What an interesting week.....

Well as the title says it was an interesting week. It started off with hitching home from Duncannon on Monday.  As in Bank Holiday Monday.  Now normally Bank holidays are great for hitching. Lots of people on the road and often willing to pick up.  My brother dropped me off in New Ross as he was heading back up the country.  I was on the road for 17:30.  By rights I should have been home in 3 to 4 hours.  Normally the Journey would take 2 to 3 hours if driving.  It took me 6 hours.  23:30 I was walking in the door at home. I may not even have gotten home that early save for the fact that the last lift I got was from a guy going from Dungarvan to Cork, who took pity on me and dropped me home.  Added an extra 30 minutes to his journey time at least.  Well done that man and thank you very much.  

Next was Wednesday.  I was hitching from home to Portarlington in Laois to visit my girlfriend.  I left home at around 14:00 a 3 hour journey at the most when driving.  It took me 7 hours.  I was starting to think I was losing my touch.  Thankfully I got a lift from Cahir practically to the door by a very sound lad.

Then on Friday I was hitching down from Portarlington on Friday.  Left at 11:00.  Didn't get home till 17:30.  There were some advantages.  I got to prove how utterly random and awesome the world is.  Myself and my girlfriend were after getting dropped at the top of the Cobh sliproad on the Cork/Midleton road.  After walking back down onto the hard shoulder and waiting a while we got a lift... It was the man whose tyre I had helped change.  Granted he could only take us a small distance but I thought it was kind of cool.

Anyway.  After some consideration I figured out a decent reason for the slowness of the travel.  At first I thought it may have been the fact that I was wearing a straw hat as I had left my leather one in my brother's car (Also known as my hitching hat. :P) .  But then I realized that there was another time when hitching took a stupidly long time.  Last summer it took me 5 hours to do 26 miles.  On a hot day.  From this I have deduced that hitching on a hot day is always slow.  The higher the temperature the less generous the people - sounds crazy but my brother who also hitches would agree.

Secondly my long trip on Monday was not helped by the fact that I had to walk through New Ross and Waterford City.  New Ross wasn't too bad but Waterford was a nightmare.  That city just goes on and on and on.  Took 2 hours.  Felt like one of the longest walks ever.   Never, never, NEVER!!!  Get a lift to the wrong side of a city.  It's not worth the trouble.  Even if it means you have to pass up a good long lift.  Just leave it.  Also never get a lift it is out of your way too far.  For example getting a lift from Portlaoise to Limerick when you are going to Cork.  Pass up the lift.  Wait.  You'll be better off.