A leisurely trip across the northern end of the Irish Sea. The north Channel as the stretch of water between south west Scotland and Northern Ireland is known.
Unlike any other ferry crossing I’ve been on with the bike, on Stena Line at Cairnryan, cyclists use the foot passenger entrance, then wait to be escorted onto the vehicle deck.
I met another cyclist in the queue to board. Kat is a student from Dundee and has two weeks to cycle to see her sister in Dublin for a couple of days then return via the Atlantic coast of Ireland. She’s covering 80-90 miles a day and wild camping. We talk bikes, road surfaces, and routes. When eventually we disembark in Belfast, we cycle into the city together and say goodbye at the Big Fish. Kat heads of towards Dublin. I wheel around the corner and check in at my hotel before exploring this fabulous city.
Day totals: 4.5 miles, 35ft of climbing
Tour totals: 477 miles, 17,697ft of climbing
