Day 2: Clonakilty to Goleen

May 16, 2024

The sun was shining this morning in Clonakilty. Various weather apps indicated good weather, but that we should arrive mid-afternoon or suffer through possible showers. Wearing our regular cycling garb with arm warmers and vest (gilet), we set off a bit later than intended. Seriously, one can't rush a full Irish breakfast now, can one?!

The morning and the kilometers whizzed by until we stopped at the Drombeg Stone Circle. This recumbent stone circle was built during the Bronze Age. Excavations in 1957 revealed a compact gravel surface interior with a central pit that contained an inverted pottery vessel. Radiocarbon dated the remains of a cremated youth in the period of 1100-800 BC.

Visual of the Atlantic from the stone circle

Possibly the ancient cooking place at Drombeg.

Fantastic weather during our visit to Drombeg

Further down the planned route for the day we came across a lovely bay and the village of Glandore.

The next stretch of our route became quite amusing. We rode up and down The Bumpy Road. Then we climbed up and over The River View Road before skirting along The Marsh Road. After all these various roads, we briefly rejoined the major arterial named The Butter Road.

The Bumpy Road was bumpy in more than one way - it went up and down continuously and the road surface was bumpy.

A brief stop along The River View Road. It, too, was full of ups and downs.

A pair of swans in the marshes along The Marsh Road.

Another view of the marshes. Too bad the lighting wasn't better. It was beautiful.

Across the road from the marshes were these girls.

Our route turned right, but we saw this ruin in the distance and went on to explore. It was the remains of a cemetery with quite a historical background. We spent a some time walking around and noticed graves from the 1700s, as well as, 1960s.

Shortly after that stop, it was time to don our rain jackets and helmet covers. We had rain for about 30 minutes during which we passed by this scenic cove. A hundred meters down the road, we decided to turn around for photos (in the rain).

Continuing on, we encountered our first flat tire. Handy Chuck had that baby changed in no time. We were so busy with it, I forgot to snap a picture. By now the rain has subsided, but we kept the jackets on for wind protection.

On our second to last climb of the day, we summited and had an incredible view of terrain completely different from the past few days. This new area was very rocky. The photos just don't capture the stark difference.

From agricultural grounds to stony hills.

From green to hills that were a dark brown/black color.

We came across The Altar, too. In France, we call these dolmens. This is one of many sites along the Wild Atlantic Way. We pulled in to see it up close and to take in the beauty of this inlet.

The Altar - a burial site from the Bronze Age.

The rock formations along the coastline by The Altar.

Our home for the night - The Heron's Cove

Reversed from the sunset was this pink rainbow.

Heron's Cove - the tide is beginning to rise.

Notes to self: Rain jackets - 8 minutes around 2 pm and 40 minutes around 4 pm. First flat tire of the trip - caused by a tiny shard in the tire.

Accommodation: Staying at Heron Cove was a pleasant surprise. Very friendly and welcoming staff. Cleaning and storing the tandem was not a problem. Rooms are basic, but comfy with a view of the harbor. Dinner was mediocre, but plentiful accompanied by the bottle of wine of your choice. We would stay here again.

Today's ride: 84 km (52 miles)
Total: 165 km (102 miles)

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