Well, kinda fundamental to the planned Euro trip, the newly instigated ferry from Cork to Spain didn't quite transpire this year. So, where did that leave us?

Scotland, as you know, is our next favourite destination for millions of reasons (least of which is the rain). But then it would still cost 70 quid to get a bike there and back, which would pay for 2 nights B&B down south….can you see the cogs turning? Thus was the idea of a trip round 'home' born.

Our route was to head west through Enniskillen, to Sligo and Mayo, and then follow the coast down through Galway and Clare into Kerry and Cork, before heading home. As it happened, total mileage turned out to be around 1075 miles as per my trip meter.

Day 1

On September 4th, eight merry men met up at 7.00am at Trinity. For the record, those present, in order of bus pass eligibility, were

• Eddie
• Murray
• Richard
• Bobby
• Ian
• Bill
• Kenny
• Wee John

Ok, so I was only kidding guys, lighten up, you've a long trip ahead… :)

Huge changes on the road west towards Enniskillen - a lot of the new road is being built at the Dungannon end of the motorway, and some of the lovely corners between the Ballygawley roundabout and Augher have now been bypassed in favour of a straight strip of runway (minus the landing lights). Aw well. We hit rush hour in Enniskillen, with traffic tailed from the lights in the centre of town, back beyond the Killyhevlin hotel. Thank goodness for 2 wheels - or 3 in Ian's case!

So, out the Belcoo road, and through Blacklion. Some nice dry twisties, and some very tight ones too around Glenfarne village and on into Manorhamilton.

Ben Bulben was sadly shrouded in cloud, but we were dry and well en route by this time. First stop of the day was to be Drumcliffe, just north of Sligo, and best known as the final resting place of the poet William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), who is buried in the graveyard of St. Columba's Church of Ireland church.

Not many can claim to have written their own epitaphs, but his is taken from the last lines of "Under Ben Bulben", one of his final poems:

Cast a cold Eye
On Life, on Death.
Horseman, pass by.

On through Sligo town, and a scenic green-laning detour courtesy of Murray's satnav, we found our way to Carrowmore megalithic tomb , one of the four major passage tomb cemeteries in Ireland. And you thought we were just hairing around the countryside on motorbikes burning up carbon fuels? Well we did that too I guess. Downside was, that the thought of paying 2 Euros to go and see it, didn't appeal to the gathered masses, so we saddled up and rode those ponies on down the road instead.

Next wild west town we hit was Ballina, but the stagecoach wasn't for stopping, the roads were so good! A lot of roadworks about on those roads, with patches of gravel sprinkled everywhere; there was quite a bit of tar being thrown up. Anyway, the scenery was fantastic, and God was really shining his light on us (or perhaps that should read 'holding his brolly over us') 'cos we seemed to circumvent every black cloud and rain shower on the roads that day. A lot of newly wet roads but thankfully we passed through right on time.

Bangor Erris Co Mayo was the start of some truly stunning scenery, as we followed the N59 south through heath, mountain and lake; on past Achill Island and Mulranny, and south through Newport to Westport. Roughly 3pm at this stage I think, it was time for a lunch stop. Long time since breakfast, Bill took us to Gracy's Gastro Bar at the old farmyard in the beautiful and tranquil setting of Westport House.

I can seriously recommend the seafood chowder, and wee John would probably agree that his kiddy's portion of chicken strips and chips was ace too. He didn't need anyone to cut it up for him though, which was nice.

The sun was still shining, and with not too far to go, we hopped on the R335, past the foot of Croagh Patrick and on to Louisburgh. The road then headed south to the village of Leenane, snugly situated at the head of Killary Harbour, Ireland's only fjord, which is 10 miles long - this forms a partial border between Galway and Mayo.

From here, we passed the gorgeous Kylemore Abbey, lit by the late afternoon sun, and dropped down into Clifden for our first overnight halt in the Alcock and Brown hotel. A lovely spot, with clean and comfy rooms - and they certainly fed us well too. Delightful. A wander around town to walk off those desserts, and a quick 15 min 'safety inspection' of the kiddy's play park found everyone well knackered.

Day one was a big success - Connemara is beautiful, come rain or shine.

Day 2

As usual, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were up at the crack of dawn, kicking the tyres and chomping at the bit to get on the road. Breakfast was every bit as good as dinner the night before, mind you, no-one was ready for it. Checking out around 9.30am, we headed a few miles south of town to the Alcock and Brown memorial, a sculpture of an aircraft's tail-fin on Errislannan Hill, two kilometres north of their original landing spot. Views were terrific.

Back on the N59, the tarmac brought us past Lough Corrib, around Galway city, and southwest towards Co Clare and the Burren. Through Ballyvaughan and Lisdoonvarna, next stop was the Cliffs of Moher. Sadly, the rain caught up with us at this stage, and as we couldn't see very much, we pressed on along the coast, past Spanish Point and inland, to cross the Shannon on the Killimer-Tarbert car ferry. Nine euros was well worth the detour it saved too.

