Day 35: Downings to Letterkenny - Slowly Pedaling the Emerald Isle - CycleBlaze

June 18, 2024

Day 35: Downings to Letterkenny

Another peninsular day

It was sad saying goodbye to Mary at Cuan Na Long B&B; she made our stay very comfortable and she was full of good advice.  Leaving Downings, we passed by the 3 golf courses and headed towards the "new" bridge that we saw last night as we rode around Rosguill Peninsula.  The Harry Blaney bridge was opened in 2009 and it connects Rosguill and Fanad Peninsulas and spans 20 meters above Mulroy Bay.  Later in the day another cyclists asked if we had crossed over the new bridge, so we had to check out just how new it was.

Cuan Na Long is Irish for ship haven. The British spelled it Sheep Haven and that English spelling still exists. Downings is on Sheephaven Bay.
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We headed north along the Fanad Peninsula and were treated to more quiet roads with those pesky steep pitches and scenery that was tranquil and rural.

Looking across Mulroy Bay at Rosguill Peninsula.
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That's Island Roy in Mulroy Bay with the outskirts of Downings in the background. School kids and the priest used to walk from Island Roy to the mainland on stilts when the tide was in.
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This must be a fish farm. The rings are netted to keep the birds out and we could see fish jumping inside the rings. We've seen several of these on our tour.
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Pastoral scenery.
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This panorama shot shows how we could walk across to the island now that the tide had receded.
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We came across a ruin of a pier. Visible were pillars and a concrete caps. We guessed it had been a pier at one time and further down the road there was a historical sign indicating a pier.
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The water color has improved again. Blue sky helps a lot.
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Ballyhiernan Beach.
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I wonder if we have to cross those mountains . . .
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Eventually we wound our way to Fanad Head and the Fanad Lighthouse.  The lighthouse has been voted on of the most beautiful lighthouses in the world.  We could only visit via a tour and we didn't think we should spend that much time here as we have a somewhat long day with a bit of elevation gain ahead.  We walked around the areas that were open to get an idea of what the coastline looked like, and we read up on the history of the allied naval forces in Lough Swilly and the role Fanad Lighthouse played.

Fanad Head and the lighthouse in the distance.
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Fanad Lighthouse.
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Rich FrasierBeautiful shot!
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6 months ago
The lighthouse from another angle.
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I think we'll be out on that next peninsula head in 2 days.
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  We continued on to Portsalon which is the village at the base of today's grand climb.  Our Ride with GPS maps indicate about 500 meters of steepness (17%).  We opened Google Maps last night and did the street view and we are hoping that Ride with GPS was taking its points from the cliffs above the road and that it wasn't that steep.  Our Garmins today say the climb is a kilometer averaging 10%.  We could see the climb in the distance and didn't think it looked too bad.  After a quick stop at the beach below we headed up the mountainside.  We stopped at the first turn to take photos and chat with a couple of guys who were scouting the road for next weekend's rally that will be held in this area.  We stopped at the top, too, for more photos.  The climb was not as hard as some others we've already done on this trip.

Ballymastocker Beach at sea level.
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Rally car driver took our photo. We're about 1/4 of the way up the climb.
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Rich FrasierAnd still smiling!!
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6 months ago
Sanna PhinneyTo Rich FrasierOf course! It’s necessary!
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6 months ago
Looking back down on Ballymastocker Beach from the first corner.
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Mo SchwartzAlmost as pretty as an Oregon beach!
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6 months ago
Sanna PhinneyTo Mo SchwartzThe beaches here are mostly small. I still want to jump in but it’s been too cold and mostly too windy to get out and continue riding.
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6 months ago
Panoramic view of the road up.
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Now the descent begins.
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Part way down, we stopped to check out this property and the ruins.
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This is the best I could do for photo, but that is a natural bridge.
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We found this stone in Rathmullan. They don't really know its origin - just several guesses.
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Lough Swilley on our way to Letterkenny.
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We're getting closer to Letterkenny and can hear the highway traffic nearby. We're glad to be on this road instead.
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Day 35: Downings to Letterkenny
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Mo SchwartzDefinitely some heart attack hills on the profile, if it was an EKG.
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6 months ago

Note to ourselves:  It was a difficult day to dress for.  We wore arms, knees, vest, and wind jackets most of the day.  We'd take off the wind jacket for a while and then put it back on.  Finally we discarded the vests and kept the jacket.  It was a cold wind once again.

Accommodation:  Ardlee B&B in Letterkenny.  It's perfectly fine, but not as nice as many others and better than some.  Elizabeth is very friendly and the tandem is stored securely, but not covered.  This stay is just fine.

Today's ride: 84 km (52 miles)
Total: 2,323 km (1,443 miles)

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