Sometimes reviewing the weather in advance is disheartening. Today started out ferocious - 35 kilometer per hour winds from the northwest and we're headed north. The wind was colder than yesterday, but not that bitter cold we've experienced before. We set off all bundled up and stayed that way all day.
Today's route consisted of a lot of smaller roads, some along the coastline and some inland. When we rode along the coastline we'd get buffeted around. When we rode inland along the farms, we were protected more from the winds. Hedgerows on a windy day are quite useful. But as Murphy's law would have it, if we were climbing it was usually into a headwind. We even had one descent where we thought the wind just might blow us over.
Climbing out of Kilkee, we stopped so I could check and see if we turned on the taillight. This gave me an opportunity to take a photo of Kilkee.
Chuck was herding the cows down the lane. Finally we came to a field and the farmer was waiting for them with the gate open. After a fun exchange with the farmer, we continued on.
We rode by another links course and this one was designed by Arnold Palmer. Upon googling, this Lahinch course runs about 350 euros to play the Old Course and 60 euros to play the Castle Course across the street.
As the kilometers passed we felt odd that we were not taking more photos, but the scenery is basically the same. Green here, green there, hedgerow after hedgerow. We just enjoyed the ups and downs of today. With only 10 kilometers left to go, we came to the main road once again. We ended up backtracking 1 kilometer so that we could visit the famous Cliffs of Moher. We locked up the tandem and set off walking about in the strong winds. One gust just about blew us off our feet, but we saw enough of these cliffs to understand why it is a major tourist attraction. They are very impressive and quite beautiful!
Looking southward from the first overlook we came to.
Now we had only 10 kilometers left to the B&B and 9 of them were downhill. All of our descents today have been rather slow for us - just too difficult with the wind conditions. Chuck has been very cautious for which I am most thankful. We came around a corner to see, yet, another castle.
Abandoned Cottage Ruin, Doonagore (we haven't been able to find any info on it).
Note to ourselves: All layers once again. No rain, but lots of strong wind.
Accommodation: Daly's House B&B - Susan Daly is a lovely and welcoming host. We have the top floor to ourselves with a distant view of the Cliffs of Moher. So far, it's a gem of a place to stay. Dinner was at the Ivy Cottage - delicious!!
Today's ride: 72 km (45 miles) Total: 1,044 km (648 miles)
