Day 12 – Mullingar to Athlone 49 km
Today was the Nirvana of cycling. We followed a disused rail line converted to a Greenway from town to town with another town near the middle -Moate -complete with a cute little coffee shop with yummy food. The whole route was paved, the sun was shining, and locals along the route were happy to stop and chat. One lady remembered when the she used to take the train to Mullingar as a little girl. Her Daddy used to get 6 shillings a week to put the barriers up when the trains came along…then go and have a couple of stout with the signal man.
Athlone is right on the Shannon River and the castle was the scene of much bloodshed in 1689-91. So much history right across Ireland.
We are very much enjoying the blog! How many gallons of Guinness so far?
Thanks Lawrence. We’re working on our 2nd gallon now 🙂