Commuting weather diary

Iwannahurl

There is a perception that the number of rainy days in Galway is extremely high, and that weather is a natural and immutable deterrent to walking or cycling in the city.

Having lived here for most of my life, I disagree. My own perception is that while rain is clearly a feature of Galway life throughout the year, it is still possible to walk or cycle a reasonable distance to work or school without being soaked on a regular or frequent basis.

This is feasible with appropriate waterproof gear and where commuting distance is short, eg 4 km or less for cycling, or up to 2 km for walking.

Here's the weather report from my short commute this morning. Feel free to add your own. It would be good if we can keep this going for a decent length of time, in order to build up a picture of what walking and cycling is really like in terms of weather.

Trip: morning school run.
Distance: 3 km.
Mode: cycle.
Weather: sunny, no rain.
Comment: pleasant cycle, weather-wise.

what_traffic

Trip: Work Commutte @ 14h15
Distance: 11 km.
Mode: Cycle.
Weather: Light rain shower @ start for first 3/4km, then dry and sunnyfor rest of the trip.
Comment: Pleasant cycle in cool conditions, Rain jacket was dry by the time I got to work.

Iwannahurl

Trip: afternoon school run, plus shopping in Salthill and Knocknacarra.
Distance: 7 km.
Mode: car.
Weather: heavy shower while we were indoors in Salthill, otherwise no rain.

Correction: more like 7 km. Forgot to include one leg.

inisboffin

In the comments or weather, if significant, could you maybe note temp or rain/wind direction?

I have no problem walking in rain, or even heavier rain. What I've noticed about Galway though is that sideways rain, combined with a wind and low temp can make it quite unpleasant if you are going somewhere that you can't dry off or shower.
I have lived in places where it rains more, but again it is the type and frequency of the weather that I think gets to people.
Otherwise I love the weather.

Iwannahurl

Iwannahurl wrote: »

Here's the weather report from my short commute this morning.

Trip: morning school run.
Distance: 3 km.
Mode: cycle.
Weather: sunny, no rain.
Comment: pleasant cycle, weather-wise.

Correction: 6 km round trip. I forgot to include my return journey. No rain on the way home either.

Iwannahurl

inisboffin wrote: »

In the comments or weather, if significant, could you maybe note temp or rain/wind direction?

I have no problem walking in rain, or even heavier rain. What I've noticed about Galway though is that sideways rain, combined with a wind and low temp can make it quite unpleasant if you are going somewhere that you can't dry off or shower.

I have lived in places where it rains more, but again it is the type and frequency of the weather that I think gets to people.

Otherwise I love the weather.

We ought to have forty words for rain in Irish.

My least favourite, if that's the appropriate term, is the heavy drizzle that soaks in everywhere.

Hailstones, particularly a severe shower, I find oddly exhilarating.

No temperature gauge on the bike so I'll be using terms such as "not hot".

joeKel73

Trip: Commute to work @ 07:35
Distance: 2km Walk + full 409 bus route.
Mode: Walk + Bus
Weather: Frosty cold but sunny and dry.
Comment: Opted for the bus instead of bike today as it was fairly icy this morning.

antoobrien

Iwannahurl wrote: »

No temperature gauge on the bike so I'll be using terms such as "not hot".

If you've a smartphone, check the weather app or use one of the numerous websites that will tell the area temperature and general wind direction.

joeKel73

antoobrien wrote: »

If you've a smartphone, check the weather app or use one of the numerous websites that will tell the area temperature and general wind direction.

You'll soon be aware of wind direction if you're cycling anyway.

antoobrien

J o e wrote: »

You'll soon be aware of wind direction if you're cycling anyway.

I've still always had to look at a weather map to know if its W, SW, NWN etc.

Iwannahurl

J o e wrote: »

You'll soon be aware of wind direction if you're cycling anyway.

As a general rule, in Galway the direction of the wind is always towards the cyclist's face.

Iwannahurl

Trip: morning school run.
Distance: 6 km round trip.
Mode: bicycle.
Weather: bright, frosty.
Comment: Senior Infant cyclist had one small skid due to slightly excessive speed and incorrect braking technique. My thumbs were cold. Beautiful light through the late autumn trees.

McTigs

I gotta agree that it doesn't rain as much as is made out.... i cycle commute every day and have done since i started secondary school 25 years ago and i rarely get wet and only occasionally have to wear wet gear.

I'm out of action at the minute due to broken collarbone after getting passenger doored (first accident in those 25 years), so my wife has been dropping me to work but i'll join in the thread once i'm mobile again.

Iwannahurl

Ouch. Get well soon.

By the way, how long does it usually take to recover from a broken collar bone, and how much does it affect your mobility and ability to work?

McTigs

I'm right handed and it's my right collarbone so it is a massive pain in the arse.

I have an office job and i was back to work after a few days.... tapping away with my left. Takes about six week to heal normally but you should avoid contact sport or heavy lifting for a while after that. I'm on week 4 and it's feeling much better today but it was well painful for the first few weeks, showering, taking on and off clothes etc... problem is you can't immobilise it, just gotta try keep it out of harms way and not strain it.

Iwannahurl

McTigs wrote: »

it's my right collarbone so it is a massive pain in the arse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVoPG9HtYF8

sonandheir

I cycle around Galway and have a daily commute of knocknacarra to parkmore and have to agree weather isn't as bad as people make out. Real killer is wind, commute home is lough atalia through salthill.

A good site I use regularly is nuig weather station.

http://weather.nuigalway.ie/12HourTrends.php

Very handy to know if it's been lashing rain all night or been sub zero for several hours as it's hard to gauge weather on pitch black winter mornings.

