In the summer of 1981, five of us decided to go on holiday to County Kerry. Mark, Ted, Annie and Jayne travelled there by car (well, Annie’s Austin Allegro, actually) and I decided to cycle. After work on Friday 8th May 1981 I cycled to Chelmsford station, travelled by train to London, cycled from Liverpool Street to Paddington and, from there, caught the train to Fishguard. The overnight Ferry took me to Rosslare, from where I caught another train to Waterford.
At the end of the holiday, I cycled to Tralee and caught a train back to Rosslare.
The ride took me across the Conor Pass, the highest mountain pass in Ireland. I can remember the long, relentless climb, followed by a fast, winding descent in rain and mist, overtaking several cars, the cautious occupants looking startled by the mad, wet cyclist zooming past.