Giant’s Causeway - Castlerock via Ballymoney
46 km
Saturday 11th September 2010
This was the day of our visit to the Outdoor Life bike shop in Ballymoney to get the spokes fixed. George had packed 5 spare spokes (just the right number) but we had no tools for removing the cassette and the disk brake from the back wheel. The owner was on his own, but was very helpful and worked on our wheel between dealing with customers. The job he did was excellent - we owe him a big vote of thanks for rescuing our trip, and he charged us only £14!
The day was rather wet, so we waited in the Grounds coffee bar and also visited the local museum, which contained an excellent collection of objects donated by local people with a new section on cycling which included a penny farthing, a bone shaker, a Moulton Speed Six and a Peugeot racer.
The bike was ready at about 3:30 and after waiting for the rain to stop, we set off at about 4pm.
We found a quiet route beside the River Bann, a big river with marinas, all the way into Coleraine. In the central pedestrianised area of Coleraine, we found Bridge Street and rejoined the Sustrans 93 coast route where it crosses over a new Millenium pedestrian and cycle bridge. This route has to take a detour via Coleraine as there is no bridge over the wider estuary.
We walked the short way down to the beach but the clouds and dampness spoilt our enjoyment of the sea scene. We soon went for a meal at the Bistro which is in the former station building.
Carneety House B and B Castlerock
Carneety House is a farm and livery stable. We left the tandem in a stable. Although it is on the corner of the main coast road and the little road into Castlerock, it was quiet inside the house. We walked the half-mile or so into Castlerock for a reasonable dinner at the pub in the old railway station. The breakfast was good - porridge and fruit salad. As usual, we opted out of the full irish on offer.
