: New York, Parkrun, running, Uncategorized | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

parkrun tourism: Orangefield

Posted on August 25, 2018 by lindaharley

event #52      parkrun #218

UPDATED JUNE 2019 – NEW COURSE AND FACILITIES!!!

Determined to regain my Norn Irn Regionnaire status, after missing the inaugural a few weeks ago, I headed to East Belfast.  I’ll need to find a suitably sized bead to add to my T shirt.

img_0190.jpgThis is an area I know well, in fact one of my previous addresses was in Orangefield Crescent.  Back then, when my children were teenies, we knew this park for its spider shaped climbing frame. The spider is long gone, but the whole area has been very well revitalised, and the park is clean and tidy with some lovely bridges, each of which has a name.

Access:

There’s plenty of parking spaces across the road at the playing fields, and the 5A or B metro bus will leave you pretty close from the city centre.  This is Belfast’s 9th parkrun, so visitors will have plenty of options.

Facilities:

PREVIOUSLY:

There’s a loo by the main entrance, but you’ll need 20p!  (There’s a big Tesco not far away on Castlereagh Road that you could try). There’s no sheltered spot to congregate in, so no teas/ coffees so far.

UPDATED:

The course now finishes by the bowling pavilion, where there are loos, and where refreshements are provided for the post-run analysis. It will be interesting to see how big the bonefire gets!

Crowd:

There were just over 100 runners the day I visited, which is a nice size.  Good age range too, with lots of speedy younsters, and some sprightly older people too.  A few buggies and doggies, and some walkers, give it a good diverse feel.

Course:

PREVIOUSLY:

It’s one small lap and then 3 larger ones.  This can get a wee bit confusing, so it helps to count how many times you’ve passed a certain bridge or other landmark.

UPDATED:

Start point is the same, but it’s now 3 big laps, and then carry on until the finish at the bowling pavilion.  So you cross the Avalon bridge every time.

IMG_1290

 

The paths are a good hard surface, and some of the course goes through woodland so it’s a trail surface.

The first lap can get a bit bunchy, but there’s plenty of grass to the sides for overtaking.  And by the time you’re on lap 3, most of the fast guys have finished, so there’s a bit more room.  It’s not totally flat, but the hilly bits are nothing to fear.  The final stretch is up a short hill to the finish funnel.

 

Old finish pics:

New finish:

IMG_1289

 

Second visit:

I revisited a few weeks later, and the course has been altered slightly, and now doesn’t run on grass at all.

Thanks to my daughter for the action shots.

Gear:

I wore my 50 events T shirt, though as this was my 52nd, it is rapidly becoming out of date.  My Garmin refused to find a GPS, but it still told me the time, which was good enough.  I knew as I passed the finish line at 9.50 that there was no way I’d completed in 20 minutes, so I must have another lap to do.  I’d replaced the lenses on my running sunglasses with a lighter pair, and they were great when moving from sunny open paths to shady trees.   My Hokka trainers were well suited to the mixed terrain, and I wore my skirty-calf-length leggings.  The only problem with these is they don’t have a pocket, so I had to tie my keys to a strap on Minnie’s running harness.  Only cow cowl I saw (as Andrew and other-Minnie keep forgetting theirs……)

Strangely Appropriate Song:

I tend to run without headphones these days, so I wasn’t listening to anything during the run.  But I was singing loudly to The Dixie Chicks and “Some Days You Gotta Dance” in the car.

Time:

First visit: I wasn’t pushing myself to the limit, so I was really pleased with a 28:27 time, my fastest since February this year.  I’m sure I’ll be revisiting at some stage to try to sneak a cheeky wee PB.

Second visit: I suspect the earlier version was a leeeetle bit short, and so I didn’t manage a PB.  But I DID manage to grab the final seconds on my “parkrun Bingo” so the lack of PB was worth it.  Honest!

 

All my parkruns

 

Filed under: belfast, Parkrun, running | 1 Comment »

parkrun tourism: Dungannon Park

Posted on August 18, 2018 by lindaharley

Event #51 parkrun #217

There’s always a debate about whether to attend inaugurals or not. For a regionnaire, the temptation is to keep that status up to date. But some parkruns prefer a soft launch so that they are not overwhelmed by unusually high numbers on day one, putting their volunteer team under stress. However, I hadn’t seen any requests to stay away from the first outing for NI’s newest baby, Dungannon Park. And so off I went!

Access:
There is a camping/ caravan park situated here, so the brown signs are very helpful. Directions on the parkrun page are spot on, and I only had a teeny disagreement with my sat nav before pulling into the car park. It’s just over 30 miles from me, practically all motorway, so about a 35 min journey. Definitely a feasible one to repeat easily.

Crowd:

I’d expected more at an inaugural: there were about 150, so I imagine the usual numbers will be about half that.  Local running clubs were well represented, there were a few dogs (Hi, other Minnie!) and at least one pram.  The RD and volunteer team were very friendly and welcoming.

Course:

The start is in a wide clearing a short distance from the car park.

This makes it easy for some speed-self-seeding, and the runners have thinned out by the time they get to a slightly narrower path around the lake.  There is a bit of a tight bridge at the top of the lake, but good running etiquette will prevent this becoming a bottleneck.

Past a stunning waterfall, up a short hill,

and then through the trees before reaching a rather challenging hill!

