After 40 day and 40 nights of brilliant sunshine, it actually rained on Sunday 15th July. A day that will surely live long in our memory.
If
you were watching the footie, you’ll remember in years to come, that on this
day, France won the World Cup in Moscow, 20 years after lifting the trophy in
Paris. It was also the day that Novak Djokovic lifted his fourth Wimbledon title. Made all the more
remarkable, when you consider the injury hampered last two years he has endured.
Oh, and Kilkenny tumbled out of the Hurling Championship! They’ll be joining
Waterford, Wexford and Tipp on an extended Summer break.
The rain also caught me out, whilst
on my Penny Farthing. Up at the top of Templeorum, with two fellow Biscuits, we
had to make the treacherous descent into Piltown. To me, this mountain road is
my very own piece of the Tour de France. The wee “S-bends” halfway down, with
the stunning views of the Suir Valley, is in my mind a mini Alpine Pass. It’s a
great road to cycle or walk, whether you start in Piltown or Newmarket.
Thankfully, my cycle on Saturday
suffered no hazardous dramas.
On the last blisteringly hot day
before the rains came, a group of “Cookie-clad” cyclists pedalled very hard
into a strong South-Westerly headwind. Cycling from Waterford City to Dungarvan
Town, to meet with a number of in-bound Irish tour operators. Wearing another
of my other hats, “Waterford Camino Tours”, I was helping to host some V.I.P.
guests. Guests looking to Waterford and the South East as a new, emerging
market. Specifically, we were promoting all things Greenway, Comeraghs and
coastal trails. We really do have so much to offer. It is just that we don’t
shout loud enough about what’s on our doorstep.
Waterford’s guests sampled the
delights of fishing for lobster off Dunmore East, the underground croft in the
Museum of Treasures, Crough Woods to Mahon Falls and of course a cycle through
Durrow Tunnel to Dungarvan. This tunnel is now being marketed as “The world’s
biggest air conditioning unit!” If you haven’t yet walked or pedalled through
this spectacular setting, do so on the next scorchingly hot day. It is quite
literally, the coolest place to go, when it’s even too hot for an ice cream!
Dungarvan was extremely busy with
walkers and all manner of fashionably clad pedal pushers. The quay was the
place to be seen, on the last hot day before the rains came. The local
supermarket supplied the tea, coffee and FREE cake! As I was paying the tab, I
almost cried! Customer service is all too often overlooked, but the staff
members in Garvey’s SuperValu were extra special and wonderfully engaging.
There’s a lesson for many here!
As
our posse settled down for some alfresco picnicking, we were approached by a
local member of the Dungarvan press. No doubt drawn to us by our athletic
bodies, clad in skin tight bright yellow Lycra. “Would you agree to a few photographs
and an interview?” we were asked. Never one to shy away from a wee bit of PR, I
volunteered to speak and say a few words. Fifteen minutes later, a few hundred
words spoken into the “i-Voice Recorder” and it was all over, done and dusted.
The Waterford Biscuit Club, the importance of the Greenway as a tourism
attractor, Waterford Camino Tours and even the 1848 Tricolour, all topics of
discussion.
What
struck me on Saturday, was just how Dungarvan has embraced this new Greenway
attraction. Everyone has really bought into the project and is passionately selling
the concept. From the “Meet and Greet”, to the stunning town centre quayside
location and of course the local newspaper article, all adding to our
experience. One of those Special Days that we’ll all fondly remember.
This
“Wehst” Waterford market town, is promoting itself as the “Home of the
Greenway” and you can see why. Waterford City may well be the starting point of
the Greenway, but it’s disconnected from the buzz, liveliness and energy, that
walkers and cyclists are bringing Dungarvan.
If
we don’t pedal harder, we’ll never catch up.
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