Iwannahurl

Thanks. Very useful and interesting website.

Extract:

sonandheir wrote: »

I cycle around Galway and have a daily commute of knocknacarra to parkmore and have to agree weather isn't as bad as people make out. Real killer is wind, commute home is lough atalia through salthill.

I used to do the same commute. It was of course no fun when the weather was bad, and the main satisfaction on the home run was beating the wind and rain.

Approaching Salthill you think the wind is bad enough, and then you reach the bend in front of Western House...


.

Cleahaigh

Met Eireann has over a century of data, for those who are interested. According to them

The average number of wet days (days 1mm or more of rain) ranges from about 150 days a year along the east and south east coasts, to about 225 days a year in parts of the west.

Which is a fair bit.

What a couple of hardened cycle-commuters might regard as a minor inconvenience would tend to be off putting to various degrees for most people who might otherwise be tempted to cycle, or cycle more often. That's just the way it is.

ArraMusha

Trip: Work Commute
Distance: 34 km (round trip)
Mode: Cycle
Weather: Morning: Cold for first 5km, dry. Evening: Cold and dark, dry.
Comment: I need more high intensity Led front lights.

Iwannahurl

Cleahaigh wrote: »

What a couple of hardened cycle-commuters might regard as a minor inconvenience would tend to be off putting to various degrees for most people who might otherwise be tempted to cycle, or cycle more often. That's just the way it is.

My child has cycled his own bike 3 km to Senior Infants pretty much every school day since the start of term.

Hardened cycle commuter? At age 6?

The words "protest", "too" and "much" spring to mind.

gordongekko

Iwannahurl wrote: »

My child has cycled his own bike 3 km to Senior Infants pretty much every school day since the start of term.

Hardened cycle commuter? At age 6?

The words "protest", "too" and "much" spring to mind.

that's one out of how many 6 yr olds in school? The words "protest", "too" and "much" spring to mind

Iwannahurl

gordongekko wrote: »

that's one out of how many 6 yr olds in school? The words "protest", "too" and "much" spring to mind

Your point being..?

Iwannahurl

Trip: morning school run.
Distance: 6 km round trip.
Mode: bicycle.
Weather: A couple of showers, and a bit of wind. Not very cold, according to thumb gauge.
Comment: Senior Infant looked out the window just before departure and said "it's raining, so I'm not cycling." It was indeed raining at that moment so I went into faff mode and put on all my rain gear etc. I cycled the 3 km to school, and the rain turned out to be a fairly light shower. Barely enough to wet my raincoat and sprinkle my (Gore-Tex lined) boots. Another light shower near home on the way back. No need to hang up raingear to drip dry.
Note to self: going to have to devise strategy for persuading Senior Infant not to be put off cycling to school by seeing a bit of rain. All-in-one waterproofs perhaps?

Iwannahurl

Iwannahurl wrote: »

My child has cycled his own bike 3 km to Senior Infants pretty much every school day since the start of term.

Hardened cycle commuter? At age 6?

The words "protest", "too" and "much" spring to mind.

I pity your poor kid, I wouldn't cycle 3km myself at 28 never mind when I was 6.

He must feel very hard done by seeing all his friends hop out of nice warm cars while he has to slog away hail rain and shine on a bike at only 6 years old just because you have some silly anti-car nonsense going on in your head.

antoobrien

Carolyn Old Stationery wrote: »

I pity your poor kid, I wouldn't cycle 3km in the morning myself at 28 never mind when I was 6.

It would seem that the 6 year old has more sense than the parent. I wouldn't have put a dog out in the rain that was in Newcastle/Dangan around 8.00-8.15.

what_traffic

Carolyn Old Stationery wrote: »

I pity your poor kid, I wouldn't cycle 3km myself at 28 never mind when I was 6.

Your so soft.

Iwannahurl

Carolyn Old Stationery wrote: »

I pity your poor kid, I wouldn't cycle 3km in the morning myself at 28 never mind when I was 6.

He must feel very hard done by seeing all his friends hop out of nice warm cars while he has to slog away hail rain and shine on a bike at only 6 years old just because you have some silly anti-car nonsense going on in your head.

antoobrien wrote: »

It would seem that the 6 year old has more sense than the parent. I wouldn't have put a dog out in the rain that was in Newcastle/Dangan around 8.00-8.15.

Nice ones. Keep 'em coming.

Actually we didn't see anyone hopping out of their cars, because we got there before them. A neighbour left before us, travelling by car, and we passed them out, twice. In fact Senior Infant loves to pass out the lines of stationary or slow-moving cars every morning. Kids are warmer after cycling too, as their circulation is flowing far better after getting some exercise on the way to school.

EDIT: OK, maybe don't keep 'em coming. Just saw Mod note.

what_traffic

Trip: Work Commutte @ 09h00
Distance: 11 km.
Time taken: 30 minutes
Mode: Cycle.
Weather: Dry. Northwest wind - had no bearing on time though
Comment: Pleasant cycle in cool conditions. Road was wet, fallen leaves are not swept often in Galway City

snubbleste

Carolyn Old Stationery wrote: »

I pity your poor kid, I wouldn't cycle 3km myself at 28 never mind when I was 6.
He must feel very hard done by seeing all his friends hop out of nice warm cars while he has to slog away hail rain and shine on a bike at only 6 years old just because you have some silly anti-car nonsense going on in your head.

That is uncalled for.

pleasant Co.

Lets stick to the point of this thread, if you're not contributing to the diary - get out. Your personal feelings are irrelevant information.