Wales And Ireland Bicycle Tour
For Garry’s first bicycle tour in 2010, he was going to Wales and Ireland. This would be a return trip to Ireland after cutting his ride short last year due to bad weather.
It was early April, an ideal time of year for cycle touring. The days are getting longer, and the temperature is rising. On last year’s trip, Garry had arrived in Ireland via France. But this year, he was going to ride his bike and tour through England and Wales to reach Ireland.
Garry had cycled the shortish distance through England and was mid-way through Wales when he started to get a pain in his leg. Thinking he could ride the pain off, he struggled on. Garry reached Holyhead and jumped on the ferry to Dublin. Once in Ireland, Garry purchased a train ticket to take him to Galway, where he had ended his tour last year. Unfortunately, the train wasn’t leaving until the following morning. So Garry checked into a hotel and had an evening out in Dublin, which involved plenty of Guinness!
The following morning, Garry woke up in a lot of pain! Too much pain to think about cycling! So he headed for the hospital instead to get it checked out.
After spending the day in hospital having test after test and scan after scan, they couldn’t find anything. But the doctors advised Garry to rest up for a few days and not to cycle!
Rather than sit around Dublin in the hope that his leg would get better, Garry decided to cut his losses and return home. Once again, failing to cycle Ireland.
Total miles cycled: 365.
Garry McGivern Bicycle Tour Photos
Garry’s Route
Follow & Support
If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel Garry’s next mile, you can always support him by buying him a beer. Or subscribe to his blog and follow him as he travels around on his bike. As a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow Garry on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. Garry’s also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all his tours, along with regular photo updates that he generally publishes each month.
If you want to find out if Garry’s away touring at the moment and check his location, visit the Where’s Garry page. And after thousands of miles on the road, Garry’s condensed everything he’s learned into one place. So if you’re planning your own cycling adventure, read his reality check on long-distance touring.
Garry McGivern is a solo, self-supported bicycle tourist and the creator of Travelsonabike2. Having cycled over 70,000 miles worldwide on his trusty bike, Passepartout, Garry documents the reality of long-distance travel. Follow along for updates, gear insights, and the daily highs and lows of bicycle touring, whether he’s camped beside the road or in the luxury of a hotel. Join Garry on the road, and be inspired to start your own adventure. Read more.