Since today was going to be a short day, we added a detour. It had been highly recommended that we see the Cliffs of Kerry before leaving town. Signage indicated that they were the "most spectacular cliffs in Kerry" and the locals said they were a must see and that they were even better than the Cliffs of Moher. So, upon leaving the B&B this morning we turned left and headed back into town to climb up to the cliffs.
Leaving the lovely Carraig Laith B&B and heading back into Portmagee.
There's the "Rock" - that's Skellig Rock Small on the left and Skellig Michael on the right. Notice how smooth the water is today! No choppy seas like we experienced yesterday.
Once we were done playing on the cliffs, we hit the road and found our designated route for the day. The route would take us up onto Valencia Island to the far east end where we will take a ferry ride back to the mainland. Unbeknownst to us there were things to discover along the way.
We stumbled onto Telegraph Field. Now we understand the road sign that said "Eighth Wonder - Transatlantic Cable".
Brief historical info about this site. A patron has proposed to buy the property and restore it to the way it was in the late 1800s. There is also an application being processed to become a UNESCO Heritage Site.
It is very windy today - the bitter cold kind of wind. When we were protected from it and the sun was shining, it was lovely. But the moment the wind hit us once again, it was freezing. We wore arm and knee warmers, vests, and jackets. Most times it worked, but there were a few times we were still cold.
As we climbed our way over Valencia Island we discovered that the south side of the island is rather barren of shrubs and trees and mostly farm fields. The north side of the island was covered in shrubs and trees - once again the rhododendrons were everywhere. We wound our way to Knights Town to catch the ferry. As we boarded the ferry, the lady working it asked if we were the same couple who rode the ferry yesterday. There's another tandem somewhere ahead of us!
The ferry arrived to pick us up - us and the three cars.
We continued riding along small quiet roads almost all day. It was an uneventful and relaxing day. Views of the Atlantic reaching inward of the peninsulas appeared the same until we saw Rossbeigh Strand and Inch Beach.
The Atlantic Ocean between Iveragh Peninsula and Dingle Peninsula.
It was another good day on the tandem seeing beautiful landscapes. It would have been a short day except for the extra we added at the beginning. Good roads and very few cars. What more could we want? We wanted the wind to quit!
Note to ourselves: Wind, wind, and more cold wind. No rain!!
Accommodation: Torine House is up a hill from town - not a problem though. It was an easy walk into town for dinner. However, the place isn't what it used to be; it's tired. Apparently the host's husband passed away recently and he was the chef for breakfasts and dinners. She now only rents out the rooms as she works full-time, too. This place was just fine and tandem was stored in the garage. However, we would find a different place to stay if we were to be in Killorglin again.
Today's ride: 70 km (43 miles) Total: 623 km (387 miles)
