Not Guilty M'Lud

A spokesbear for Bears Unlimited, when interviewed about the above story which appeared in the national press yesterday, said "this has nothing to do with our organisation or members. All our drivers hold full licences and respect the rules of the road. In fact, our driving prowess is such that there are rumours that one of our members might actually be The Stig.  All we know is, he's called Blue Bear."

Wheels Roll Again

We had enjoyed our cycle so much, that the next day we all decided that we'd like to do more. Again we cycled from our cottage, but this time in the opposite direction. We were pleased to find it was rather flatter, but no less interesting.

As we turned inland we found a lovely quiet road leading to a beautiful lake. At the far end we found the stream which runs into it and it was a lovely spot for a paddle and a spot of rest and relaxation.  The water was crystal clear and not as cold as you might think, considering it had come down from the mountains.

As we came into the village of Lauragh we found a wonderful 'feature' outside the local bar. It looked like a petrol pump, but it purported to dispense Murphys rather than fuel. It seemed too good to be true, so we went for a closer inspection. Can you see us?

Unfortunately the nozzle at the end of the hose was locked down so sadly there were no free samples. We weren't too upset though as we do prefer Guinness to Murphy's. And, before long, we weren't upset at all, when we returned to a quiet coast road and found a perfectly located bar at the Kilmakilloge Harbour. We passed it twice, the first time we pedalled past without stopping, but on the return journey ... well, it would have been impolite not to stop would it not?

As you can see it was a Guinness with a view and it didn't stay in the glass long, but there again, cycling is hard and thirsty work.

Lots of love, Patrick and the Guinness drinkers xxx

Melting Tar and Tired Legs

When we set out on our bikes we had no idea how hilly our coastal headland ride was going to be. Map reading, and interpreting all the contours, has never been my strong point, and sometimes it's best not to know what's ahead anyway. It didn't ruin our enjoyment of a mighty fine day though. After all, the sun was shining and for every up there was a down. We enjoyed whizzing downhill with the wind in our fur, and, when the ups got too steep, we simply got off and pushed. This gave us time to take in the lovely coastal views such as this one.

As you can see from the very blue and cloudless sky, it did get quite hot. The sun caused the tar to melt and this kept giving us sticky tyres: it was quite a strange sensation - and noise - to pedal a bike that was gripping the road so fiercely.

By the time we got back to the village of Ardgroom in the late afternoon, we were certainly ready for a Guinness. We stopped at the Village Inn and sat outside, watching the world go by.

If you've got a sense of deja vu, yes you have seen this picture before - we're just putting it in context now.

The Village Inn is a very fine traditional Irish pub and we did visit it on quite a few occasions, not only for the Guinness though, they did some fine food as well.

We particularly liked the quirky boots flowerpots and the rather cute Jack Russell who seemed to spend most of his time there (although apparently he lived elsewhere).

Have you spotted George & Yorkie, up to their usual trick of playing hide and seek?

It wasn't too hard to tear ourselves away though, as we were all keen to get back to our sea view patio and private beach. 

Lots of love, Patrick & Co xxx 

A Corker of a Cork Stone Circle

I needn't have worried. Our first full day at Sli Na Mara dawned bright and sunny and everyone was eager to get exploring. As we'd spent so long in the Bearmobile the previous 2 days, we decided to explore under our own steam and give the Bearmobile a well earned rest.

We had taken our bicycles with us, and I planned a route that would allow us to cycle from the cottage and explore the coast to the west of us, using quiet roads and the route of the Beara cycle way (I should have said that we were of course staying on the Beara Peninsula - could there be a more apt place for a bear to stay?) 

Our first stop was just a few minutes ride down the road and was the Ardgroom stone circle. There are a lot of stone circles in this part of Ireland, and this was one well worth showing off.

There were 2 particularly tall stones marking the entrance to the circle and, George & Yorkie being avid climbers, couldn't resist the challenge of racing to the top. Gilbert was happy to have a bit of minder assistance. We had some great views of the Kenmare Bay from the top.

