dingle

Our day of rest in Dingle was wonderful. The sun shone brightly all day and we got burnt to a crisp. No excuses just stupid. Not enough sun cream and too long outdoors. The day ended in a pub with a nice cold Guinness. Of course it did.

Well rested of body and mind are we after our days rest in Dingle. This is what a body needing rest looks like. He is going to kill me when he sees this. Bear in mind this is 9:15 in the morning.

We had a decent breakfast. Then, we bid our hosts, Pat and his daughter Anne-Marie, farewell. We wrote something apt in their visitors book and departed. Duinin House is a 10/10 place. Well presented, clean and warm and friendly hosts, I can’t fault the place at all.

The day dawned heavily overcast but as we left the cloud looked like it was breaking in places. It was dry. We retraced our steps to Dingle and struck west to join the Slea Head tourist route. The road snakes its way around the coast climbing and dipping as the contours allow. This is bleak country. Stone walls enclose sheep in small fields. Beehive structures dating back hundreds of years dot the coastline. They used to house animals, crops and even families.

The road continues back to Dingle where we refuelled before heading up into the Connor Pass. The view from the top is usually spectacular. Today we were in cloud with zero visibility, a strong wind and a chilly and damp air clung around us. We took a photo. Descending down the other side of the pass, the road is down to one lane clinging to the rock face. We drop below cloud level and the view goes on for miles and miles.

A tad breezy up in the lofty heights of the Connor Pass. Apologies for the sound.

The road then follows a rather dull route into the large city of Tralee. It seems to be a bit of a sprawl. Run down in parts. New shopping zones in others. True of many towns. We pass through. The road leaves the major route and heads north west towards the beach and the seaside town of Ballyheigue. It is a bustling little town. It is busy with holiday makers. Continuing on through Drommartin, Ballyduff and Ballybunion we arrive in Tarbert. Here is the southern end of the River Shannon Ferry crossing. The ferry is already boarding when we arrive and we are beckoned onboard the MV Shannon Dolphin by a crew member and park our bikes for the 15 minute crossing over to Killimer on the north shore.

The run to our stay for the night is a short 4 miles for we are staying in a floating pod in Kilrush marina. Rather unusually it sits on a raft tethered to a pontoon. It rocks about on the water. Just like being back at sea again. We took a walk up into town to find somewhere for dinner. Nothing! A supermarket shop for a roast chicken and a bottle of wine sorted the evening menu.

Todays ride was around 200 kms, around 125 miles.

We are now in County Clare having left County Kerry. Tomorrow we continue our journey north into County Galway.

Hark! What light through yonder window breaks? ’Tis the sun! Shhh. Dont scare it away.

Our hosts Lillian and Dominic at the Old School House B+B in Cloon sure know how to put on a good breakfast. What an awesome couple they are. Witty, charming, warm and interesting and wanting to get to know their guests. With stories of the history of the old school, Dominics career in the music industry, Lillians talk of walking the Camino to Santiago de Compostella and meeting fellow travellers, the day got off to a flying start. Elegantly quirky, the Old School House is not for the traveller that wants all the mod cons, squeaky clean perfection or business like fitments. This is more for the traveller that wants a traditional Irish welcome into a 1800s family home with plumbing to match. We loved it!

We packed up the bikes and set off on a cool and bright morning. Patchy clouds passed over. The rain stayed away. The hedges of fuscia spangled the green fields with red, wild flowers of orange, purple, red, mauve and white cast an artists palette of colour over the hillsides. The road snaked its way following the contours of the hills along the coast and dropped from height through hairpin bends down into Port Magee. It is a small port town lying in the waterway between Valentia Island and the mainland. It offers the traveller all they need from supplies to cafes to points of interest.

Valentia Island joins the mainland by a causeway. Port Magee sits on the south side.

We stopped for a break in the town and to take in the views. It is a busy little place. Boats take day trippers over to the island of Skellig Michael if they can brave the sea conditions whilst others take fishermen out to try their luck with a rod and reel.

We crossed over to Valencia Island by the causeway and turned right to run along the southern coast to Knightstown. A small settlement on the eastern tip of the island, it is one end of the 6 minute ferry run that connects the island back to the mainland.

By the time we got on the ferry and took a few photos it was time to get going again.

Just after the town of Cahersiveen we turned off the usual tourist route to take the road less travelled and climbed once again up into the hills that form the spine of the Kerry Peninsular to the small town of Glencar. It nestles among the green valleys. Blink and you miss it. The colours of the wild flowers are no less vibrant up here. Probably more so against the lush greens of the grass and brackens. The road skirts the northern fringes of Lough Leane before turning sharply left to rejoin the tourist road in the rather ordinary looking town of Milltown.

At Castlemaine we turn left to join the Dingle Peninsular road west. The weekend traffic is much heavier now. This is clearly a popular road. We pass a heavily populated beach at Inch. A magnet for beach lovers, the car park is stuffed full and tents have been erected willy nilly. We pushed on into Dingle. It too was heaving with people. Too many. It was not pleasant. Coach loads of people had been bussed in. It was impossible to find somewhere to sit.

Last year I brought my ship to Dingle and was inspired to travel the Wild Atlantic Way by one of the travel reps who visited us. I tried to find her in the tourist office to say well here I am doing it but she was not on duty. I left her a wee note to say thank you.

Tomorrow will be a rest day in Dingle. Time to give the bikes a once over, ourselves a bit of rest and a catch up with the wider world. We decided to go back into town hoping the day visitors had all left. Hurrah. They had. The day was rounded off in a local watering hole recommended by our hosts at the Duinin House B+B.