antonalyptic: Enchanted

20121229

Newbridge ride

I wanted to check out new bicycles so I hitched a lift to Newbridge with Jon and Sarah and returned by bike (no I did not buy one yet). I took the opportunity to visit some haunts on the way back, but only had my hTC so the pictures are not very good quality. My hTC Desire did record the following track, however. The locations include some of those mentioned in my post Enchanted.

Track created by Oruxmaps, viewed in Google Earth

Location A: Rosetown Rath

Having mentioned this enchanted place in a previous post I thought I would check it out, so I climbed into the rath itself. It is probably private property but I figured the owner might not mind. There is a track leading into it which just ends abruptly (top photo) otherwise it is just covered in dense vegetation - not much to see.

Location B: Carnalways Cross

This is my son's 5-way (or 6-way) junction, see his comment. The gate into the estate was open so I ventured a short way in to take the next picture. I could just see the big house but it is hard to locate in the picture. And the next picture is the church.

Harristown House is just left of the trees

Location C: Railway bridge over Liffey

I've been meaning to check this one out for some while. On Google Earth it was clear that a bridge still exists but I was not ready for such a substantial stone bridge in such good repair! The line apparently ran from Naas to Tullow and the track was taken up 1962 - not so very long ago! So sad that the track has not been converted to a trail or, even better, a bicycle track.

Naas - Tullow railway crossing over Liffey

The apertures are at an angle - not 90 degrees

Room for a single track only

Smaller bridge just north of the river

Extract of 25" map courtesy OSI
(dated around the turn of the century)

Location D: Stoneybrook

Stoneybrook church

Inside the church

The setting - on a mound?

Stoneybrook cottage

Location E: By the Liffey

The road here runs along what is probably a terminal moraine - there was a sand pit on the left: when it was filled in they filled in this ruined cottage too. The river runs some fifty feet below on the right.

The river Liffey is below and out of sight

The covered cottage and my trusty steed

And so, home again and rather cold - so a hot bath and a hot mug of tea.

Statistics:

Bike computer

14.52 miles, 27mph max, 12.1 mph avg
1:12:15

Oruxmaps track
273m max height
16.3 miles (some was walking / running)
01:59 duration
9.8mph avg (moving)

20121020

Devil's Glen

We have often driven past the Devil's Glen on the way to Wicklow Town so, spurred on by our relatives Tony and Margaret who stayed with us and went there, I decided to "do" it.

I cycled over the Wicklow Gap, through Laragh and Annamoe, and parked the 'bike at the top of the hill at the point circled in the map. I half walked, half ran down the track to the car park near the river and then followed the "red" route up the river until it ended at the waterfall. Because there is a rule that prohibits going back the same way as I came, and since the path came to an end here, the only option was to scale the steep side of the valley. I was, of course, barefoot. My trusty GPS guided me through a thick plantation until I met a forestry track. Thus I circumvented Tiglin, for those of you who know what that is.

Trip statistics: 55 miles, maximum speed 41.7mph (that'll be the descent from the Sally Gap), average speed 11.4mph, fuel: one lump of cheese and some chocolate. Plus the walk which, according to Google Earth, was just over 4 miles.