Day 14 - Dublin to Wexford and Rosslare - projected distance 75 miles.

First things first. Having consulted my transport manager, we decided that it made more sense for me to combine the last two days of cycling and to continue on from Wexford to Rosslare today. This extended the ride a little, but not much, and made it easier to pack away the bike before our sailing tomorrow.

So this was the last day, and I dressed in my last clean set of kit this morning. It was time for the Ireland shirt again, to complete the circle and end as I began. I also used up the last of my carbohydrate and whey energy drink - I've managed to get through a whole tub over the fortnight, without getting too sick of the summer fruit flavour.

On checkout the hotel reduced our bill by thirty euros. The receptionist said this was because we only had two adults in our large room, but I think it might really have had something to do with my cycling shirt. I set off into the breeze and put on my jacket for the first hour before the sun broke through. I had wondered whether I might have some more hills to climb before leaving the Wicklow Mountains, but as I progressed south to Rathdrum and on towards Arklow it became apparent that the gradient was on my side. I gently dropped down from 500 feet to sea level.

With the sea on the left-hand side of my GPS screen again, I cycled over the M11 motorway to the next village of Inch. I started thinking how pleased I was that the EU had not renamed the village 2.54cm, and then set to wondering what puns the tailors and hairdressers of the village had managed to come up with. On arrival in Inch though I found that it was a very small village, with only a B&B and a garage. Neither were large. It also had a river. It wasn't deep.

The rest of the route into Wexford was largely agricultural - lots more fields and tractors. Wexford itself didn't seem particularly attractive, but it's a working fishing port and there were lots of boats along the dock. I then pressed on with "tomorrow's" ride, the eleven miles along the N25 to Rosslare Harbour. It seems far longer than a fortnight ago that I set off from Rosslare on my journey. At the port I sorted out the obligatory photos, and then turned round for the cycle back into Wexford and to the hotel.

My total distance for the trip is 862.5 miles. That's only 73.5 miles shorter than my Land's End to John o'Groats trip, but somehow this one has seemed less challenging. It has been better in some respects though, notably taking a circular route, which means we don't have a massive return journey at the end. We've had a few minor problems on this tour - a broken tooth, snapped gear cable, the dogs, broken glasses, worn tyre, and George leaving his toy rabbit in a hotel (don't worry, Softy has flown back to Bristol), but really nothing to trouble us too much. And we've had quite a few highlights. In the main these have been Ireland's great natural features - the Cliffs of Moher, The Burren, the climb up Croagh Patrick to see the view of Clew Bay, and the Giant's Causeway. These are all well worth seeing.

I feel now we have had a good look around Ireland. Cycling brings us to places we might not otherwise visit, and it's wonderful that we have come here. Ireland is our nearest neighbour culturally and geographically, and - like it or not - Northern Ireland is part of our nation. Yet excepting those who have come to Belfast or Dublin on business, I know very few Britons who have seen anything of Ireland. The weather is obviously a major reason - as illustrated by George's fine new t-shirt (last photo).

I've been surprised by how small many of the towns are in Ireland, and how sparsely populated it is. There are only 4m people in Ireland, and a third of those live in Dublin. The population of Northern Ireland is just 1.7m. I've also been surprised by the lack of cyclists and by the courtesy of drivers. I've had many a friendly beep along the way, and no problems at all with any vehicles. The one real puzzle about Ireland has been the power walkers. Every day I've seen females in full gym wear, walking quickly along the road. Many carry water with them, in case their walking should cause dehydration. I do wonder whether they break sweat, and whether they are tempted - just for a moment - to break into a jog. At least they're exercising, and to judge from the massive portions of food we have been served all over the country, there are plenty of calories to be burnt.

Finally, I must say that I feel extremely lucky to have had the physical and moral support of Sarah and the children. I wouldn't want to do these trips without them. Much as I enjoy the personal challenge, a great deal of the pleasure of discovery comes vicariously through the children. I hope these trips form part of their education, as they form part of mine. Thank you, Sarah, for helping us all live life to the full, with a little adventure along the way.

We catch the ferry home tomorrow. Thanks very much for reading my diary, and until next time, slán go fóill.