In the wild Andes of Southwest Colombia the stone shamans of San Augustin stared maniacally back at me with wide coca-induced eyes and toothy grins punctuated by jaguar fangs. 

My local guide, Oscar Gomez, explained the human-sized monoliths were carved between the...

Day 12: Letterkenny to Malin Head (92.6km)

D-day had arrived. The final push towards Malin Head and the end of an epic end-to-end cycle along the length of Ireland known as the Mizmal. Twelve days of aches, hills, lovely countryside, way too many pub meals (and Guinness...

Day 11: Donegal to Letterkenny (90.7km)

Our usual 7.15am briefing started with a prophecy of impending doom in the hotel lobby. We were all aware it was going to be a hilly day heading north on the 11th day of our end-to-end odyssey along the Mizmal route of western Ire...

Day 10: Sligo City to Donegal (86.4km)

"Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking," quoted the visionary Irish poet, WB Yeats, whose grave we passed as the rain fell on the 10th day of our all-Ireland end-to-end cycle. Taking these words to...

Day 9: Westport to Sligo City (106.2km)

Firstly, a gratuitous plug for Stephen Mullane of Chain Driven Cycles - the fastest bike repairman in Sligo (and possibly Ireland - who happens also to stock beautiful Italian Bottecchia cycles). I'll just add this is not a blogge...

Day 8: Clifden to Westport (85km)

Connemara really is something special and if you don't believe me then listen to the great Irish pet, novelist, and playwright, Oscar Wilde, who described it as possessing 'Savage Beauty'. Today, we got both parts. The beauty of cycling...

Day 7 Galway to Clifden (99.4km)

We're over halfway now to completing a 12-day cycle along the Mizmal route in Western Ireland to navigate the whole length of Ireland and I'm experiencing a little wear and tear. My knee is playing up slightly but today I could hardly co...

Day 6 Ballyvaughan to Galway City (53.8km)​

The pictured bottle of legendary Irish firewater known as Potcheen is a statement not of my own alcoholic predilection - although I did visit Margaret O'Loghlen's sixth-generation whiskey bar the previous night in Ballyvaughan...

Day 5: Lahinch to Ballyvaughan (66.7km)

If you're an Irish reader you'll probably be a bit a fed up with my rather dismal attempts at humour with the word 'craic'. So look away. Because today was all about 'limestone craic' - actually 'cracks' between grey rocky fractur...

Day 4 Killkee to Lahinch (99km)

Shipwrecks seemed an appropriate theme for another feisty day along the Atlantic coast in County Clare as we tumbled out of our overnight pub accommodation for the 4th day of  a trip to cycle the entire length of Ireland along its majesti...