Crank and Cog

February 25, 2018

Leitrim Cycling Festival, 2018.

June 22 – June 24, 2018

We are at the early and giddy stages of planning a festival of cycling and hiking the wilds of Leitrim in the North West of Ireland.

Dates have been confirmed and venues booked. We’re planning some amazing routes and campout locations. A request for fine weather is pending…

The aim of the hike + bike festival is to celebrate Leitrim for its wonderful walking and cycling routes, to bring people together to learn about the future of hiking and cycling in the area, to build a community that can be involved in developing the area and to have some fun.

Its lining up to be a great weekend. There will be bikes, food, music, workshops, talks, hills, lakes, foraging, boreens, campout, bunting, maps, art, saddle-sores, tan-lines… aaaannnndddd ice-cream!

Keep an eye here for further details.

Below are a few tracks and roads to whet your appetite!

Stay tuned!

Brewing Coffee in the Wild | Crank and Cog

January 11, 2018

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Brewing Coffee in the Wild.

The whole idea behind hiking, cycle touring or bikepacking is moving through the country side at a slow pace, taking time to absorb your surroundings and acknowledging the beauty of it all.

To help you acknowledge this beauty it’s a well known ‘fact’ you become more observant of your surroundings after a cup of good coffee! Read More

December 10, 2017

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North Leitrim Hills, Ireland.

Whether you’re location scouting for moody electro-synth music videos or in the need of a healthy dose of fresh air there’s no better place than North Leitrim, Ireland!

October 26, 2017

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Rose Hip Syrup

In Ireland there is an old folk tale that warns against picking wild berries after Halloween. The Púka (a mischievous shape shifting Irish fairy) will pee and spit all over the wild berries once October has passed rendering them inedible. So although rose hip berries are visible throughout the winter it’s best to leave them to the Púca!

Cycling north Leitrim, Ireland in the Autumn. | Crank and Cog

October 12, 2017

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Cycling North Leitrim, Ireland.

Leitrim, in the North West of Ireland, can be divided into two parts, the lowlands of the south and the highlands of the north, with Lough Allen in the middle. I’ll explore the south of the county on another day but for now the North Leitrim hills awash with it’s autumn colour have me enthralled. With rippling hills, unmanicured hedgerows, glacial lakes and a vast network of meandering little roads to explore it’s a cyclists seventh heaven!

Meadowsweet Cordial with lemon | Crank & Cog

August 10, 2017

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Meadowsweet Cordial with Lemon.

After a wet and blustery start to August it’s tempting to conjure up some druidic magic to try to save the remainder of the ‘summer’ before it’s swept away by our unforgiving weather. Thankfully you won’t need to sacrifice any virginal bride in a public ceremony, instead making and bottling some meadowsweet cordial should be enough to at least remind you of the summery good times!

August 3, 2017

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Iceland: Food, Wild Plants and…Bike Pits!

When in Iceland do as the Icelandic do! I’m pretty sure Icelanders sleep in bike sheds, have lunch in drain pipes and ‘baaaa’ manically at sheep… If so, we blended in seamlessly!

July 10, 2017

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Bicycle Tour of Iceland.

Words and pictures really struggle to capture the experience of standing barefoot in a hot bubbling mud pool, watching mist slowly reveal a creaking glacier while you’re chewing on copious amounts of liquorice sticks! Iceland is a country of stunning raw beauty, beautiful contradictions and elves… apparently!

May 27, 2017

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Bikepacking Through the Ox Mountains, Sligo, Ireland.

With a longer stretch in the evenings and improving weather, we decided to go on a short over night loop around the Ox mountains in Sligo, Ireland. In truth it was a good chance to begin preparing for our trip to Iceland coming up in early June. I’d rather discover any issues with the bikes, gear or ourselves along the hills of Sligo rather than the barren plateaus of Iceland. Read More

April 22, 2017

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Wild Cooking – Nettle Porridge

Nettles are probably the first plant a child will identify and the last they’ll want to encounter again! The painful sting is a stronger identifier than shape, colour or form and a reminder to tread carefully when galavanting in shorts through the countryside!