2 laps and a bit, so the finish line is a bit away from the start line, should you wish to leave coats and belongings somewhere.  The ground is either tarmac or gravel.  It is a very pretty course, with ducks, flowers, and some lovely foresty trail paths.  Minnie gives it paws-up!

Facilities:

Being at a caravan park, there is an excellent toilet block.  There are showers too, but they may only be available to people staying there.  If you were touring Ireland by motorhome or camping, this would be one to add to your itinerary. There is also a very pleasant cafe with a tempting array of ice creams!

Time:

I haven’t been running a lot recently, so I’m easing myself back in gradually.  I was happy enough with my pace on the first lap, but allowed myself to stop and take photos on the 2nd.  What is it I always say?  Never knock yourself out on a first visit – make it easy to come back and PB!  So a 32 minute bar which I will definitely be back sometime to beat.

Strangely Appropriate Song:

I was running without music – it does help when with a dog, to be able to call out and hear other people telling you where they are overtaking.  Plus running through woods like this I always like to listen to the sounds of nature.

And the rest:

I’ve missed parkrun recently becuse I’ve been away doing a dance course.  And I’ve just found out that I passed!  So there was a spring in my step, and a lightness in my soul.  And if you need a Scottish dance ceilidh some time, give me a shout 🙂

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

 

Filed under: Ireland, Parkrun, running | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

What A Week: Wild Atlantic Way

Posted on July 14, 2018 by lindaharley

The vision……
R has long fancied holidaying in a motorhome. The biker in him loves the call of the open road, and he likes camping weekends consisting of a lot of standing or sitting in fields doing not very much.  The plan was to rent one for a week, hit the west coast of Ireland with son and dog on board, and see how we got on.  You’ll love it, they said, you can just stop where you like, make a wee cuppa, enjoy the freedom and the relaxation, bond with nature. Yeah right.

R’s personality type means he likes things open, spontaneous, to be able to decide on the hoof.  By contrast, I like to research and plan. It was hard to find some common approach to the holiday, but we did agree it was sensible to book in somewhere for the first night, and wanted to do as much of the Wild Atlantic Way as we could.  So this gave me enough material to research.  I joined the Motorhome Craic facebook group, who were very friendly and helpful, and purchased the “Britstops” book, which gives deatils of some stopping places near local businesses (pubs, smokehouses, fruit farms etc).  My big worry was that we would driving around frantically at 6 or 7 at night unable to find somewhere to stay, so I drafted a rough itinerary with some suggestions.  Here’s how we got on.

Day 1: pick up van. Enniskillen

Handover, showing us where all the bits and bobs were and how to operate the various functions, including the all important chemical toilet.  We loaded up and set off for Enniskillen.  I sat in the back with Minnie, who was a bit restless at these new surroundings, and couldn’t find a comfortable spot. My first impression was of how rattly the van is!  There’s also no aircon, so it’s not the most comfortable of rides.  But we make it to Lochside Marina (£20, no extra for showers) with no issues, and do our first electric hook up (EHU).  I’d had hoped that the site would be close enough to the city centre to walk for fish and chips or something, but it was about a mile out.  We decided to get a Chinese delivered, which was rather tasty.  But I’m still struggling to see the attaction, plus being by the loch there’s quite a few biting insects around.

Day 2: Downpatrick Head

After a not-bad night’s sleep, I make tea!  And a one-eyed-jack (known in our house as Amy’s Eggs) for breakfast.  We headed for Sligo, where we would pick up the coastal route branded the “Wild Atlantic Way”.  This genius marketing ploy was devised by Leo Varadkhar when he was tourism minister, and since there were already a few coastal scenic atlantic drives in existence, it was just a matter of joining them up, adding a few wiggly signs, and sitting back to await the influx of tourists.

Except Sligo isn’t terribly helpful in pointing me in the right direction.  I scoured in vain for the wiggly sign, or even a sign for the airport, but all I can see is “Sligo Core” or “Sligo Ring”, which mean nothing to me.  We programme the sat nav for Strandhill, and shortly afterwards find a lovely pub restaurant called The Venue, with outdoor seating where we order lunch (chowder for me, roast lamb for R, fresh water for Minnie despite her barking at the kind waitress).  Parking in the car park is a bit awkward – we take up 2 spaces and hope that we don’t get blocked in.

We continue along the WAW, learning as we go how to differentiate between the main route (marked S or N) and the little fingers out to a viewpoint.  We stop at Lacken Strand, a vast expanse of golden sand with drones and air surfers overhead.  Minnie leaps to freedom and enjoys a few zoomies around the place.  It’s tricky drying off her paws, especially in such limited space.

Onward to Downpatrick Head, a spot which was recommended to us by a Swiss couple last night.  It’s a dramatic headland, and as we approach it in the afternoon sunshine we can see other headlands and islands dotted along he coastline to the west.  There are no stopping places to try to capture this in a photograph, but it would be impossible to do it justice even if there were.  The glorious panorama takes in big blue skies, azure seas, and green-grey granite slabs. I set off with Minnie towards the headland, but a sign says that dogs are not allowed, so I leave her back to the van with the boys and continue alone.  It is stunning – sheer cliffs, blowholes, and the 50m high Dun Briste sea stack.

 

Back in the car park, I order hot dogs and chips from Patsy’s van, and he delivers them to our door!

