Following the local's advice - thank goodness it was a short day!
Quite a storm pummeled us all night long. The tandem was stored outside and survived quite well. We borrowed a towel, dried it off, and were soon ready to go. Today's ride began with an out and back from the Rusty Mackerel to Slieve League. We had been told that if it was foggy, forget going out there. The folks at the inn said it should be a good day to see the cliffs, so we set off. Our innkeepers were nice enough to let us leave all our luggage behind the bar at the inn. Thank goodness we did this stretch unloaded! My Garmin read a gradient of 20% at one point, but I know it registers high. However, based on my heart rate, breathing, and screaming legs, it was very steep. We rode all the way out to the viewing point, whereas most others had to either walk from the parking lot about 2 kilometers away or take the bus. Of course, we set out in a misty shower, but by the time we arrived up at Slieve League the shower had passed. We could see bits of blue sky north of us and that's where we will be headed later.
The base of the climb to Slieve League in the morning showers.
These stairs are the start of the hike. One can hike all along the top. We could see people up along the horizon. If we come back here, it will be to do the hike!
There's another one of the 80+ towers built along the Irish coast. These towers can see each other and they would relay messages if an enemy (Napoleon) was advancing.
We returned to the Rusty Mackerel to retrieve our panniers and set off. The scenery was very rural, lush green with lots of rolling hills and little rivers. We passed kilometers of scarred bogs, and fields of the sheep that are beginning to be sheared. In what felt like the middle of nowhere suddenly a shop appeared and we pulled in. We love looking at the Irish wool sweaters. This shop was a small family owned business and they make the sweaters on site themselves. Chuck read a sign on the children sweaters that said they were "handmade by our 97 year old Nana." The sweet lady there told us about Silver Strand and said we must go out there. So we did and it added a few more kilometers to our short day. Again, well worth the effort.
Silver Strand - another way point on the Wild Atlantic Way. The water was so smooth and very inviting. The color of the water is very different here - almost green whereas it has been either blue or gray (depending on the weather).
We finally arrived at Glencolmcille Folk Village. This village was preserved by Rev. Fr. J. McDyre and consists of 7 dwellings completely furnished. The houses showed us what a family home looked like in the 1700s, then the 1800s, and then the early 1900s, a school, and the grocer/pub. Electricity didn't get to this area until 1953. Did you know that dancing in public places wasn't permitted until the 1930s. The self-guided tour was very interesting.
Rich FrasierRobin says « cool , that’s a really old 4-harness loom ! ». She doesn’t have an account on CycleBlaze, so I’m entering this comment. :) Reply to this comment 2 months ago
Interior of the 1700s house - no fireplace - just a hole in the roof. They indicated the house would be very smoky. The floor was typically dirt with straw strewn across it.
Slate now covers the floors. The smoothest ones were placed in the center of the room for dancing. There is now a fireplace. This house had 2 rooms (one was a bedroom for the parents).
The interior of the 1900s house. The floor was concrete now covered by wood. This house has 3 rooms. The main room which is kitchen and dining, a bedroom, and a parlor. The fireplace now has a mantle over it.
The grocer side of this building. Apparently everything was stored behind the counter and if you wanted something, you asked for it and it was retrieved for you.
Now that it was 4:00 we decided we'd better get a move on. We still had 26 kilometers with 2 climbs before reaching our destination in Ardara. The skies were still blue and if the sun popped out from behind a cloud it got warm quickly. However, during the last 10 kilometers we rode through a rain shower.
From the top of Glengesh Pass looking back towards Glencolmcille.
Our day started in the rain and finished in the rain. In between it was really quite lovely. Locals encouraged us to see Slieve League and Silver Strand. They were both beautiful places to see and we were thrilled we made it to both of them. It was a fantastic day!
Note to ourselves: Showers to begin & end. We wore light rain jackets and helmet covers only. The rest of the day was lovely, but we were in arms & knees all day long.
Accommodation: We're staying at Hillhead B&B. Once again, Hill is in the name and it is on a hill. Our room is comfy and cozy. Our bathroom is 3'x3' - so small. The tiny corner sink wouldn't work for doing laundry, so we took the day off.
Today's ride: 61 km (38 miles) Total: 2,086 km (1,295 miles)