I had a slightly worrying moment when I realised the guys, and Rosa, expected me to be an authority on stone circles and deliver a lecture. I was just wondering if I could bluff my way through, when I spotted a welcome sight: an information board. We all went over to find out all there was to know about the Ardgroom stone circle. The raised metal text had a satisying feel under my paw. I think I could learn to read Braille quite easily.

The circle was reached by a footpath which wasn't cycleable. On our way back to the bikes we found a beautiful irish cow guarding the stile. Can you see us on the top of the stile? We like Irish stiles as they are very substantial and easy to spot in their green and yellow livery. They do take a bit of climbing though so are good for keeping fit.

Next stop after the stone circle was the sea and the surprisingly undulating path beside it.

Keep a look out for the next instalment coming soon.

Lots of love Patrick and friends xxx

We Find Paradise

Actually reaching our cottage, once we were nearly there and had turned off the main road, was quite an adventure. We had to take a 2km narrow track which went steeply up, and then steeply down, and it even involved crossing a causeway, with rocky beach on either side.


Eventually we saw a lovely house ahead and wondered if it would be 'Sli Na Mara' our accommodation for the fortnight. We hoped so. As we reached it and slowed, a friendly looking couple came out and asked our minders if they were who they are. We realised then that we had hit the jackpot and this idyllic spot was to be home for the next 2 weeks.

Our hosts Peddear and Kitty helped us settle in quickly and gave us a really warm welcome. In no time at all we were sitting outside in the sun taking in the beautiful surrounds.


This was the view from the bench just outside our garden. As you can see we were just a stone's throw from the sea and had a path from the garden leading straight down to the beach. As were were on a peninsula, within a bigger peninsula, the open sea was someway away, but this coastal inlet was peaceful and beautiful. What you can't see in our picture was the huge mountains, rising just a few hundred metres from the far side of this inlet.

Our next photo, looking at our accommodation from the 'main' road (which was pretty quiet by English standards) shows how idyllic our setting was.


We couldn't have asked for a finer setting and for as charming hosts (they lived at the other end of the property). We also had lots of fine canine and feline company as Peddear and Kitty provided a home to 5 dogs, 11 cats and, while we were there, were looking after 3 border collie pups who were sooooooo..... cute.

It was so delightful that I knew it was going to be tempting to stay put and not venture too far afield. I would have to think of some great outings to compete - the challenge was on!

Lots of love Patrick and friends xxx

We're On Our Way

Hi readers, and top of the evening to you, from myself Patrick. I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long, but us Irish, like to take our time over things, and I always feel that a post is best composed over a leisurely pint of Guinness.

I think I organised a good holiday for the chaps and Rosa, and they certainly seem to have enjoyed themselves. I'm confident that when the new chapter for the Friendly Planet Guide is published, it will say nice things about my homeland.

I think I'll start from the time of us setting paw in Ireland.


This was us watching our ferry docking at Rosslare at 6.30 a.m. - we were intrigued by the man reversing it into our birth from the outdoor control panel you can just see at the side of the boat. As it was mid June, you can see it was sunny with blue skies, even at that ungodly hour.

As we'd had a cabin, we'd managed to get a good 3 hours sleep on this short crossing from Fishguard, so we were all raring to go, even if it did take us an hour to get off, after the main doors failed to open. We had quite a long journey over to the Cork/Kerry border ahead of us, but I'd planned an interesting route with lots of stops, including the first important one, for breakfast.

Later I took the chaps to Gougane Barra which is a simply heavenly spot and one of my favourite places in Ireland. Normally it's a very peaceful spot, but on this occasion ... no sooner had we arrived, than a Porsche drivers' rally turned up.


They quickly parked by the lake in a long line and turned off their engines. We all enjoyed inspecting these fine cars until Rosa called us to lunch.


We sat right at the water's edge and, after eating, cooled our paws in the water and did a spot of sunbathing. It was the perfect antidote to long hours in the bearmobile.

