The Grand Canal. OK, it's not the tour. There are no HC climbs (fortunately). In fact it's nearly flat. Our daily progress will be in tens rather than hundreds of kilometres. No broom wagon will forcibly remove us from the course if we start to flag. If the notion struck you, you could drive from its eastern most end in Dublin, to the most westerly point, Shannon Harbour, where it meets the River Shannon, in a couple of hours.
However the notion to suddenly drive to Shannon Harbour is not likely to strike anyone. Unless you actually lived there, (and that's statistically very unlikely as it's a very small place) the only reason you might be interested in Shannon Harbour will be intimately bound up with the canal and that's a good thing - the best way to cross the Irish midlands is by bike or by boat which allow an appreciation of the subtle beauty and quietness of the place: you just lose so much of this stuck inside a car.
Bearing all of the above points in mind, I'm comfortable with the idea of a rear carrier. Really. The carrier has however elicited derogatory comments from Waldorf, my towpath companion.
The offending item is pictured above. The next step is to invest in panniers, which will allow me to get rid of the rucksack - it's damn hard to appreciate subtle beauty when your back is a soggy mess. Other items potentially offensive to speed freaks, but which add to utility and which are visible in the picture are my kickstand, suspension seatpost, mudguards, and the "dork disc" between the sprockets and spokes.
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