This is our first time trying “wild camping” ie no electric or water, and it feels strange to watch the car park gradually empty of day visitors and have the place to ourselves.  Well, almost, there is one other van in this car park, and another motorhome parked up in the next one down.  My hopes for a wild Atlantic sunset are dashed, though, as a surly sea mist rolls in and turns the sky 40 shades of grey.

We have problems with the chemical toilet, and decide that wild camping is not for us.  Patsy had recommended staying by the beer garden in Healys pub in Ballycastle, so that might have been a better option.

Day 3: Achill Island

Back on the coastal road, the views are stunning, but there are very few places to pull in.  What was that lie in the vision – you can just stop where you fancy? No, not really, you have to choose a spot that you can get in and out of safely without inconveniencing other road users.  But we find a great big car park opposite a fab Spar in Barr na Tra.  A fellow motorhomer with a lovely Boxer dog pulls in too, and we compare notes on how best to dispose of rubbish. The Irish government is promoting a recyling policy, and charging for landfill rubbish.  This does mean that there are very few bins around that we can use.  We try to keep recyclables separate and find the appropriate bottle banks etc, but I find that I’m using black bags, wet wipes and kitchen towel at a greater rate that I would at home, and can’t find many food watse disposal points.  But hey, it’s bound to be more environmentally friendly than flying somewhere.  Fuel topped up, and homemade scones purchased for later, we decide to skip Belmullet, and do the square loop at Blacksod Bay.  Suitable stopping point found opposite a pub, we turn on the gas to make soup and sandwiches.

After admiring the peaks of Achill over lunch, it’s lovely to make our way onto the island, and follow the signs to the newly opened Achill Seal Caves site (28 euro). The facilities are excellent, with loos and showers (1 euro for 3 minutes, plenty of space to leave towel and clothes), and a campervan servicing bay.  As I’m guiding the van into this, the rear brake light cover strikes a not-very-obvious grey wall and smashes. Ouch!  Oh well, it’s a bit of a rite of passage, and could have been much worse – no bodywork damage.  R gets the roll of clear tape and sets about doing the jigsaw of the smashed pieces.  The rest of us explore the beach.

It is golden sandy with rolling waves, but the sand is a little soft and rocky, and there are quite a few jelly fish washed up, so I’m not tempted to go for a dip.  The Strand Hotel nearby advertises “home cooked food all day!” but this turns out to be only at weekends,  So back to the van for rather tasty steak and veg that we brought with us.  Afterwards, we admire kites being flown on the beach, including an impressive whale, advertising a local pizza place.

Day 4: Keogh’s, Ballyconneely

The morning dawns cloudy but pleasant. so I take Minnie for a run.  However, the loose sheep give us problems: they see her and bolt, she sees them dashing off and wants to give chase. But it’s good to get the endorphins shuggling round my brain, and running on the beach in such surroundings is very therapeutic.

We pack up and head for Westport, one of the places I’d been looking forward to pottering around in.  But it’s a very popular spot, and driving through the town is more than a bit hair raising, with lots of cars double parked, and delivery vans reducing the available lanes.  So that vision of spending some time wandering among the colourful pubs and shops quickly vanishes.  We can’t see anywhere to park, so continue out along the southern shores of Clew Bay, and stop near Croagh Patrick, for a cheese-and-crisp based lunch. From there, it’s my favouite road in the whole world, the Doo Lough pass.  Again, not enough places to stop and photograph, but we enjoy the scenery around Killary Harbour and Leenaun.  Just past Kylemore Abbey, there is a narrow bit of road, and we see another motorhome approach us.  “Breathe in!” I say, but the 2 wing mirrors clip, at a combined speed of about 80 mph, and the mirrors pop out and smash.  We pull over, and the German couple do turn around and come back to us.  I get out the accident form and start completing it, my rusty German being tested severely (Indicator light? Mirror housing? And what date is it anyway?)  A Garda car stops and makes sure there are no injuries, and if we are happy enough just to exchange insurance details then he will leave us to it.  But it’s not just the mirror that is shattered – I’m feeling very stressed out after this, tensed up as if I was in a dentist’s chair, and my heart is in my mouth around each tight bend in the road.

Tonight we are staying at Keogh’s, one of the aires in my Britstops book, which is a large gravelly car park beside a pub-restaurant-shop-filling station. (You had me at pub-restaurant).  Manoevering is made a bit more difficult without a wing mirror, but we get set up, and head across the road to enjoy a super dinner in the outdoor seating area.  The menu is very impressive, and I am spoiled for choice, settling eventually for the seafood platter, including oysters, crab claws and steamed mussels.  It is absolutely delicious.

Day 5: Galway

Overnight, some travelling fair trucks have parked up near us, getting ready for this weekend’s Ballyconneely Show.  But we manage to pick our way out of the park.  No loos in the shop, which opens at 8, only in the pub, which opens at 10.  So we head off for Galway, having researched where the Ford parts dealer is, in the hope that a replacement mirror can be procured. Driving around the iconic stony green Connemara landscape, I imagine a sort of Craft-coffee-shop-with-loos, and lo and behold!  At Glinsk such a miracle appears!  It is lovely, with a very extensive gift shop where we spend some time, and beautiful gardens with a stunning view of the mountains.  I treat myself to a Connemara marble worry stone – just rub it and your worries will disappear!

