I’m sitting in the bar of the Leenane Hotel on the south side of the Killary Fjord drinking apple cider and eating dinner after a 30 mile ride through a couple serious rain storms.

The last I wrote, I was just past Kinsale, on the southern coast, preparing to start the biking portion of this trip. That day, Friday August 26, was a hard introduction to Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. I was riding toward and then along the coast. My first look at Irish countryside and coastline.

The first thing that struck me as I pushed up and down narrow country lanes, was the hedges lining the road. In the main, they were a combination of ripe, thorny blackberries and fabulous red fuschias. Interspersed with these were white, bee-speckled flowers and other flora. These fuschias accompanied me everyday. From now on, fuschias will remind me of Ireland!

While Ireland doesn’t have big mountains, it certainly has lots of hills. On this day,I would endure 3400 feet of climbing yet never get above 400 feet. That is close to 2/3rds of a mile straight up! It seemed the only reason a road went downhill was to get to the bottom of the next hill before climbing it.

I hit the coast at Timoleague, a town know for its ruined Franciscan friary right on the banks of the Argideen River, which looked more like marshy wetland than a flowing river. A sign there said that Timoleague was a bustling port when in 1799 an earthquake in Portugal caused a tsunami that silted up the river and ruined the port.

I continued up and down, sometimes along the coast, sometimes through marsh past the good-sized towns of Clonikilty and Rosscarberry and on to the cute town of Skibbereen, my stop for the night. You can see the route I ride here: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/101030296

My routine for the morning was to walk around the town about 7:30 to see it in a quiet state, take photos, and waiting for stores with fresh rolls to open. On Saturday, Skibbereen has a farmers market that was just getting organized. I didn’t need anything but it was fun to look through the offerings.

On that day, Saturday, my route took me onto the southernmost western peninsula. I had learned from the previous day’s experience and took the main road instead of climbing over a steep hill. Irish drivers are very patient and always give me room when passing. There is a law that drivers have to give cyclists 3 feet (1 meter) when passing. There are signs on roads to this effect. While it is neither fun or relaxing to ride next to hurtling cars, I rarely felt unsafe.

This day I threaded my way through a tangle of farm lanes lined with the ever-present fuschia infused hedges that are hard to see over. When I stopped to eat my first (avocado, red onion, cheese, and mayonnaise) sandwich, I managed to drain my Camelbak. Without water in rural Ireland was not good. About a mile later, I passed a family sitting outside talking. I stopped, asked if I could have some water, and, after a bit of small talk, was on my way with a full bag of water. One of the benefits of riding in an friendly, English speaking country!

The coast in this area wasn’t full of dramatic cliffs or crashing waves. Instead, there are rock strewn stretches of shoreline with islands, some tiny, some large, just a ways away. After the touristy town of Schull, with its brightly painted houses, I continued riding west through uninhabited (by either humans or livestock) hills pimpled by boulders and green shrubs. I turned north at a bay with more dramatic scenery and some ancient burial sites. The way north was a straight shot on a more direct road that eventually came to the water on the north side of the peninsula where a large island is Ireland’s oil terminal.

Before arriving in Bantry, my stop for the night, I had to climb up and over a long hill with a meandering road with grass down the middle (making it hard to ride on a bike) which seemed more lunar than Irish. Bantry is a bit bigger town full of shops, restaurants, and bars. This day’s track: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/101140843

The next day was Sunday and I was concerned that stores would be closed, but that isn’t the case in the Republic of Ireland and I had no trouble procuring my usual fresh rolls for the road. My route today was again to head west, this time out along the Beara Peninsula.

After riding on a busy main road for a few miles, my route took me into the hills above. I didn’t mind too much as I didn’t like the traffic on this Sunday morning. The climb over was brutal and involved some walking/pushing to cool off the thighs. Again, the tops of the hills seemed otherworldly,though the views down toward the water were some consolation.

The rest of the day was on the main road, which is the only way to Castletownbere, my stop for the night. The town of Glengarriff surrounds a picturesque harbor and is the start of some serious hill-work. Luckily, the road had a fairly wide shoulder so i still felt safe as I wobbled my way up some of these climbs. There were some water views, but mostly it was lunar hill vistas.

