My bovine alarm clock went off shortly before 5 am. Some young cows in an adjacent field took it upon themselves to herald the arrival of dawn. They did this by mooing to all and sundry.
The sun rose. It was lovely morning.
Opening the back door, two furry faces appeared. The two collies, Ben and Roy, came to say hello and get a chin scratch. What a lovely way to start the day.
We bid farewell to Gerry and Josephine and set off. The L1053 initially strikes north through green and rolling pasture land. Deciduous trees in full leaf line the road. The smell under their canopy in the early morning is divine.
We pass through Gortletteragh and Mohill and join the R202. We ramp up the pace a little as this road has an 80 KMH speed limit and is more open. We continue into the small town of Dromod and park at the railway station. To be found here is the Cavan and Leitrim Railway museum.
Alas, it is closed. Peering through the fence, we see an odd collection of planes. There are old buses and various railway wagons and coaches, all in a sad state of decay. They hope for restoration one day. Andy spies somebody working in one of the dilapidated coaches. He says there is a steam engine coming tomorrow. We will miss it. We move on.
Taking the L1601, we progress north again up the east side of Lough Bofin and Lough Boderg. At Drumsna, we cross the River Shannon. The last time we crossed it was by ferry from Tarbert on the west coast. It is still a wide and impressive river this far inland.
Sticking to small and narrow local roads, we take the L1405 south through rolling farmland. This road is a single-lane track through woodlands and fields and is a delight to ride.
Arriving into Stokestown, we stop to refuel the bikes. What strikes me is that this entire area is one enormous dairy area. As far as the eye can see, green pastures and meadows stretch away to the horizons. Small hamlets of a few houses dot the landscape.
Frequent stops are made to let tractors bimble passed.
Continuing on to Ballyleague and Roscommon, it is time for a coffee. Roscommon is a busy wee place, and we park rather naughtily on a pavement in the square.
This is a pretty town with a rather impressive looking bank in the town square.
Andy finds a very nice cafe for a sojourn. On returning to the bikes, we see a man sitting on a bench with two golden retrievers at his feet. I ask whether I can say hello to them. They are 2 ½ and 4 years old. Beautiful, placid, and loved a scratch. So much so that the younger one kept putting her paw on me when I stopped.
We bid them farewell and press on.
Next stop was the very impressive town of Athlone. Situated on the Shannon, it has a very impressive castle and a magnificent church of Saints Peter and Paul. There was a wedding taking place. We sat on the steps in the sun to relax for a while. We also enjoyed some people watching.
Moving on, we leave the town and strike out into the countryside once more. Leaving the traffic behind, we enjoy the twists and bends of these country lanes. We take in the sights and smells as they pass in the afternoon sun.
We are now in Castle Varagh hotel in Castlepollard for the night. The sign in the elevator makes us giggle.
Today has been a lovely and warm day. It was cloudy, with plenty of sunshine. The temperature was 22°C. Perfect for enjoying this beautiful country. A Guinness to rid the throat of the dust of the day beckons.
Woodend Wanderer 