La Tour de Ireland: a Tough Stage

But the guys and Rosa were going to be kept in suspense a bit longer, as there was a bit more sight seeing to do before we worked up to Bear/Bere Island - I'd deliberately designed this trip for the mid point in our stay.

So first of all, it was back on the bikes. What a glorious ride we had, but I did get quite a few black look from the chaps, at the start as it was extremely steep: as I've said before I'm not very good at reading the contour lines on a map. There was certainly a lot of pushing that day, as we quite simply ran out of gears, and then ended up having to jump off quickly before we went too far backwards. It was quite like trying to cycle up a Lake District fell, until we got to the top and it all flattened off. There was even a convenient rock on which to take a rest.

The views were magnificent and, unlike the Lake District, we had it all to ourselves. What's more, there was a great downhill, which lasted several miles, and took us all the way to our lunch stop, and some easier afternoon cycling, taking in the tourist town of Kenmare.

That evening, after our meal, I resumed my usual dusk wildllife watch from the window, over the sea ...

... I was looking for something very special and, would you believe it, that night my luck was in.

You'll have to wait for the next post to find out what I saw.

Lots of love Patrick & friends xxx

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

Sand Cycling at Le Crotoy

We enjoyed our first day's cycling so much that the next day we simply had to do some more. I suggested that we headed in the opposite direction, and picked the Somme Bay town of Le Crotoy as being a manageable cycling distance away.

At one point we ended up cycling along a raised bank with the bay on each side of us ...


... again this was somewhere where cars can't go, and we stopped frequently to make the most of the peace and quiet and bird watching opportunities.

Thanks to the easy cycling on flat paths, in no time at all we could see le Crotoy rapidly approaching. It looked very pretty ...


The one way system in Le Crotoy conspired against us and stopped us cycling along the waterfront as we had hoped to do. As a result, no sooner had we arrived than we were leaving. It was well worth continuing north though, as we had a lovely cycle ride through a nature reserve with lots of lakes teeming with birdlife.

We stopped when the road ran out: we had reached the beach at La Maye. We couldn't see the sea as it was so far out (it reminded us of home and Holkham beach). While a swim was not an option, a spot of sunbathing was, and we soaked up some rays until a shower passed overhead.


The sand was firm enough for us to cycle back to le Crotoy along the beach. We had to concentrate hard though as there were a few patches of soft sand which could easily have had us off our bikes.

Lots of love Gilbert, Chelmer & Rocco xxx

Le Tour de France

Lovely though St Valery is, by the time lunchtime was approaching, it was time to move on. Our holiday time was limited and our sore bottoms had recovered sufficiently during our break, for us to be ready to hit the pedals again.

So off we went, following one of the excellent cycle paths to the Pointe du Hourdel, and it was simply wonderful not to have to worry about any traffic. We were in no particular hurry, so took time out to admire one of the many bird sculptures which pop up from time to time.


This one, on the approach road to the Maison de Oiseaux, was our favourite and we thought it was very romantic. We didn't have time to stop and see the real birds though, as our rumbling stomachs told us that the next beach, and lunch, was our priority.

After lunch, we were able to go where cars cannot currently go - along the minor road to Cayeux sur mer, which is currently passable only by bike or foot, following some serious marine erosion.

As we entered Cayeux, we discovered that we could actually cycle along the beach by using the very extensive board walk (Wikipedia tells us it is probably the longest in Europe with as many as 400 beach huts - the French call them cabins!) After cycling along it for what seemed like miles, we saw a sign saying cycling was forbidden. We were mortified and scuttled off to a local bar to distance ourselves from the scene of our crime.

The town square contained more to interest us than a few bars. We admired the sculpture of the traditional dressed French couple which opened our first post of this series. And then, to our delight, we spied this fantastic mural.


We simply had to take this picture to show Eddie, so he could see that his Norfolk seal friends have relatives in this part of France.

Lots of love Gilbert, George, Yorkie, Chelmer & Rocco xxx

The Holiday Gets Underway

We were very comfortable in our tent and slept well. The next morning the sun was shining and we were eager to get out and about.

We had our bicycles with us as all the cycle paths make France a great place for cycling. We pedalled into St Valery and left our cycles in the town car park as I knew there was a lovely route into the town from this point.


I was keen to ensure that my friends saw the best side of France and hoped they would become francophiles like me. I showed them some lovely views over the Somme bay and took them along small back streets with quaint houses and lots of flowers.


I was pleased to hear my friends following my lead and exchanging a friendly word or two with the locals (my French coaching has paid off!).

This characterful cottage with a very nautical theme provided a lovely spot to rest and soak in the sun.


I was pleased to see that St Valery was proving a hit with my English friends and smiled to myself as I thought about how much more they would enjoy what I was about to show them.

Lots of love Gilbert and the Bears Unlimited travelling party xxx

Kings of the Castle

While the reason for us being in Poland was to see the country from two wheels, it was good, now and again, to have a break from cycling to do some sightseeing and to find out more about the history and heritage of this great country.


