This is part of the seventeenth section of our
around the world trip.
Complete Trip Overview &
Map
Coming from Ireland or read
our previous visit to The United Kingdom
a relaxed ride and warming
coffee along the way. Much of the expected crowd had been deterred by
the bad weather, strong wind and drizzle, and there was local talk of
whether the race meeting would go ahead at all considering the
conditions, wind being the main concern with the motorcycles reaching
speeds of up to 200km/hr on the closed public road track. A nine mile
circuit, we walked a portion following the first race, positioning
ourselves at Black Hill and waited. The second race was delayed, a bomb
scare, never before heard of at the race meeting. In increasing rain
and wind we hunkered down next to a low cliff and were entertained over
lunch by a few locals, more inebriated than sober, Irish humour coming
thick, until motorcycles returned to test the track conditions for the
second race. With the track still too dangerous, standing water and
wind, we headed back to the railway bridge arriving just as the first
racing motorcycles hurtled past, unfortunately getting the full view of
one discharging its sump load of oil onto the track, stopping the
racing
again. Coffee for us at the Dunluce Centre
while the officials
attempted to clear the track of oil, an almost impossible job as it had
spread across the water logged track. By 3.30pm we called it a day with
moderate rain falling all the way on our ride back to Belfast. To many it might
have seemed like a wasted day but it was one of those great days that
planning can't recreate. We had the full overview of Ireland, bomb
scares to its notorious weather, its humour and camaraderie, but mostly
we loved the welcoming nature of the people as nine of us sat in Geoff
and Honor's house in the evening over a lovely meal discussing and
reliving stories, politics and religion included.
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Story and photos copyright Peter and Kay Forwood, 1996-
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