Nick Hand

36 days and 1800 miles later, I'm back in Belfast

Well that's me done, I've still got a bunch of soundslides to edit and put up still.

I rode into Belfast last night about six and had booked into the Premier Inn in the centre of the city, so was all set to find a curry house and think about getting home today. But I got a call from Colin McCadden, an old design friend who I hadn't seen since, we reckon, 1989 when we were both young whippersnapper designers. He had heard me on the Belfast radio just before I set out. So we met up and I ended up canceling my room at the Premier Inn (they were very nice and didn't charge me) and heading back to Colin and Geraldine's with a take away. And it was great to catch up (and a lot of catching up to be done). Colin has written and produced a beautiful set of books with a photographer Chris Hill called Scenic Ireland. The images are stunning and show how beautiful Ireland is.

There was some sad news too. A designer, a lovely man called Rodney Miller who I had met several time back then, had died earlier this year. Rodney was one of those optimists and visionaries of the time, and was full of passion for design in Northern Ireland and was one of the first to energise design in the region. So it was very sad to hear that news.

But his city is looking great even in these difficult times, and there is a great legacy of design and quality here.

It's a bit of an odd thing finishing a journey. But I know that I have met some amazing people, seen wonderful places and feel very privileged to have done this from the slowness of riding my bicycle. I can honestly say it is the best way to see and find out about a country. And Ireland is one special place, that's for sure.

I'm going to say goodbye to Austin and Martin over at Lawrence Street studios and to Emma at Craft NI. Then a train to Dublin and then another to Rosslaire. Then the ferry in the morning to Fishguard and a 25 mile ride up the coast to see the start of the Do Lectures (which I'm very excited about). Then home on Sunday. Thanks for following the journey and all the nice comments along the way.

The Just Giving page is still up and I would love to get the total up to £10,000, so please pass the website on to anyone (with £10 or so to spare) who might be interested. I have loved doing the soundslides, I see them as little audio visual portraits. There are some wonderful, talented, passionate, funny and good folk in there and I hope that they will be looked back on with affection.

Kindness

I just wanted to write a quick thing about the kindness of people. It has been quite stunning the level of hospitality that I have been offered in Ireland. The last two nights I have stayed with Julia and Mike in their lovely guest house on the Sheep's Head Peninsula. I kind of mini break if you like. Well Julia and Mike have looked after me royally. Fed me, taken me to the amazing tin pub and generally looked after me. There has been no mention of cost. And I just thought, well it will be worth it whatever. Julia has just informed me there is no cost. I have stayed with many other people along the way on this journey where the experience is similar. It gives me such a lift to run into these folk who I have never met before.

Yesterday, I met Chris  (at Julia and Mikes), we talked about Bob (my brother) and Chris's dad who died this year, and about Parkinson's. Well about an hour later Chris had donated £100 on the just giving page. Didn't say a word.

There are brilliant people all around us, and its a shame that in our daily hectic lives we don't get the chance to sit down and talk to the person next to us.

I also have met up with Matt, a talented designer and mountain biker, who left Bristol in the nineties. So we had a lot to catch up on. He has made his life here on this little peninsula, and I can see why. It is stunningly beautiful and a quite place.

On another note, I met and chatted to Graham Norton last night. What a really nice bloke he is. He said he would have a gander at the site today.

Well, I'm off shortly around the next peninsula (the Bhearra), looks hilly.

The north road of the Sheep's Head, bit hilly. Worth it though.

Without people you're nothing

I wanted to do a little spiel about all the people who have helped, who I've met, who have put me up, who have put some money onto the sponsorship page. And then I thought I would put some great words from a hero of mine, the great Joe Strummer, that say a lot more than I could ever say:

"I'd like to say that people... people can change anything they want to. And that means everything in the world. Show me any country, and there'll be people in it just trying to take their humanity back into the centre of the ring, And follow that for a time. Y'know, think on that. Without people you're nothing."

Joe Strummer