Photos taken on your cycle.

I passed some of the cars there on the way up, thought nothing of it assuming they just didn't want to drive up further but yeah Ticknock is always a bad spot for emergency vehicle access.

Some of the replies to that tweet are moronic but people are constantly parking wherever they want making it someone else's problem. There was a tractor with a plough at the bottom of the hill, no chance for it to pass if it needed to clear the road up from the car park.

A couple of snowy gates from this morning

Taking a breather at Ticknock.

Bought a set of stickers for the fork to match the colour of the frame, black stickers on a black fork are a bit boring. Never had money to add a bit of flair to my last MTB. The Marsh Guard is supposed to be sand colour like the frame but it's barely an off white. Need to replace the white zip ties, it's all I had on hand...

Work break spin. I'd seen this gate before, bagged it today. Little bit of hike a bike to get to it.

Also saw a heron sunning itself, newly hatched baby ducklings, and a swan that tried to bite me.

It is indeed. Or, more accurately, its outside the de Burgh estate looking in 😁

Snow on the Wicklow mountains, looking south from Luggala down towards the Lough Dan valley. Not sure if that's Lugnaquilla or one of the mountains in between

Snow on April 23rd!

When hillwalking on Maulin yestewrday, snow could be seen clearly on Mullacleevaun so I'd imagine there's still some on Lugnaquilla as well.

Gate...

Not gate...

If you don't recognise this, you have more exploring of Leinster cycleways to enjoy!

B'stoe taken at the start of Junkers

^ and ^^^

I bet we could do a far better job at nailing all the thatched cottages on the island than any state body, and it would be more interesting than photos of gates.

Not sure if it's fair on the owners/occupiers though, but they may well be used to randomers/ randonneurs being overly nosey, while pretending to catch their breaths.

It's all nostalgia in a way;farmers, mainly for cost reasons, left wrought iron behind in exchange for steel gates.

You would probably buy a half decent 4m galvanized gate for €150 or so; I'd be afraid to ask for a quote for a rivetted wrought iron gate today.

Likewise with thatch, if done well it's warm and keeps rain out but has downsides; continual maintenance, cost, fire risk and best of all rodent friendly 😄

Anyway here's a photo of one of the last places in Ireland still cutting and saving the reeds. He brings a lot onshore by row boat.

Winter work in marshy ground with hand tools, no place for soft lads.

Where abouts is it? I've a few down here in the south of the county in mind.