Sunday, 20 April 2025

BIKING BIRDER I June 7th to 9th 2010 Volkswagen Magic and The Giant's Causeway

 


7th June 2010
















8th June 2010

Rain and lots of it. It lasted all day and I indulgently relaxed in the company of a wonderful man, Paul, whose wife Majic, had gone to work. The previous evening I had met these two brilliant people after they had invited me to stay. They had heard me on BBC Ulster and phoned me up, offering accommodation. Meeting them and sharing a meal, tales and ambitions, dreams and events, was a true highlight. Paul and Majic had got married in Las Vegas, with Elvis attending and singing a few of his hits, a true burlesque wedding.

This September they will be returning to the US in order to participate in the Bonneville speed trials in a VW Beetle. Paul went last year but did not drive on this occasion. Team Ireland though did take part though and missed the record by only a few Mph. Paul talked about his taking part in the Shasta Snow Trip '08 :

 www.backroadbus.com/TripsSST08

and the forthcoming 'wedding' reception.

Majic loves elephants and they were planning to go next year to Kenya.

In the evening we sat and ate popcorn whilst watching a great film about Burt Monroe. IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW THROUGH YOUR DREAMS, YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE A VEGETABLE - A CABBAGE. Burt took an Indian Scout motorbike to Bonneville and broke 200mph. The story can be found on this link and is well worth reading. http://www.indianmotorbikes.com/features/munro/munro.htm


Off to the Giant's Causeway next day 9th June 2010, via Bushmills. Shame I do not drink whisky; the World's Oldest distillery was here, and I was just in time to see Prince Edward and Sophie leaving on their way to Rathlin Island.































































































This amazing place was terribly busy and after a walk down to the rocks, I took my lunch sitting on a particularly attractive hexagonal one. OK so there were 40,000 other ones that look almost the same.
After lunch I walked around the whole of the World Heritage site. Immense cliffs and superb views with the whole arena making the causeway look quite small. Back to it though, now with fewer people and a couple of ‘real’ Rock Doves, so I will now count them on my year list [203], flew around. A Common Seal came quite close, inquisitively and a lot of adult Gannets were fishing here.
Right, who in their right mind would push a fully loaded bicycle five miles or so along the cliff edge, from the Giant's Causeway to Dunseverick and enjoy every minute of it? So what if there were large stiles and many steps up followed by many steps down. The whole push took a couple of hours and the views are amazing. Fabulous cliffs with thousands of Heath-spotted and Northern Marsh orchids dotted around the adjacent fields.
I cycled to the Carrick a Rede rope bridge and camped nearby. The end of yet another wonderful day.









































































Question to ask, as well as carrier bags, should a tax be put on plastic bottles to pay someone to pick up the millions thrown out of cars and now to be seen beside every road side, floating in any water system or to be found washed up on every beach in the world?

Tickle My Feathers




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