Quite early in the week we cycled to a castle where the Hungarian nobility used to live when the part of Poland we were passing through was part of Hungary. This was the castle of Niedzica and a very fine castle it was too.

The cannon outside the castle was a bit of a disappointment though especially to Yorkie who fancied impressing the rest of our group with his human cannonball stunt.


As you can see the barrel had been filled in with wood. We did think about burning it out so Yorkie could do his stunt but we decided that was a bit drastic and as it was a boiling hot day we simply hadn't got the energy.

As it was so hot we were able to take advantage of the fact that the castle was situated on the edge of a big reservoir and go for a swim. Although reservoir swimming is often prohibited at home, for obvious reasons, it was o.k. to swim in this Polish reservoir - we weren't breaking any rules. Mind you, our fur was so sweaty from the heat and the the 3km uphill pedal we'd just done that the water would have needed a good clean and filter once we'd been it! The cool off, though, was just what we needed and made us feel like new bears again.

Lots of love George & Yorkie xxx

Rural Life Refreshes Us

We certainly liked the pace of life in the Polish countryside. No-one seemed to be in too much of a hurry and we saw some great examples of old tractors and agricultural machinery.

We found this old waggon in the grounds of our hotel and thought it would make a great backdrop for a photo. Can you find us in the picture?


We were also very impressed by the craftsmanship of the Polish people. We've already shown you some of the great old wooden houses in Zakopane. We also visited some amazing wooden churches and a village where so many of the houses were made of wood that the village is in fact an open-air museum of timber architecture. This gave us a great opportunity to get a close up look at the houses without being accused of trespassing. We found a loveley wooden step in the sun and took the opportunity to do some sunbathing and have a post lunch snooze.


It's a pity no-one told us about the dog though. Our relaxing reverie ended quite abruptly when a fearsome hound came on the scene!

We lived the tell the next tale though so keep reading.

Lots of love George & Yorkie xxx

Meet the Yetis

There was one thing about Poland that intrigued us massively for a while: was their T.V. reception really that bad!! After all we were still in Europe.

Look at the following picture to see what we mean:


You really needed to have been there to understand our confusion, but if you click on our picture to enlarge it, things should become clearer. All those crossed stakes in the field looked exactly like T.V. aerials.

It was only as our cycle ride progressed that the penny dropped. There is probably nothinn wrong with Polish TV reception, not that we tried it ourselves as we wouldn't have understood a word. These were all supports for hay stacks and being an area of rich meadowland there was plenty of hay about to be harvested. In fact some had been harvested which is how we found out the real use.


We thought they looked rather like yetis, or how we imagine a yeti would look. If we did meet one and they looked as friendly as this we wouldn't worry!

Lots of love George & Yorkie xxx

Our Hansel & Gretel Experience

Guess what?! After we got back on our bikes after our amazing ski jump, and pedalled round the corner, we came across a smaller ski jump specifically for children and novices. If only we'd known! Mind you, we're glad we did the real thing proving we are 'real' bears.

After that adrenalin rush we needed a bit of sedate activity. Our leader Jackub had just the right thing for us. He took us to see some of the oldest buildings in Zakopane and they are quite amazing as they are all made from wood and are very beautiful. How's this for an example (don't spend too much time looking for us, we took the photo so are not in it).


Hopefully you can see us in our next picture which shows us investigating a lovely old wooden well. We thought it might be nice to have a shower to cool off after our ski jump exertions, but unfortunately either the well was dry, or we hadn't got quite the right technique (or strength!)


From here we went on to a traditional Highland restaurant (Polish, not Scottish). This was none too soon as we were ravenous after all our exertions. We were very intrigued by the furry trousers the Highlanders wear as part of their traditional costume. We wondered if they were trying to be bear like.

Keep reading for more exciting adventures.

Lots of love, George & Yorkie xxx

Where in the World are We?

Dzien dobry readers (there's a clue for you), George & Yorkie here. We've been very patient waiting for our friends to write a few posts, but now we've been back from our latest adventure a whole week, we really do want to get going, before it all becomes a distant memory. We've therefore talked very nicely, and persuasively, to the rest of the gang and they have handed the blog back to us.

So where have we been and what have we been doing? As with our last trip, the national flag provides the first clue.


We have to admit that if we'd been shown this flag prior to our trip we wouldn't have known where we were going.

By now you should be getting to know us quite well, so our next clue, a picture of us wasting no time in getting stuck into the local beverages, should come as no surprise.


We spotted this beer in our local supermarket last Sunday so it might be familiar to you. As an aside, we thought the litre glasses were quite something (but you'd be wrong in thinking we were in a German beerkeller - the only other place where we've seen glasses this size).

In case you haven't worked out where we spent the week before last, we'll tell you tomorrow. Our clue about what we were doing is a whole lot easier. Just take a look at the picture below and you'll see we've made it very easy for you.


See, we told you it was easy, although those of you to think we were cycling haven't got it quite right, we were actually pannier riding, and a great sport it is too!

Lots more to come,

Love George & Yorkie xxx