Soon we are driving along Galway Bay, and stop at Spiddal to make ham-and-crisp sandwiches.  I have a little mosey around the Craft Village, with intriguing basketweaving, glass painting, silver jewellery etc shops.  Well worth a visit!

The sat-nav leads us through the narrow streets in Galway centre, where again double parking and delivery vans make the journey more difficult than it should be.  The parts place is on Headford Road, a large industrial and retail zone with a big Dunnes Stores, Halfords, and  a Pet World. Bad news is they don’t have that mirror in stock, but they can get one for tomorrow.  We head for Salthill camp and caravan park, to find them closed for lunch.  But we can wait.  It’s 40+ euros for the night!  There’s a per adult and per dog charge (what facilities is she going to be using?), 1 euro for shower, 50 cents for hot water to do dishes, 5 for laundry, another 5 for drying, and lots of dictatorial dos and donts on signs around the site.  Depending on which sign you read, check out could be 10.30, 11 or 11.30, so it’s obviously been a contentious issue. I can’t find the promised beach, but I do find Joyce’s supermarket, which is an absolute haven of edible goodies and local produce.  I buy some fancy artisanal yoghurt for breakfast, and some mushrooms which I add to a pack of microwave rice cooked in a saucepan, with crispy bacon for dinner.

I stroll along the coastal path in the evening light, before we join some fellow campers in the recreation room to watch the England-Croatia match.

Day 6: Lough Ennell

Minnie wakes early, and I take her along the coastal path as the sun is rising.  Some photographers are setting up tripods in the outdoor pool and diving area, but I’m not sure what they are expecting. I shower using a plastic bag method: put clean clothes in bag and hang on hook.  Take off dirty clothes and leave in a corner.  Shower, dry, put on clean dry clothes, and place dirty ones in bag.  I do some sun salutation yoga strecthes, and enjoy my hand-knitted hippy yoghurt in the sunshine.   All the hard stands have a grey water drain, so it’s simple enough to get everything ready to go.  Back to the motorparts place, I go for a bit of a walk, and enjoy a cup of tea and a croissant in Dunnes cafe.  I think that’s another thing I find hard on this sort of trip – finding some me-space.   The mirror arrives, R fits it easily enough, and we are soon underway.  We’ve chosen somewhere to stay tonight somewhere that’s on the way home, so it’s goodbye to the Wild Atlantic Way.  And goodbye to the City of Tribes which I didn’t really get to experience – I shall have to return some other time.

We set off on the N6, M6.  There are no service stations, but eventually we find a pull over place, and I rustle up soup and sandwiches and a mug-shot with added cheese for lunch.  Lough Ennell is well signposted, and is a large well spaced site with plenty of wide available spots with EHU and water.  28 euro.  There is a small shop on site (no wine….), but we get some bacon and eggs for dinner.  Being by the Lough, there are quite a few flies around, but a charming family of swans with a group of fluffy cygnets are playing by the water’s edge.  We settle in to watch Lilo and Stich on DVD, an old family favourite, and have an early night.

Day 7: Home

A good night’s sleep, a shower (1 euro), plenty of tea and bacon butties for breakfast, and I’m almost human again. An uneventful journey home (the van is much less rattly on smooth main roads), and we’re home mid afternoon, in time to give the van a good final clean before handing back.

Final verdict?  Motorhoming is not something I’ll be rushing to do again.  It’s a big beast which limits where you can park, and I like to be able to make tea, go pee, and have a shower, without it being a major faff.  But the scenery was marvellous, and I’ll definitely revisit the WAW some day.  Maybe in a sports car……

List of things we should have brought:

  • The list!  Which I thought I’d left on the kitchen table, but which turned up about 3 days in.
  • Scissors
  • Ziplock bags
  • cleaning wipes
  • J cloths
  • Hand towel
  • travel dog crate whcih can be used outside
  • Tether point for long lead
  • handwash
  • Crocs for everyone (I was the ony one who’d packed some, and had to share.  I should have charged by the 3 minutes, same as the campsite showers!)

Filed under: Dogs, Ireland, motorhome, travel, Wild Atlantic Way | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

parkrun tourism (and half cowell!): Castleblayney

Posted on June 23, 2018 by lindaharley

Well whaddya know, I’ve only gone and run my half Cowell! Now my loverly tracker I had created to mark my progress to this, my 50th different event, so it was with some emotion today that I coloured in the final square on the L. I’d chosen Castleblayney as my mother had lived there for a while when she was a wee girl. She still reminisces about having to walk a mile to the National School, where they were taught in Irish, but all she can remember is ta rasha fada, ta rasha Fol (fly away Peter, fly away Paul).

Access:
Google maps offered me a choice of 3 routes, all of which would take me around 1 hour and 8 minutes. My own sat nav couldn’t recognise “Castleblayney”, so I chose the familiar outward route down to Dundalk and turn inland at junction 17. Crossing the winding Irish Border a few times as I headed west, the roads were good and nice to drive on, a few tractors to sit behind, but a very pleasant drive. The instructions on the parkrun page were good, and was pulling into the ample car park at Muckno Street well before 9.  The sat nav took me back through Keady and Armagh, so a few additional broder crossings…..

Facilities:
Parking aplenty, I did struggle to find loos onsite (though they were available in the little room used afterwards).