Felling refreshed, we did a bit of exploring. We walked in the forest park, then went to look at the delightful church which was built at the end of the 1800s on an island near the site of a former monastery.


Round the back, we found these interesting structures which we thought must be hermit cells dating back to the time of the former monastery. There was a very peaceful atmosphere and there can be few more scenic spots to meditate.

But we didn't linger, as I knew we were only about 90 minutes drive from our final destination, and we were all very keen to see it.

Lots of love Patrick and my travelling posse xxx

Where Next?

Well what can we say, what a true gent Eddie is to round off his tales of the Broads so promptly, so we can get on with telling you all about our latest adventure and the new chapter for the Friendly Planet Guide.

While Yorkie and I were there, as you were expect, the travelling party was rather larger than is usual for an overseas adventure.


This picture from the grounds of our holiday cottage, shows that we were joined by Ungi, Patrick, Gilbert and Rosa. In fact we will be taking a bit of a back seat once we have introduced this adventure and looking to Patrick to lead for us, for reasons which will soon become obvious.

The reason so many of us could partake in this adventure was because, we travelled by bearmobile and ferry, not by plane, so there were few luggage restrictions.

Clearly we haven't travelled too far, but where have we been? Does the following picture help?


If the Guinness doesn't give it away, the bright pub colours should. Yes, we've been consorting with leprechauns and enjoying a true Irish failte.

And the reason Patrick will be taking a prominent reporting role is that he is of course Irish, which many of you will know, even if the shamrock on his right paw is being rather obscured by Yorkie.

Patrick was the best and most genial guide you could wish for, so we hope you enjoy the posts which he will be putting together for you.

Back soon,

Lots of love, George, Yorkie and the Irish travellers

A Pot Pourri to Finish

Sorry for the long silence, all due to another exciting adventure taking place. In consequence, I'm now being politely encouraged by George and Yorkie to finish my posts on our Broads sailing holiday, so they can kick off telling you what they've been up to (no, this turn of phrase doesn't mean they went to South Africa to see the World Cup).

I therefore need to condense as much as I can into this post so if it's a bit bitty, then you'll know why. The extra length will hopefully make up for the lack of recent postings.

Last time, we were talking about a special mooring. It was not only was a delightful spot to moor and rest, it also had all the things I needed to complete my daily boating chores. These included:


refilling the water tank, emptying the rubbish (I've spared you a picture of the bins) and ...


pulling on and lacing up the cover at night. Bear in mind that this adventure took place in April, when the evenings were cool enough for us to really appreciate being able to turn the cockpit area into a cosy room using the cover. It worked like this ...


As the cooker was in the cockpit, under one of the seats, having the ability to enclose the cockpit was very useful.

After eating and washing up, we could retreat into the main cabin and be even more cosy.


I'm sitting on the bunk that I slept on with the rest of the crew tucked in at the side. We always got a great night's sleep. There's nothing quite like the gentle lap of water against the hull.

Our favourite staithe, Gay's Staithe, that we've been talking about, also had another interesting feature. It was home to a solar powered boat, which the public can take a trip on.

Sadly it wasn't moored up the night we were there, so all we could do was read about it.


When we got home we looked it up on the internet, and it is quite an unconventional looking boat ...


We will definitely have to go back and take a trip.

While Gay's Staithe was a special mooring for an overnight stay, we found another lovely mooring which could either be for a lunch stop or going to church.


As we were not there at a service time, for us it was a lovely lunch stop. We did think the church looked lovely, and what a great property was next to it - sadly now a former vicarage, rather than the splendid home of the present Vicar.


There's lots more I could say, but you've probably read enough for one day. I'll therefore close with a picture of the bear flag flying and a proud sailor, Randolph, standing to attention beside it. It seems a fitting way to close this nautical adventure.


I hope you've enjoyed reading, and I'll now hand the reins over to George, Yorkie and Patrick.

Lots of love, Eddie and the crew of Leander xxx