Round Ireland in Low Gear
In December 1985, veteran traveler and travel writer Eric Newby and his wife, Wanda, set off on a bicycling journey around Ireland. "We were going there, in short, to enjoy ourselves, an unfashionable aspiration in the 1980s," Newby writes with characteristic wit. It was the beginning of winter, "the dead season, as far as weather went," but the journey, with all of its encounters, is filled with a crackling and warm life.After looking for bicycles and getting informed about modern, computer-designed models, they hop the train for Limerick. Newby's clever, vivid narrative--punctuated by sips of Guinness and tea, torrential winter rains, snarling dogs, a feast of bed and breakfasts, stunning ruins, and unusual characters--traces the dynamics of a relationship on the road. The bicycle provides a cadence well suited to the winding roads running through Ireland's verdant country and its rugged coast--and to Newby's talents. He seems to absorb most everything into the narrative. Using pedal power, he takes in the landscape and its people, along with Ireland's past and present, weaving in headwinds, pub stops, myths, political realities, and conversations to produce a complex picture of Ireland.Originally published in 1987, Newby'sRound Ireland in Low Gearhas been reprinted with new maps by Lonely Planet Publications. This is not a manic tale of some bicycling marathon, but rather a journey--and a book--paced for enjoyment.--Byron Ricks