Crowd:
Numbers are small here, you are guaranteed a good finish position!  Youngish crowd, and Minnie and I were thrilled to meet little puppy Charlie.  No doubt he will be barkrunning at some stage in his future!

I got chatting to a couple touristing from London, whose local was Ally Pally, and who were also visiting family at Dundalk.   They were fascinated that my parkrunDANCER challenge had used those particular runs for the D and A.

Course:

I do love a forested course, and this was delightful.  Two laps through beautiful trees and shrubs, past lakeside and ducks, and foxgloves and rhododendron and a crumbling pile that I really want to win the lottery and restore. The path is compacted stone, there’s a few testing inclines, and I swear that second lap is longer than the first. It’s quite narrow in parts, if you need to overtake.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

I’m still working on running without headphones, but Classic Rock FM on the way down played Supertramp and “It’s Raining Again”. The weather on the way down was very wet, with a lot of surface water, but as I reached Castleblayney a little patch of blue sky appeared and the sun shone for as long as needed during the run.  Being so tree lined, there’s plenty of shade from the sun.

Gear:

My Garmin actually worked, for once!  I wore my cow leggings, Hoka trainers, and I’d adapted my milestone 50 Tshirt to list all 50 of the events.  This Tee had previously done duty as a 150 T, so I had to find a way of disguising the additional 1, hence the hashtag coverup.  I got talking afterwards to some people interested in running with dogs, so I showed them my waist belt and running line.  Having arms free is good, dog on a short but bungee line, and dog using a harness that pulls from the body/ chest rather than the neck.  No extendable leads, no way no how.

Time:

I was pretty happy with a sub-30.  I did my usual fast start, and was overtaken by 3 females, and so ending as 5th female encourages me that I can return some time in the future and nab a podium position!

And the rest:

It was all about the cow.  I’d put a lot into preparing for this.  I’d had the T shirt printed (huge thanks to Paul Knight at Print NI), and worked out how I was going to do a cake. Sainsburys came up with the yellow and black icing, and the “decorate it yourself” cake.  Lakeland had the cow cookie cutter.  And if I say I used Stolichnaya vodka for the cleaning of the cake do you think they might send me free samples?

I know there were some photos taken on the day, but I haven’t been able to access them.  When and if I can, I will add them in.

 

Coming soon – “50 ways to reach a parkrun – da movie!”

 

All My parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

Filed under: Ireland, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

parkrun tourism: Oldbridge

Posted on May 26, 2018 by lindaharley

parkrun #208 event #49

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It had always been my plan to use the lighter mornings in spring and summer to tick off some of the Irish parkruns that are about an hour – hour and a half away from me.  Living south of Belfast, and close to the motorway junction, the journey to Oldbridge, Drogheda, was very straightforward, and on a balmy May day, was very pleasant indeed.

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Access:

The event takes place in the Oldbridge estate, site of the Battle of the Boyne.

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So there are plenty of brown tourist signs guiding the way.  My trip took me over the fabulous Mary Macaleese Bridge, and you will need euro coins for the toll (1.90 at time of writing.  Notes are accepted also).  There’s plenty of car parking. It was a little late starting the day I visited due to an Orange March, but I gather this is a once a year thing.

Course:

The course is mostly grass underfoot, so it can get slippy, and trail shoes would be a good option.

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It starts down near the wooden triangle huts, runs up to and in front of the big house, up a short sharp incline, along a ridge, into a field for a lap, back along the ridge and down the incline, and a few more field laps, with no repeated sections. Finish is close to the start, and you can leave keys in a bag, coats and water bottles under a tree where the scanning takes place. All the junctions are well marked or marshalled.

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There are some fabulous old trees in the estate, so there is occasional shade, but a lot of the course is quite exposed.  I can imagine during the winter it is a testing course. Fantastic views of the suspension bridge!

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Facilities:

Ther are nice clean loos in the car park, and a cafe on site, though runners are asked to change out of grassy shoes if they are going indoors.

Crowd:

Typical numbers are about 100, mostly youngish.  There were a few other dog runners there, I don’t think the course would be easy for buggies or wheelchairs. I didn’t get a chance to stick around afterwards, but everyone was friendly and chatty at the start.

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Gear:

It was a warm morning, over 20 degrees even at this time of day, but with a bit of a breeze.  I was glad I’d opted for the sleeveless apricot shirt and calf length trousers.  My garmin died half way round, and I wasn’t using headphones.

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Time:

Minnie was struggling in the heat towards the end of the run, so we tucked in just over 30 minutes.  Don’t worry, we’ll be back some time and I can snatch a PB!

All My parkruns:

summary list of parkruns

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Filed under: Ireland, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

parkrun tourism: Griffeen Park

Posted on May 20, 2018 by lindaharley

Run #207, event # 48, alphabeteer letter G

 

Being an alphabeteer is sometimes frustrating.  We are all still waiting for someone to start a parkrun beginning with X, and the currently available Zs are a loooooong way away.  But even within the UK and Irish set there are some letters that really ought to be more easy to capture than they are.  One of those is letter G.  I was disappointed on a recent visit to Glasgow to find no letter Gs there, but I always enjoy ticking off another Dublin parkrun, and so I planned to combine my visit to the annual Dublin Scottish Dance Club dance with a trip to Griffeen Park.  And was keen to show off my new bobble cow hat!

