Day: |
078 |
Date: |
Friday, 10 June 2016 |
Start: |
Ballynure |
Finish: |
Belfast |
Daily
Kilometres: |
26 |
Total
Kilometres: |
2157 |
Weather: |
Mild, humid and hazy to mid-afternoon, then
overcast with rain. |
Accommodation: |
Bramble Lodge B&B, Bangor |
Nutrition: |
Breakfast: Cereal, scrambled eggs &
smoked salmon, toast & jam Lunch: Sandwich Dinner:
Cod, chips & mushy peas, ice-cream |
Aches: |
None |
Highlight: |
None really |
Lowlight: |
The last 90 minutes of today's walk by a
freeway and then through an industrial area which seemed to go on
forever when I was hoping for a short day. To add to my
misery, it began raining hard. Then, to cap it off, when I
reached Belfast and caught a train to Bangor (and my B&B) I had to
stand up in the crowded peak-hour train, wet and stinking, I'm sure. |
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
Here |
Journal: |
The day started well with a good breakfast
and no problems catching my bus from Larne back to Ballynure where I
stopped walking yesterday. I was looking forward to a
relatively easy roadwalk into Belfast, despite a latish start
(10:30am).
I picked rural backroads into the northern suburbs
of Belfast on a warm and sticky morning, and then it seemed to cool
a little as I joined a bicycle route that would take me all the way
into the city. As I neared the coast, I bought a sandwich from
a store near the bike path and when I reached the coast found a park
bench overlooking the sea to have my lunch. A few ships were
going in and out of the port, and people were out walking and riding
along the path, which was quite scenic apart from the uninviting
brownish water in the bay. Despite the persistent heavy haze I
could just make out the cranes in the distant Belfast seaport and
shipyards (home of the Titanic) along with a large ferry.
After lunch I followed the bike path towards Belfast and enjoyed the
scenery, but it all went downhill with about 7km to go, when the
path turned inland and paralleled a busy and noisy freeway before
entering an industrial and port area that seemed to go on endlessly.
It began raining heavily, I put on my jacket, and just continued
plodding along wanting the day to end. Eventually, I reached
the city area around 4:40pm and made a beeline for the railway
station where I caught a train for Bangor, about 20km out of town,
which is on my route and was the only place near to Belfast where I
could get reasonably-priced accommodation on the weekend.
It
was peak hour and the train was full. Even I think I smell,
especially when I'm wet, and I pitied my fellow passengers, though
no more than I pitied myself having to stand all the way when I
dearly wanted to sit down. At Bangor it was still raining as I
walked 400m to my B&B and checked in without a problem. Later,
I walked into the beach resort shopping centre and bought some
take-out dinner.
Tomorrow I plan to catch a train back into
Belfast, have a look around and then walk back to Bangor tomorrow
afternoon. I might just take a small foldable day-pack I have
and maybe even just wear my spare (running) shoes for the day.
My feet are already getting excited about that prospect. |
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track (2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
(2010)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|