GREEN AND COPPER

​We have had a long list of things to do and see while in Ireland, but being down to our last few days, we’ve had to prioritize.

Tuesday was a fun day of exercise and exploration. Tom, from one of the rider groups in Ireland had given us a number of things to do in the Waterford area, this being his neck of the woods. One of these suggestions was to cycle the Waterford Greenway, locally known as the Déise Greenway. It used to be a railway line and has been converted to a 46 km cycling and walking path.  Along its length, there are reputed to be eleven bridges, a tunnel that is almost ½ a kilometre long, and three viaducts!  Seeing as 46 kms is a bit of a stretch for yours truly, even on an electric bike, we started at the town of Dungarvan.

 I travelled by motorcycle and Peter travelled by car. We booked bikes online and there were two shops on the same street, in close proximity to each other. Of course we got the wrong one first – a little too bad as the first shop seemed much more organized and on top of things. All the same, we got our bikes and off we went. We cycled about 5 kms before stopping at the old train station for a break. There is a little restaurant there with picnic tables outside and to be respectful, we went in to buy a couple of drinks before sitting at a table to eat the sandwiches we brought with us. Being ignored by the staff while they walked by me 3 times was just about enough to make me leave and go eat our sandwiches anyway, but finally someone acknowledged me and drinks were acquired. In hindsight, the outside tables are not restaurant tables and we could have just had our water and sandwiches anyway. Re-energized with lunch, we headed out again, riding down as far as the long tunnel and across a couple of bridges with gorgeous views of the landscape. Photo ops everywhere of course, with more pullouts for breaks than all the highways in Ireland have.

After a great time on the greenway, we met with Tom in the car park who had come over with his motorcycle to meet us.  Having spent more time than planned on the greenway, we decided that by the time we made it to the BnB, that would be enough of a day.  So Peter headed off with the car and Tour Guide Tom led me on a motorcycle ride along the Copper Coast, pointing out sites and telling me the local stories. 

The first actual stop we made was at the old Tankardstown Copper Mine site at Knockmahon.  In the early 1850s, a copper mine was on this site, employing over 2000 workers who mined copper from 200 metres under the ocean. The remaining ruins are of the engine houses, which housed massive engines used to hoist materials in and out of the shafts.  The ore from the site was crushed to eliminate some waste, but then shipped to Wales for smelting. For 25 years the ore was aggressively mined until depleted, at which time the shafts were flooded and the workers left to fend for themselves, leaving workers unemployed and families without resources.

We stopped at Boatstrand Harbour where Tom said they do a lot of lifeguard training, and which is the marine search and rescue centre in the area. Training is done right there in the busy harbour with boats coming and going and no wetsuits – real world experiences. 

​I know you’ve seen people walking their dogs, but when was the last time you saw someone swimming their horse! I guess it used to be a training thing for race horses, but it’s not seen very much anymore here. Not in the ocean anyway. The horse seemed to be loving it.

Somewhere in there is a massive tree that has the most amazing chainsaw carving I've ever seen in real life. The old tree needed to be cut down and the owner was approached by an artist who asked if he could carve it. Obviously, permission was granted and the result is astounding. 

Our next stop was at a beach where there was an old lime kiln like the one at the Lough Gur site. The beach was beautiful. Tom pointed out a little island and said many years ago, a couple of guys had robbed a shop in Dungarvan and took off in the direction of this beach. With the Garda hot on their trail, they crashed into the rock wall at the entrance and headed for the little island. The Garda followed them and stood on the beach and waited…..because at low tide the island becomes exposed and can be walked out to. Needless to say, it was an unsuccessful heist.

It was time to stop for a break, so we headed for the Tramore Promenade’s Sandcastle Cafe for a coffee, and in my case, a coffee and a gelato.  This was a common spot for riders to meet up, but none today so we had a great time chatting and talking about our various journeys. Tom and his wife Fiona have been all over Europe by motorcycle and have lots of stories to tell.  We took the obligatory selfie, including Monkey, who insinuated himself into Tom and Fiona’s life somewhere along the way and accompanies them on all rides.

The last leg was a short one, so Tom led me to the Passage East ferry to cross the little estuary that would put me on the road to our BnB at Rosslare.  A lovely little place again!  Peter was already there, so I parked the bike and we went for dinner before turning in and preparing for the next day, which would be a long one. 

All in all, a successful day!  Good exercise, great motorcycle ride, and a new friend! Life is good.