Dry at this stage, we could see the ominous black clouds looming ahead over Listowel. Wet was sadly the order of the remainder of the day. We hit Tralee around rush hour, and having toured it once or twice, a friendly local biker jumped into the road while waiting at lights, and gave us directions. We found a hotel right in the centre of town - not the one he directed us to, but even closer and extremely good value, The Imperial Hotel. 'Twas good to get out of the rain, even though it was quite muggy. Parking up the bikes and dumping the gear in the rooms, we got the early bird menu for 15 Euro, and went on another dander around town - you guessed it, to walk off dessert. The rain had let up at this stage for a while, so what we saw was certainly quaint and pretty. Mental note: must come back here sometime.

Mileage-wise, today wasn't as long, but equally as tiring. The Big Sleep came real easy.

Day 3

Jack and Walter were up again before the birds, checking the bikes were still there. Breakfast wasn't just quite as good as yesterday, but hey, bacon'n'eggs is still bacon'n'eggs after all.

We left about 9.30, and refuelled at Blennerville, just outside Tralee. The mizzle was turning into rain, and to be truthful, it looked like it was turning out to be a filthy morning. Nothing soft about this Irish rain. As luck would have it, it slowly cleared the further west we headed, and had largely let up by the time we stopped half way up the Connor Pass.We were teased with a few brief glimpses of amazing scenery and rainbows as the clouds parted momentarily, but it wasn't to be. On over the pass and down into Dingle, we stopped for a 10 minute look around the harbour. No sign of Funghi the dolphin though.

Shortly after we stopped at Anascaul, site of the South Pole Inn. This was where Tom Crean hung up his snow shoes, after 3 major expeditions to Antarctica in the early 1900's, including trips with Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton. An inspiring character, for me in any case - too bad the place wasn't open! On round the Ring of Kerry, weather was mixed but traffic was light and scenery was great, for what we saw.

Another caffeine stop in Sneem refuelled the mob, before we branched off onto the R568, over Moll's Gap, and on down into Killarney. Opinion was split as to which route to take back to Kenmare, so we headed back over Moll's Gap and down into Kenmare on some wonderful, quick twisty roads. Our second attempt at accommodation came up trumps - thanks Richard! - and we settled into the Brass Lantern B&B, before heading into town for grub.

Day 4

Another beautiful day greeted us today, mind you, the dew on the bikes reminded you that Autumn ain't far away. Some serious bike maintenance was happening before breakfast, for those who still insist on travelling on 'chain' driven motorcycles… when will they learn, Bobby, huh?

We split town and headed southwest around the Ring of Beara - equally as pretty and photogenic as yesterday's jaunt, or perhaps it was the weather maybe - sunshine always makes things look pretty. The first caffeine fix of the day was in Bantry, before following the N71 and R591 onwards past wonderful golden beaches and bays, to Mizen Head. The sky was clear, the sun was warm and the Fastnet Lighthouse was visible out to sea. All was well in the world that Saturday morning, and it was John's birthday! Access to the Mizen Head Lighthouse was closed due to rebuilding work on the bridge but an hour or so of lounging around was very pleasant indeed.

Back in the saddle through Skibbereen, Clonakilty and Bandon, we cut north across the Lee valley to Coachford, and along the R619 to Mallow, stopover for our roadtrips' final night. Escorted admirably to our accommodation by a friendly BSA 350 Goldstar, we stayed at Greenfield House, on the Killarney Road, a 10 minute walk from town. A quick shower, foodstop and wander around town brought us easily to 10pm, well past our bed times. Breakfast was booked for 8am to get us on the road early for heading home tomorrow.

Day 5

Well, a couple of us were up bright and early as you've probably gathered. Always the first two down for breakfast too. Coincidence?

On the road at 9.05am, it was bright and sunny, though there had been rain overnight. The thought of the roads back up through the middle of Ireland didn't appeal to me greatly and I had mentally contemplated a slow dull ride home, but I guess progress hasn't stopped since last I was on some of those roads, and I'll be the first to say how good the roads actually were - thank you, Europe. Yes, there were a few rough patches of tarmac, but on the whole, surfaces were generally good, roads were wide and corners were a lot of fun. What more could we ask for?

At Mitchelstown, we jumped onto the M8 motorway for 15-20 miles up as far as Cashel where we stopped briefly for group photo at the Castle. Back onto the N62 for a few miles, we then took the N62 through Thurles, Templemore, Roscrea to Tullamore where we stopped for a coffee and sugary stuff. Well I'd a pear and a banana if that helps you feel less calorific. Clouding over at this stage, we were still dry as we headed on through Mullingar, where we refuelled, and then through Kells and Ardee, where we joined the M1 north. It was around 2pm at this stage, and as you know the rest of the road home, I'll not bother to describe it for you. Mind you, it is now motorway or dual carriageway all the way to Hillsborough, so we made good progress back up the road.

Home dry, the bike was washed and de-tarred by 5pm, ready for it's next adventure. Anyone coming out to play?