After the tiny but happening town of Adrigole, there were some nice coastal views and then it was inland for more farm fields, distant looks at the water, and the occasional pretty river. Castletownbere is a major fishing and tourist town with 2 blocks of commerce, including a Chinese restaurant that served a tasty dinner. One of the main attractions of Castletownbere is ferry rides to Bere Island, a large mountainous island that dominates the view from the town. This day’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/101247527

On Monday, my route took me over the hills to the north side of the Beara Peninsula and along the coast away from the main road and the Ring of Beara. I snaked along the shoreline with appealing views across the many small bays that populate this part of the peninsula. Along the way, I saw an old Volvo, then another, then another. I wondered if there was some tourist service offering tours in 1960s Volvos. At one vista point, I saw another Volvo and asked the driver what was going on. It turned out to be a tour for Dutch owners of vintage Volvos.

As I returned to the main road, the one-lane road I was on got steeper and steeper. I wasn’t actually going up much, the road simply went up the side the hill without regard of the road grade. It was tiring, though, by now I’d made my peace with Ireland’s hills and the cursing had ceased.

After a run on the main road, I turned toward the water and rode through a bit of forest before reaching the edge of Kenmare River (looked to me like a long bay) with hazy views across the water to the Dingle Peninsula. I rode past a few small lakes and along the rocky edge until, again, meeting the main road. There were a few more cars as I approached Kenmare, my stop for the night. One of them was the Volvo of the couple I’d talked with earlier, waving as they drove by.

The tourist destination of Kenmare is a triangle of colorful shops, bars, and restaurants. I had one of 4 bedrooms in a suite with a shared kitchen in the center of town. I bought food at the local SuperValue and made myself dinner where I met an Italian couple whose English was so good that my attempts at Italian seemed foolish. This day’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/101355890

My original plan was to ride onto the Dingle Peninsula, but the town I wanted to stay in had no vacancies, so instead,I chose to ride to Killarney via the Ring of Kerry through the Gap of Dunloe, a famous tourist route. The ride out of Kenmare went uphill directly. It was hard work but the low gears (and low traffic) helped. The route I’d mapped, which stayed off the main highway, went over a potholed road and then up a lane with grass in the middle. It is hard to navigate a loaded touring bike on a 2 foot section of asphalt while going uphill.

I joined the main road and was surprised at the lack of traffic. I continued climbing eventually getting up and over Moll’s Gap, today’s first pass, with a panoramic view of barren, rocky hills. The way down was a quick run through similar terrain. At the bottom, I rode along the Riverowenreagh and past livestock fields. It was a sunny day on a flat road through peaceful countryside, a bit of what bike touring is all about!

As I began the serious climb up to the Gap of Dunloe, I saw more and more hikers descending. Clearly, this was a popular hiking route. The grade was merciless and I was in my lowest gears. Luckily, there were some views of a distant lake so I got a bit of respite while I took photos. The top came relatively quickly and the way down reminded me strongly of England’s Lake District as there was several small lakes nestled in the serpentine curves of the road. It was an enjoyable, pretty descent.

Once onto flat ground, I rode through housing and on a busy road before finding a bike path past a couple golf courses into Killarney, a big town. My hotel was in the middle of things. I wondered over to the bus station and then walked around Killarney. I found the Dunnes, a local department store with a full grocery section for tomorrow’s fresh rolls. I dined at a tasty Indian place and when I returned to my room, a 3-piece Irish band was playing Irish folk tunes. The singer had a good voice and a sweet Irish brogue. I fell asleep listening to them. This day’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/101443348

The next day, Wednesday 8/31, was a rest/travel day. Five hours on two buses. I rode to the bus station, forced my bike into the bag, threw my gear onto the bus and off it went. In Limerick, I changed for Galway and another 2 hours. Once in Galway, I asked about getting a bike on a bus from cities north of Galway.

Galway is a university town and Ireland’s sixth largest city. It has a pedestrianized downtown that was full of people, businesses, buskers, and a bit of art here and there. It was fun just wandering around. I located the Dunnes and eventually had a tasty pesto dinner before returning to the hotel and spending the next 2 hours planning my trip to Norwich.

Unfortunately, after a week of fine,sunny weather, my luck ran out and rain was predicted for the next several days. I shortened my goals and reserved a bus back to Galway, 2 trains to Belfast, a ferry to Liverpool, and a train to Norwich.

