Sacrom Cross near-repeat
Had planned on going for a cycle on Monday evening, with a view to Perseid-spotting on the way back, on the strength of forecast that it'd be clear for both. Very cloudy, though, and ended up doing neither. Most disappointing. Weather from bad to worse since, but a bit better today, so forced self out. Very much the same route as last time, exceptI rather forgot about the masterplan and went straight ahead at the Bandon Road Roundabout, so I then had to cut through the hospital to join the W. road at that point. This might be not entirely unrelated to my little phone mishap just prior to that. The good news is that BB Curves seem to bounce surprisingly well: no apparent damage, despite stoatin' it across a lane of the N71. Battery cover came off and I had to rather scamper to retrieve it, but still working fine. Bad news is I'd broken one bud of my earphones, so the rest of the cycle was decidedly mono, and I'll be back on eBay to lash out another quid or so shortly. In two minds about going to see Low at Cyprus Avenue on Monday, and have been giving some of their stuff a listen; I hope The Great Destroyer doesn't depend crucially on left-brain input in some way.
Anyhoo, having started out somewhat later than last time, and as the cloud made it somewhat dimmer, tried to crack on at a (relatively!) decent pace. I seem to be continuing to be quite the cow magnet. Maybe it was getting close to milking time? Must stop stopping for breathers in front of cow pastures. Last time, there was a field of distinctly rumbunctious bullocks, that were busy giving me the stink eye, when they weren't butting heads (and much else) with each other. After the post-Waterfall breather, somewhat feeling it again on the slog up to Corbally Cross. After that, pretty easy going along to Sacrom Cross, not such hot pursuit by the dogs going mental, then lots of breaking through the gloom down to the Granges, over the pedestrian bridge, and back the N22. No-one running me off the road this time.
Despite the later start I must indeed have faffed around less, as I was back at Bandon Road before 11pm, so I popped in there. They literally had the shutters down on the fridges, somewhat complicating rummaging around for bargains, but got some ham, a biriyani readymeal, and a couple of danishes on a display near the checkouts for the peckish and suggestible (clearly). Eastbound N71 entirely closed off at the BRR -- resurfacing to finish off the junction works at SRR? Diversion sent me via Bishopstown, so I popped into Tesco too, in the faint hope of some reduced ISB bread being left at that stage. No dice. Added a couple of Ks to my journey... in the form of interference that made my bike computer go slightly crazy. Seems to be from around the checkout area especially (I think normally it's powered itself off by the time I get there). I think the reading might have been off anyway -- might have been off for some earlier section without me noticing. Last time the very similar trip read 26.5km, which roughtly tallies with google maps.