May 19, 2024
Day 5: Alliheis to Kenmare
Breathtaking Day
When sunlight was streaming in our bedroom windows, we knew it was going to be a picture perfect day. The various weather apps showed a 1% chance of rain, but it was scheduled for later in the day. After another Irish breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausages and soda bread), we set off.
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When we hiked up to the mine the night before, we saw the road leaving the town but it disappeared immediately and we couldn't see where it went. Well, let me tell you the first 10 kilometers was a rollercoaster ride. Literally! We went up (think steep and very short) and we went down (think steep and very short), and we went around to the left and around to the right, all while being completely swallowed up between the various rock outcroppings. It was so much fun, and so much work!
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We're following the Beara Cycleway and the roads are tiny. Cars were non-existent. This route was literally breathtaking! The views and scenery took your breath away. The steep climbs took your breath away. We loved every minute of the route.
We came across a pier and stopped to watch a fisherman untangle his net. Walking alongside the pier, we saw scallop shells in the water and barrels laying around. The barrels are used to hold the ropes that are submerged in the mussel farms. The dots we saw a couple of days ago were barrels like these. This particular mussel rope bed was huge.
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We discovered another stone circle, but it wasn't as well preserved as the Drombeg circle from a couple of days ago. There were only 11 stones: one had fallen over and the axial stone was missing. The walk out to it was interesting. Have you ever tried walking through bogs with cycling shoes on?
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It appears we are a week too early for the organized ride "Ring of Beara Cycling Event". We have seen their signs all along the ways since leaving Glengarriff, as well as, road markings. It looks like they will ride all these small roads that we mapped out. Google says it is the largest cycling event in this part of Ireland.
As we cycled along the Kenmare River - we think that the inlets are called rivers - the geology has changed. The rocks submerged are white colored now instead of dark.
Narrow roads, no traffic, river crossings, made for an entertaining day. We rode through one stretch that reminded us of the forest routes along the Oregon coast. The next stretch reminded us of riding through New Hampshire countryside. The rhododendrons "trees" are still all around and now we're seeing fuchsias. I must get a picture of them.
I'm running a bit late with this post. We had too much fun listening to live music in the pub last night.
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And then the internet was spotty and it would take forever for photos to download. But finally, yesterday's story.
Note to ourselves: No rain during the ride! Thunderstorms around 9:00 pm. Lots of sun! And warm - 21 degrees Celsius.
Accommodation: We learned something interesting today. The personality of the host plays a big part on our comfort where we're staying. The Kenmare House property and our room were great. The hosts were rather stony and lacked personality. Tandem storage was not available. We were told to park it wherever we could find outside. Even though I had requested secure covered storage - request was never acknowledged I discovered - so we ended up storing it locked under outdoor stairway. Breakfast was marginal and had to be ordered the night before. I guess this place was rather sterile and we would stay somewhere else in Kenmare if we were here again.
Today's ride: 76 km (47 miles)
Total: 391 km (243 miles)
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