Access:

Griffeen is in a somewhat residential area west of the M50, near Lucan.  In fact my sat nav took me first to a cul de sac of houses at the back of the park.

But a quick consult of the course map on the parkrun page led me round the corner, where there is a small car park.  There’s a GAA field in the park as well, so the car park can fill up quite quickly.

I was there typically early (I always allow for sat-nav disagreements) but when I was leaving there were quite  a few vehicles parked on the nearby verges.  There are no loos in the park.

Crowd:

I apporached a small group of people who looked like runners, who assured me that I was in the right place, and chatted to me in a very welcoming and friendly fashion.

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Paul was most interested in my alphabet challenge, and Pat the first timers briefer made sure I got a shout out in the tourist welcome.  The average number of runners is 150,  it was a glorious sunny day when I was there, and there were 183 there, including some newbies.

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Course:

2 laps, fairly flat, across 2 bridges and past some lovely shrubs and trees.

The start and finish are beside each other, and there’s a box for leaving keys in.  All the junctions are well signposted and/or marshalled.

 

Gear:

I deliberately had no watch or ear phones with me, in fact the only thing on my wrists was my barcode.  I’d been low-carbing all week, and so had been trying to get more in tune with my body.  So I wanted to be aware of how it was coping, and tell it to get a move on into the fat-burning mode! Part of low carbing involves drinking copious amounts of water, which I had been doing.  Except for Friday when I dialled it back a bit in view of the 3 hour car journey I had to take.  So my mouth on Saturday morning was extremely dry.

Anyway, having no headphones allows for a bit of banter with the marshalls and fellow runners.

Time:

I’m still struggling to get anywhere near 30 mins, but I really enjoyed my 33 minute canter around, and finished with my usual skip-change-step over the finish line.

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Post-run:

I’d planned to join the crew at the local Starubucks, but my sat nav couldn’t find it.  Instead I ended up in Lucan, where there was a service station and Macdonalds complex, including a healthy food place called Chopped, where I tucked into a lovely omelette with ham, tomato and feta.

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And the rest:

It was quite the weekend of dancing!  I’d thoroughly enjoyed Hofesh Schecter’s “Show” at the Mac on Thursday evening, full of macabre energy and pulsating rhythym. I treated myself to some glimpses of new workds on Saturday afternoon as part of Dublin Dance festival, and danced the night away with our Dublin friends on Saturday night, donning my fascinator in order to be properly attired for the day-appropriate “Haste to the Royal Wedding”.

All my parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

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Filed under: Dublin, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Eurovision 2018 – preview

Posted on May 6, 2018 by lindaharley

I’ve treated myself to the CD of this year’s songs in advance of watching any of the contest.  It came with free coasters!

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I —pressganged-– persuaded cuz-in-law Karen to listen to them on the way to and from Coleraine for a dancing weekend, where we were undoubtedly the belles of the ball!

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Her comments are marked K, and have marks out of 10.

So here’s our thoughts on each one.

Bingo Card Squares this year: 

Award yourself a shot of the European tipple of your choice (and a Baileys in memory of Sir Terry) when you hear:

A song in waltz time, something about canonballs, breathy whispery female vocals, a brass instrument played in a jaunty fashion, something about storms,  anything “featuring” someone else. Oh, and the once compulsory keychange is in short supply this year too, so feel free to down a slivovitz when you hear one.  Last year’s Portugese winner seems to have influenced this year’s entries – there’s more being sung in own language rather than English, and quite a few understated and emotionally charged deliveries.  But it’s a wide menu, including country rock, rap, reggae, opera, and jazz.  Lots of one word titles and a darker Game of Thrones feel with Bones, Stones, Storm, Monsters and Taboo.

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In alphabetical order (as per the CD):

1. Albania “Mall” Eugent Bushpepa

That name is from a kid’s cartoon character, surely! First of the songs in triple time. Male singer with a decent voice, comfortable at both soft and loud volumes.  Acoustic guitar. No idea what it’s about.

K: Happy, hold your lighters up song. 6

 

2. Armenia “Qami” Sevak Khanagyan

A slow and wistful ballad, with inventive backing twiddles. Instantly forgettable.

K: Boring, but would be a great Scrabble score. 2

3. Australia “We Got Love” Jessica Mauboy

This is a perky enough tune, but I don’t feel it’s as strong as its Aussie predecessors. There are some very trite lyrics such as “at the end of the day, we’ve only got ourselves to blame”.   There are many Twitter comments on the dress.

K: Good beat, very Kylie-y.  Needs a wind machine, but catchy hook. 7

4. Austria “Nobody but You” Cesar Sampson

Smoky jazzy, piano ballad, segue-ing into a gospel choir number. Favourite lyric “Don’t make me tear my heart out, I’m shaking till I fall down”.

K: Is this Rag’n’Bone Man? 6

5. Azerbaijan “X My Heart” Aisel

“Every night you fill the sky with new revelations”.   I’m Stronger than canonballs! But tear down the firewalls.  Interesting mix of time periods there.

K: Generic 2

6. Belgium “A Matter of Time” Sennek

Smoky jazz, breathy female vocal, Kylie’s Confide In Me, crossed with a James Bond theme tune.  Some very forced rhymes – station, combination, imagination, sensation.

