It’s going to be a great day … some sun, some clouds, some wind (again from the northerly direction). The Loft, our overnight stay, begins serving breakfast at 9:30 which is an hour later than our norm. However, today’s route is pretty flat and we can’t check-in until 4:00, so we’ll need to site see along the way. Checking the maps, it appears all there is to see are beaches. Hmmm …
The Loft in Ballina. It is a breakfast restaurant on the first floor and rooms on the top two floors. Fun old building!
We left Ballina after 11:00 (late for us) after visiting the bike shop and pumping up the tires. We rode along the coastline to Inishcrone where we checked out the pier and the bath house that’s sitting on the rocky shore. After enjoying a leisurely look-about we hit the road again.
The mouth of the Moy River where it empties into the Atlantic.
The sand here is black. What we noticed here is 6 layers (or steps) of rock where each layer (step) closer to the ocean is a smaller rock. In this photo it is hard to see the different steps.
At kilometer 15 we came to the intersection where the Eurovelo route diverts inland and our route; the Wild Atlantic Way, skirts along the coastline. We pulled out the map and pondered. Our route continued along an R road and EV1’s route was an L road with 4 numbers (means much smaller). It was obvious that the EV1 route was longer, but we needed to waste some time anyway. So, we decided to divert and go off route and follow EV1. It turned out to be a good decision because the route was beautiful!
Lakes along our alternate route as we leave the coastline.
This farm has stacked their peat nicely. The first the slots are stacked all the way to the back and the other three slots are just one layer thick. I was hoping someone would come out so we could ask how long the supply would last.
We rode through farmland, forests, plains, over Ox Mountain, and along the shore of Lough Easkey. It was such a tranquil ride. Since we were off route, we’d come to an intersection and if it wasn’t signed we’d stop and pull up the map to verify the direction that we were supposed to be going. It reminded us of the days touring in France with Barb & Lew and Don. We’d come to a crossroads and pull out the paper maps and figure out which way to go. Now we just use the phone with the electronic maps. So much simpler!
After a while the EV1 turned down a narrow two track route with grass growing up the middle and very rough pavement. We stopped and checked the maps again. We were stunned to realize it was 4:00 and we still had a really long way to ride! We decided to divert once again and found an easy way to get back to our coastal route. We were surprised to discover we would rejoin our intended route at only Kilometer 37. We still had 40 kilometers to go! We sent a quick message to the B&B letting them know we’d be arriving around 6:00 instead of 5:00 as we had intended. We joined the route on a larger road and were able to pick up our pace on this smoother surface.
A ruin of what we decided must have been a manor house in days gone by.
Not bad! We arrived at 6:04! Just a hour later than planned. We settled in and showered quickly before going in search of dinner. Tomorrow is a layover day, so we can relax and do some laundry. The legs will appreciate a day of wandering around Sligo.
Note to ourselves: Great day! Warmer inland and somewhat protected from the wind.
Accommodation: The Pearse B&B is top notch! Mary & Kieron are so warm and welcoming. Tandem is tucked away in Kieron’s shed. Our room is very comfy and the shower works very well! This place is almost as fantastic as Daly’s House in Doolin. It is a must stay place when in Sligo. Breakfast is incredible and huge!
Today's ride: 100 km (62 miles) Total: 1,866 km (1,159 miles)
