Bicycles For Two

Rented some bicycles this morning after a terrible breakfast of sawdust muffins. The day was glorious and full of sunshine. We began our trek with a short bike ride to a little road that we climbed up over the hill to a fort. We saw the stone fort circile from that one but were not sure how to get there so asked a farmer we met on the road and he said to just jump over or to push over the stone fences, so we did. it took us just a few minutes and we were there. The fort was very plain but quite remarkable in that the huge metre thick walls were made completely of small stones - square foot or less. We managed to climb to the top of it over narrow steps and the view was breathtaking. We could see both sides of the island.

After leaving this site, we took what we thought was a shortcut through a half a dozen or more fields and I almost ripped open my pants on the rocks and brambles. We continued on the road with the bikes and found our way down a very steep road to the seal colony, which was not much to look at - a few dozen seals, and they were off in the water on some rocks, too far away to catch a good look at them. After the seals we followed the lower road to the beautiful sandy bech and stretched out there barefoot to read for a while, coating everything we owned in sand it seemed. After the beach we headed off to another fort, only to be met at the tourist centre iwth a sound "NO, it's closed de to F & M" so I got angry and took it out on her, then stomped off, determined to find another way to see the cliffs of the other side. We had stopped at a little tea room there for a snack and I had a soggy sandwich - ham and cheese AND tomato and cucumber!

We found another road that took us away from the main road and hopefully closer to the cliffs I wanted to see so bad. We managed to find what began as a road and ended up as a cow path so left the bikes at the bottom an continued on. We came to an end so had to climb 2 fences/stone walls and ebfore we hardly knew it, we were at the cliffs. Although terriflying, they were just awesome and we both snapped many photos including ones of us laying head first on the ground at the edge of the cliffs. I'll probably wake up in the middle of the night tonight thinking I fell over the cliffs.

After the cliff walk, we headed back o the side road we had been following, and ended up walking the bikes up a very steep hill where we met another farmer, with whom we chatted for a while. He ended off shaking our hands and giving us both a rough peck on the cheek, much to the surprise of Madeline! (and myself!). The long hard walk uphill was worth the even longer coast down into town again - all downhill, even if some of the road was treacherous, and scary, with the many rocks and stones to sift the bikes through.

We returned the bikes, our faces both sunburnt/windburnt and went shopping where I pretty much finished mine, and stopped for a pint in one of the bars, then across the street for a bite to eat, ebfore heding off to the supermarket. We then snagged a ride with a tour bus for 1 pound each. We were so exhausted by the then we NEEDED the ride home. The rest of the night we have spent reading, and don't know if we will get around to cooking supper or not. I may just go to bed and read awhile.