K: Jazzy Bond theme, I can see the opening credits now… 5

7. Bulgaria “Bones” Equinox

Sparse and atmospheric opening, bit like Rag’n’Bone Man’s Human.  A capella Bridge to the more rocky chorus.  Second vocal is very different, and sounds a bit auto-tuned, don’t know if they blend well.

K: Very atmospheric, I’m expecting a lot of grey on stage. 4

8. Belarus “Forever” Alekseev

Breathy male vocal. Sparse piano.  God this plods along, is it only 1 minute gone?  It’s living up to its name.

K: Samey, a bit “cut’n’paste” 4

9. Switzerland “Stones” ZIBBZ

6/8 time, builds to a throaty raucous chorus “think different is the enemy”  Oooh, something about canonballs!

K: Canonballs! 6

10. Cyprus “Fuego” Eleni Foueira

One of my early favourites on first listen, and one that I replay frequently.  I can definitely hear this being played at beach bars at cocktail hour on a Mediterranean island this summer. Favourite lyric:  “you got me pelican fly-fly-flying”

K: Rhianna-like, good dance rhythym. 7

11. Czech Republic “Lie to me” Mikolas Josef

Remember J Lo’s squeaky bike wheel song from a while back?  Add in a sleazy trumpet motif, and a bit of rappy style delivery,  a nod to Robin Thicke, and a wee bit of indistinct scat singing.

K: Bruno Mars, but needs more cowbell. 7

12. Germany “You Let Me Walk Alone” Michael Schulte

Sounds a bit likeThe Script, but I’m confused as to what it’s about.  Is it a tribute to single Moms?  A complaint about an absent father?

K: Depressing as. 3

13. Denmark “Higher Ground” Rasmussen

Heavy influence from the Game of Thrones theme tune, this evokes Viking longships, and horned helmets.  Waltz time points! One of my faves, but I’m not sure it’s a winner.

K: The drums! Edinburgh Tattoo! 8

14. Spain “Tu Cancion” Amaia y Alfred

A sweet love song performed by two genuine and adorable young lovers.  This has been getting quite a lot of attention, but it doesn’t move me much.

K: Booooo-ring. 2

15. Estonia “La Forza” Elina Nechayeva

Opera, finishing with a note that only dogs can hear.  Mozart’s Queen of the Night aria comes to mind.

K: Operatic, slow and high.  Very very high. 4

16. Finland “Monsters” Saara Aalto

Saara got some UK coverage when whe appeared on the X Factor, and is a belter of a singer. The kiddies nursery rhymish “I aint scared no more” will have wide appeal.

K: Good singer! 6

17. France “Mercy” Madame Monsieur

Sultry jazzy female voice to open it – I was born this morning and my name is Mercy.

K:  Je m’ennui. 4

18. UK “Storm” SuRie

I voted for this one at the “You Decide” rounds, and I still think it’s a great song.  SuRie is a veteran Eurovizer, having been involved in 2 previous entries.  So I think she will be a stong contender, and has a lovely self-deprecating manner.  It’s the kind of song that would have done well 5-10 years ago, but I’m not so confident about it this year.  I’m going to stick my neck out and say it’ll be in the top ten.

K: She looks – and sounds – a bit like Annie Lennox. 5

19. Georgia “For You” Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao.

This is that song from near the end of the first act of the musical, where the two main protagonists both independently realise that they were wrong, and sing on a balcony, or under a tree, while the audience wonders if they have time to get a choc ice as well as go to the loo during the interval. There’s jazz in the name of the band, but very little in the music.

K: Jazz, what? Linda says she will eat her hat if this gets through the semis. 3

20. Greece “Oniro Mou” Yianna Terzi

Atmospheric opening, with deep and meaningful female vocal, there’s some sort of ethnic wind instrument thing going on there with orchestration.  Sounds very ominous.  No clue what it’s about, could be the difficulty in obtaining decent feta these days.

K:  It’s about how great Greece is, obvs. 3

21. Croatia “Crazy” Franka

Reminds me of Sam Brown and Stop. But with a rap insert referencing Bonnie and Clyde, for extra cool pointz.  Favourite lyric “I will remember roses and horses in the rain.” Jazzy trumpet.

K: Looks like Shania Twain.  Please can we stop with the rap! 4

22. Hungary “Viszlat Nyar” AWS

Bit of a rocking tune, Foo Fighters. Highly unlikely to trouble the juries, but I’ll smile when I hear it on my running playlist.

K: Go the Foo Fighters! 7

23. Ireland “Together” Ryan O’Shaughnessy.

I’m trying to like this one, but it’s a bit insipid.  He sounds very like his high pitched mentor and former Irish entrant Brian Kennedy, but the song is just a bit too slow tempo and forgettable.

K: It’s a bit meh.  Ireland have lost their magic touch. 3

24. Iceland “Our Choice” Ari Olafsson

And we’re back in the Andrew Lloyd Weber musical.  This time it’s the male lead,  half way through the second act showing off his range and prompting the upper circle to reach for their tissues, and the male audience members cross their legs at those high notes.

K: Belongs in a musical. 3

25. Israel “TOY” Netta

Nikki Minaj in a toyshop.  Favourite lyric “I’m taking my pikachu home”.  Is it scat singing or just beat boxing or some other form of singing that we haven’t yet come across. Or possibly a guest vocal by a passing chicken.  Astonishingly this has good odds.

