OldVelos on St Declan’s Way
The OldVelos annual ‘Meet up and Ride Out’ is an important event for our group. It gives us all a chance to meet like-minded people and see the results of latest restoration endeavours. This year for logistical reasons we decided to pare it back a bit and spend some time discussing what it was that attracted people to join in and contribute to the event. For this reason we decided on a different route to our usual Waterford Greenway and the fantastic Curraghmore House.
I got a call from Brendan, they are always welcome and sometimes frightening! He was talking about a new route he had tried and mentioned a passport. As far as I was aware the only time he recently needed a passport was on his recent excursion to the Faroe Islands, so I was worried already. As the conversation progressed he explained that the route he was proposing was the Saint Declan’s Way and the ‘Pilgrim Passport’ was a route card that was stamped at various points on the route. Not quite as frightening as cycling the tunnels of the Faroe Islands but it was Brendan’s idea so should be approached with caution!
We met up at the Rock of Cashel where the SDW starts and cycled the way marked route to Goatenbridge. Lunch and adjudication for the Concours d’Elegance, Longford Tractor Spares Trophy was in the Market Stone Bar in Cloheen.
The spin was pleasant and undulating with one amusing challenge which Brendan took on with his usual fearless enthusiasm. The challenge was thus:-
How do you get something this wide:
Over something this narrow?
The answer is below. You take the ‘easy option’!
The rest of the spin was less daunting but just as enjoyable:
Another great OldVelos event thanks to the volunteers of St Declans Way for their maps and passports and Aidan Brosnan for planning the route.
