We're staying at the Kenmare House B&B. This is the first place that the proprietors haven't offered the overly friendly Irish welcome. Our bedroom is on the east side of the building and this morning's sun cooked us right out of bed. At breakfast we chatted with a couple from Chicago who are doing a bespoke tour for 6 days who expressed envy of our 6 week trip. It hit me as to just how lucky we are to be doing this incredible trip.
We set off in the "scorching" sun; arms were fully exposed today no longer confined to the arm warmers. The route consists of 3 somewhat longer climbs and from our research this is going to be a day full of spectacular surprises.
An we're off! No arm warmers and no vests. No panniers. We're setting off for an easy ride today.
On the first climb we came across a beautiful lake, Barfinnihy Lake. The setting was so tranquil and it reminded us of some of the étangs on our hikes in the Pyrenees. It was even warm enough for a dip, but it wasn't possible to get down to the lakeshore.
The scenery as we continued along the first climb of the day.
When we were approaching the summit of the first climb, I could see this little road to the left that looked like it was going down to a farm on the valley floor. I thought to myself that "thank goodness we didn't have to go down or come up that road". Then I looked at the Garmin and sure enough we were going to head down that tiny road. Oh that descent! It was so fun. It took us down to the Black Valley. It was like riding along in yesteryear.
This is the first waterfall that we came across. The setting was so calm, peaceful, and green.
The descent off of the Gap of Dunloe was very fun. At the bottom we saw where the tourists can hire the "jaunting cars" - that's what they call the horse and carriage. A short while later we arrived in Killarney. We were scheduled to meet some friends from France for lunch today, but they arrived yesterday instead. Sadly, we didn't get to have that lunch together. We did take the opportunity to walk through St. Mary's Cathedral on our way by on the outskirts of town. Killarney is very touristy, so other than the cathedral stop, we opted to continue on up the road.
Michael HutchingHi, Really love the pics and your blog. Will have to add Eire to the list. What did Chuck sing? Bonne Route! Michael Reply to this comment 6 months ago
rod dayLove the simplicity of this compared with those you photographed on your Spanish trip Reply to this comment 5 months ago
Sanna PhinneyTo Michael HutchingHe sang ‘How Great thou Art’. Now that we’ve been here, I want to encourage everyone to give it a go. It’s truly beautiful. The people are so warm and friendly. Hope you get to experience it someday. Reply to this comment 5 months ago
After our visit to the cathedral, we returned to the bike path that skirts Killarney. This monument honoring ploughing throughout the world. Zoom in and read the sign.
We rode by another monument honoring Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (The Vatican Pimpernel) who was a WWII Humanitarian Hero. There were plaques explaining who he was and what he accomplished, but this part of the display caught my attention.
rod dayThe Killarney brewery have a IPA called the Scarlet Pimpernel to comemerate Hugh. And very tasty it is to, but you probably stuck to the 'black stuff'! Reply to this comment 5 months ago
We continued along the bike path through the Killarney National Park and came across the Muckross House along the shore of Muckross Lake. The property has been preserved and is now used as a museum. The gardens are well tended and the surrounding farmland is still in use.
We still had another climb to do, so we didn't spend any time walking around the property. Since bicycles aren't allowed close to the building, we opted to continue along the bike path that is now shared with pedestrians and jaunting cars (the horse and carriage). When we came to the end of this path, we came across of lovely little waterfall before beginning the ascent to Moll's Gap.
Such a lovely forested setting. There were some bigger waterfalls about 200 meters up the trail, but 2 bus loads of tourists set off up the trail. It was time for us to move on.
This last climb of the day was a nice steady slog with signage telling us that oncoming traffic may be in the middle of the road (the narrow road). It sure was! The tourist buses would maneuver around the corner and be in our lane. We even saw a camping car (motorhome) have to backup to let the bus complete the corner. Traffic was very light and slow going.
Lady's View Lookout Point - looking back down the valley to Muckross Lake.
The final 9 kilometers back into Kenmare were all downhill. We flew on the smooth wide road and only 1 car passed us on that stretch. What a fantastic day! Incredible scenery and it was fun to ride without the added weight of the panniers. This route is a definite must do when one is in the neighborhood.
Note to ourselves: No rain jackets! No arm warmers! Needed to reapply the sunscreen.
Today's ride: 80 km (50 miles) Total: 471 km (292 miles)
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Bill BogueSome of these scenes are reminiscent of that great British series “All Creatures Great and Small”! Great job; keep it up! Reply to this comment 6 months ago