K: Quirky, got a good beat! 7

26. Italy “Non Mi Aveta Fatto Niente” Ermai Meta and Fabrizio Moro

It’s very Italian, innit. Music to play while driving your soft top Alfa round the winding wine growing regions of Tuscany.

K: I’m singing “If Iwere a rich man……yabbadabba dabba dabba” 6

27. Lithuania “When We’re Old” Ieva Zasimauskaita

Breathy female vocal. Song about growing old together. “These are the reasons, I want you to know, you made this place feel like home”.

K: This is so boring even she’s yawning during the chorus.2

28. Latvia “Funny Girl” Laura Rizzotto

Another 3/4 song.  “Tell me what you’re looking for, I promise you I got it all”.  Drippy ending.

K: so-so.5

29. Moldova “My Lucky Day” DoReDps

Polka dot polka dot afro circus!

K: Very upbeat!7

30. FYROM “Lost and Found” Eye Cue

This was clearly written by 3 different composers who didn’t communicate during the composition process.  Intro: contemporary pop Verse: reggae Bridge : sparse contemporary Chorus: chanty Ibiza clubby.  I will eat (one of my ) hats if this gets through the semis.

K: Disjointed.4

31. Malta “Taboo” Christabelle

Spooky intro (got the memo, check) .  Build into Taylor Swift-esque refrain, which – pet hate of mine – puts the emphasis on the word THE. Break THE taboo.

K: no comments recorded.5

32. Montenegro “Inje” Vanja Radovanovic

Smoky piano bar crooning. Very sparse notes-of-the-scale tune in the chorus.  You know on Pointless when they have LockDown, and Xander starts the old chaning monks thing.  I want there to be candle-bearing chanting monks in this.  Big finish!

K: BORING!2

33. The Netherlands “Outlaw In’em” Waylon

This was love at first hear for me, and it’ll be a permanent feature on my  running playlist.  Very Guns’n’Roses/ Aerosmith, but I’m not sure if it’ll have Europe-wide appeal.  Favourite lyric ”  everybody got a little front man swagger, stone cold-rollin’ like a young Mick Jagger”. And awwww, leopardskin-jacketed Waylon’s girlfriend has announced they are expecting, so she does have a little outlaw in her.  Song should really have a “yeeehaw!” to finish.  My line dancing sis will enjoy it.

K: Yeeehaw!9

 

34. Norway “That’s How You Write a Song” Alexander Rybak

Euroviz royalty and former winner Alexander is an engaging and infectious performer.  Includes jazz violin and some scat singing, and puts me in mind of Jamiroquai. “Enjoy the small things, in time they will get big”.   But I’m pretty sure there are more than two steps to writing a song.   Aren’t there tune and words and copyright and musical scoring aspects to consider? Ach I know, bless my naievity for expecting lyrics to make some sort of sense.

K: Up town funk you up, with a smidge of Minnie the Moocher.7

35. Poland “Light Me Up” Gromee feat Lukas Meijor

Does he need someone to strike a match for his ciggie? There’s hints of Take That in the tune, with a club friendly middle 8. Help me to ignite…

K: I really hope that the stage show includes his suit lighting up in different colours.5

36. Portugal “O Jardim” Claudia Pascoal feat Isaura

Breathy female vocal, reminscent of Dido, with hints of Ray of Light.  I might sneak this into my top ten.

K: very slow.5

37. Romania “Goodbye” the Humans

Deep and meaningful preachiness  moving into Pat Benetar.

K: Sounds like Pink.4

38. Russia “I wont Break” Julia Samoylova

When it comes to emotions from the deepest of oceans, I won’t give in to the notion

K: I’m going to give this 5, in case Putin reads this blog.

39. San Marino “Who we Are” Jessika feat Jennifer Brening

One of my favourites this year, though I think it’s too similar to Heroes to get away with winning. I like the message about being yourself, bit worried that her voice isn’t going to be strong enough live.  “In the middle of the storm we’re standing tall”. Rap section.

K: Spice Girls, I’ll tell you what I want what I really really want.7

40. Serbia “Nova Deca” Sanja Illic and Balkanika

Oh good some classic Euroviz warbling and obscure instrument blowing! I’ll be astonished if this survives the semis.

K: Warbling and hymn like, Greek like.5

41. Slovenia “Hvala Me” Lea Sirk

Soundtrack by that cymbal playing toy monkey, and the budget clearly didn’t stretch to a tune, as it seems to be just the one note.

K: She sounds really upset about something.2

42. Sweden “Dance You Off” Benjamin Ingresso

Can’t decide if its Timberlake or Beiber, but it’s one of the Justins, innit.  I’m not clear how you “dance someone off”, but it’s a nice song, and he’s an attractive guy.

K: He sounds like a girl.4

43. Ukraine “Under the Ladder” MELOVIN

Sounds like a Money Supermarket insurance advert.  Maybe it is – offering protection for accidents caused by ignoring superstitions.  Bit of a slowed-down section, then speeds up again for the big finish. Maniac, maniac on the floor….

K: Will there be ladders on stage, though?  Has someone done a risk assessment? 5

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MY FAVOURITES

I’m notoriously rubbish at predicitng the winer, but I’d love to see in the Top Ten:  UK, Cyprus, San Marino, Denmark, Portugal, Norway, Poland, Moldova, Austria, with the Netherlands to win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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