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Round Ireland in Low Gear Paperback – January 1, 2011

by Eric Newby (Author)

5 customer reviews

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Having decided to explore Ireland by bicycle, Eric and Wanda Newby set out one December - not the best time to ride a bike around the highways and by-ways of the Emerald Isle, even when protected by thermal underwear. From the Cliffs of Moher to St Brigid's Vat, Dublin, the Aran Islands, the Ring of Kerry and Croagh Patrick, their rainsoaked journey is beset by minor disaster ranging from ferocious storms to even more ferocious dogs. Along the way they come across a moving, miracle-working stature of the Virgin, spectacular ruins and the traces of twentieth-century violence, in between stops for Guinness, tea and soda bread. Woven into the narrative is a wealth of information about Irish history and custom - hermits, horse-fairs, peat-cutting and poetry are all touched on in this deft and dazzling blend of myth, fact and quirky details. And, as usual with eric Newby, this beguiling account is enlivened by a cast of eccentric and utterly engaging characters.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Funny, revealing and thoroughly enjoyable' -- Irish Independent

About the Author

Eric Newby was born in London in 1919. In 1938, he joined the four-masted Finnish barque Moshulu as an apprentice and sailed in the last Grain Race from Australia to Europe, by way of Cape Horn. During World War II, he served in the Black Watch and the Special Boat Section. In 1942, he was captured and remained a prisoner-of-war until 1945. He subsequently married the girl who helped him to escape, and for the next fifty years, his wife Wanda was at his side on many adventures. After the war, he worked in the fashion business and book publishing but always travelled on a grand scale, sometimes as the Travel Editor for the Observer. He was made CBE in 1994 and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award of the British Guild of Travel Writers in 2001. Eric Newby died in 2006.

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; UK ed. edition (January 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0007367929
ISBN-13: 978-0007367924
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 5 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,194,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1174 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Ethnic & National > Irish
- #1184 in Books > Travel > Europe > Ireland > General
- #4074 in Books > Travel > Europe > Great Britain > General

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Paul Lawrence

By bicycle around Ireland. In winter.

May 11, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Having very much enjoyed A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush, Slowly Down the Ganges and Love and War in the Apennines it was only a matter of time before the rest of the catalogue hit my reading list. Hence Round Ireland in Low Gear, one of the lesser known books by Eric Newby, written in the mid 1980's about the adventures he and his long suffering wife Wanda had while exploring the Emerald Isle by bicycle. And to top things off a large chunk of the trip was done in the winter.

The book is interesting as a window into the Ireland of the time and the ever ready Newby wit is certainly given plenty of targets as the reader is told of the relentlessly bad weather, how hard it was to find accommodation at times and also the issues of travelling in a territory where the tourist infrastructure all but shut down in the 'off season'. Even the upbeat nature of the author is tried on a number of occasions by rather strange local behaviour and the sheer difficulty in getting about. And it's not like it was easier when they decided to catch trains because of the rather truncated services available on the Irish rail network - particularly on the west coast.

The style of writing is intelligent, dry humoured but also at times verbose. There are a number of maps but no photographs. It is important to read this as being a tale of someone else having an adventure. It's not a guide book by any means though there are a mountain of historic details included as Newby was the sort of fellow who liked to actually learn about the places he was travelling through.

A lesser light perhaps of the Eric Newby canon of travel literature and it certainly helps if you've read and enjoyed some of the more well known entries in the catalogue.

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John the Reader

On yer bike...

July 29, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Read a review that complained - among other criticisms - that Eric had `lifted' great chunks of his narrative about touring Ireland from guide books. Even that he "admitted and acknowledged it" in the book. Now, apart from Eric Newby using citations correctly when he does quote from other works, there is no such confession of plagiarism in the book's footnotes. In fact running several likely paragraphs through the teacher's plagiarism website my son often uses revealed only a reference to one touring guide book, and that one Eric had co-authored anyway! So the author's narrative is as original as ever, and is delightfully sprinkled with Wanda's usual put-downs and `back-to-earth' asides.

And Ireland and its climate of course, offered Wanda Newby plenty of opportunities for those biting wifely comments, especially while being toured on bicycles! In winter, with overloaded panniers and chancing to luck and B&Bs for a bed at night, and Pubs or remote country-stores for meals.

Eric was perhaps rather "asking for it" with this idea. The resulting chaotic and riotous trip makes for a humorous romp through the Dingles and bogs in the near-continuous `soft mists' of Ireland, supported by the usual Newby need to give the reader the information and history of what the author(s) discover, see, experience and visit. The book is thoroughly enjoyable and is as tempting a portrait of Ireland as Pete McCarthy's "McCarthy's Bar" and, yes, it is as informative as any Bord Failte official touring-guide.

On yer bike says Eric!

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Tony Z

A Meandering Book for a Meandering Journey

February 20, 2018

Format: Paperback

I’ve read several books in the genre of “Adventurous Spirit Takes on an Ill-Advised, Self-Powered Journey”. Many of these stories focus on the hijinks of the poorly-prepared traveller, but this one skews toward well-researched historical anecdotes and journal-like descriptions of the trip. Eric and Wandy Newby decide to bike around Ireland; unfortunately they plan their journey for December and are met with the inhospitable combination of bad weather and severely limited out-of-season tourist infrastructure. The pair soldier on through endless rain and occasional snow. You can almost picture their soaked reflections in the windows of the closed-for-season pubs and B+Bs.

Much of the book is comprised of seemingly random historical anecdotes about sites along their route. These can occasionally be interesting. There are some good details about the English/Irish conflicts, medieval celts, and multiple tales of Catholic apparitions that appeared before locals in recent times. Nothing ties these anecdotes together beyond the author’s interest in them, though. I found myself skimming through passages providing exhaustive information about the design of different fishing boats or the lineage of local monarchs. In some cases I tried using Google to follow up on obscure references and couldn’t even find relevant material in the first couple pages of search results.

Somewhat more successful are the author’s descriptions of his personal interactions with bartenders and innkeepers, even if these often devolve into an exercise of phonetically capturing the Irish accent. He laments the disappearing “old ways” of Ireland. The book was written in 1987 and it’s possible that the details he’s captured about peat cutters and thatched roof cottages have completely eroded from view.

This book is not a compelling page-turner, but it does capture the experience of touring outside the confines of the typical vacation experience.

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florida

Just okay

January 16, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Newby wrote this late in life and must have needed money. The book is about a forced bicycle ride through Ireland in the late fall and winter. His wife is a reluctant companion and would rather be at home by the fire. Newby seemed to be constantly surprised that the weather was bad and complains/comments constantly about how horrible the conditions are for riding a bike and sight seeing. Unless he was under time constraints for a publisher I too wonder why he didn't wait for pleasant weather. It's not terrible but can't compare to "A Short Walk In the Hindu Kush."

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