Adventure Bike Rider Forum

Couple more pics of Benburb Castle & Friary

Bonamargry Friary. Located on the main coastal road just outside Ballycastle, Co Antrim
No proper seats/tables but lots of places to take a seat to take it in.

A nice wee corner reserved for sailors who perished during WW1 & 2
Also a solitary RAF grave from WW2

I sometimes stop and take a look when I see the green Common Wealth Graves Commision signs on the side of the road have a wander through the graveyard searching out the last resting place of some military personnel. They are dotted about all over, of course nothing like what can be found in parts of N France or Belgium where they are almost a part of the landscape. There are all kinds of objects of interest out there to find on a pretty average bike ride if we take the time to look, Well done Mr lock.

Back in Fermanagh & a wee favourite spot of mine to have a break. Located on Boa Island on the A47 between Kesh & Belleek which is part of a great route that links Enniskillen, Kesh & Belleek around the shore of Lower Lough Erne. Roughly 50 miles. Apparently this location was also a satellite station for the Coastal Command Flying Boats in WW2. Has now the added bonus of a great wee Coffee shack

Ardboe Cross, on the western shore of Lough Neagh.
A nice spot to stop with great views across the Lough towards the Mourne Mountains.

Signposted at Ardboe village on the Mullanahoe Road. Also part of the 100 mile national cycle route around the Lough

Greyabbey Bay, Strangford Lough. Located just south of Greyabbey village. Has recently been re-surfaced, tarmac & new seats. Plenty of space & great views across Strangford Lough. The village has a nice selection of coffee shops, restaurant/pub & antique shops.

We have just decided to do our tour of coastal Ireland in the autumn and these photos reinforce it.
Sadly it will be by car and looking at about four weeks-ish.

Been to the Causeway coast and across to Marin - once for a golf week, the other for a holiday, but not really been anywhere else except County Down for golf so really excited about the trip. Just need to sort out a number of 3 or 4 night stopovers. Not keen on trekking from hotel to hotel anymore after our US trip last year.

Back to your photos, we had a near trauma with our Bonneville in Denmark on fresh tarmac back in the late 70’s.
Fully laden with camping gear we popped it on the centre stand (it needed both of us to hoick it up) and went for a walk.
Sat on a bench near the car park with a bite of lunch and saw two guys round the bike so I ran down the road.
One guy was holding it up while the other was pulling it upright - huge hole in new tarmac in the heat and the bike was a couple of degrees from going over.
They had got back just in time to rescue their BMW from the same fate and spotted mine on the move as well.

Re Ballycastle. We were staying near Bushmills and found White Park Bay but didn’t fancy all the steps down and back. A couple of days later we went into Balintoy and found you can easily walk round the headland to the bay. A lovely peaceful spot out of season.

Sounds like a great trip David. Thankfully I didn't have the same problem with the tarmac at Greyabbey!

Whitepark Bay would be my favourite beach in Northern Ireland - usually quiet, mainly, as you mentioned, it's a bit out of the way. Once down there we came across this baby seal
Took a liking to us & we had to get off side sharpish. Reported it to local wardens who said that it's mum would have left it there whilst she went out hunting.

Stopped here earlier today.

Quay Road, Downpatrick. Off the Downpatrick to Strangford Road (A25) Plenty of parking space & picnic tables. Quite sheltered with pleasent views.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Quoil ... urce=mlpwa