Yesterday, Thursday 9/1, I had made contact with a Warmshower’s host for an overnight stay. She had suggested I take the main road out of Galway, but when I got there, it was way too narrow for the fast car and truck traffic. But, there weren’t any alternative routes until after a couple rivers had been crossed. I rode as carefully as I could, pulling off the road when traffic was coming and there was room to do so. While the Irish drivers were patient, it was still a bit nerve-wracking.

I checked my mapping app and found a parallel route that carried much less traffic. This rural road was lined with houses, often sporting pretty flower beds, and all having some kind of walled gate. A few of these were quite intricate bits of metalwork and rock masonry. It occurred to me that the Irish equivalent of an American’s white picket fence was a stone wall and a metal gate.

The further I went, the more the houses were replace with pasturelands and the mooing of cows. After again meeting the main road and riding through the good-sized town of Headford, I continued on until taking a turn into the countryside to find my host’s place. My route, which she had approved, ended at a locked gate surrounded by lowing cows. Luckily, I had cellphone service and after several emails back and forth I met a man in a truck who asked if I was looking Ms. Cable, who was standing at the next intersection waiting for me.

Felicity, 2 weeks older than me, was an Englishwomen who’d lived in Ireland for close to 40 years. She lived on a dirt path past a dirt road. There was no way I’d have found this on my own. She lived in an old 2 story house with a wood/peat/coal stove for both cooking and hot water. She was a real talker and I spent most of the next several hours listening to her mildly interesting stories. I didn’t find out much about her background and she didn’t ask about mine. She had 5 children and lived on deserted wife’s allowance from the Irish government.

She was extremely generous with what she had and liked to explain things in detail. It was interesting to see and handle peat bricks and to watch as she fired up the stove to warm water for my shower and to cook dinner. The smoke from the stove made the entire house smell like a campfire.

After my nice warm shower, we (she) continued our conversation as she chopped beet greens, potatoes, and parsley for dinner. She made a tasty lentil, beet and dulse stew along with fried potatoes and a bowl of mixed vegetables.

We ate at 9pm and by 9:30 I was nodding off. I made it to 10 before excusing myself to bed. This day’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/101639938

Rain was predicted for today and I wanted to get out early. We were both up by 5:30. I did a few things and had eaten Breakfast by 7:30. I packed up and, after another few stories, was off by about 8:45.

Felicity walked me to the turn in the road and we hugged our farewell. It was an interesting glimpse of rural Irish living that seemed like something out of the 19th century. It looked like a hard lonely existence. I.was glad to have provided a bit of distraction (or an audience) for her for a few hours.

I wanted to ride hard to try and arrive before the rain started. I got to Cong, a good-sized village famous as the setting for the John Wayne/Maureen O’Hara movie The Quiet Man. There is a bronze statue of Wayne carrying O’Hara in the town, along with lots of movie connected marketing.

Cong is also on the pretty Cong River whose placid waters provided some impressive reflection photos.

Just past Cong, I entered a forested area that reminded me of places in California’s national parks. Impressive stands of large trees with the occasional old castle thrown in. It was about here that the rain started. It was mild, at first, but it quickly escalated to a full downpour. I donned all my rain gear and pushed on. After maybe 20 minutes the rain had stopped. As soon as I removed my rain clothes, it started raining again. This never fails! I wore it the rest of the day just to be sure!

It rained hard for maybe 30 discouraging minutes by which time I had pushed several miles toward the countryside approaching the hills between me and the coast. While the sun had come out, it was clear from the sky that more rain was on the way.

After my bike fell over while I was trying to take a photo and I fell on right hip, I pushed up the Maam Gap, an easy climb against a rain-preceding wind and made the turn for the coast. I got within 2 miles of Leenane, my stop for the night before the rain pelted down for the second time this day. The fast coast down the final hill in a heavy rain felt like stones hitting my face.

The Leenane hotel has some spa services and is a comfortable place right on the fjord, with views across the water to the mountains on the other side. This day’s route: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/101725268

Tomorrow is my last bike touring day to Clifden, likely in the rain. I’ll spend two nights there and, depending on the weather, take some local ride to see more of Connemara National Park. Then, the 4 day trip from Clifden to Galway to Dublin to Belfast to Liverpool to Norwich begins and this tour ends.

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