This morning was to be one of the highlights of our Irish trip, riding the loop from Dingle along Slea Head drive, regarded as one of the Ireland’s most stunning routes.

The morning was bright and sunny, and a local walked last as we set up our bikes and said it was going to be a great day.

The following photos are of Dingle Harbour, beautiful reflections.

We climbed to leave the harbour and head towards Ventry, and Ventry Harbour.

Lots of donkeys todays, outnumbered horses.

Views towards the North Atlantic Ocean and neighbouring Iveragh Peninsula.

An interesting stone building being used as a restaurant. The food van was just opening offering coffee and lobster.

The old building behind the donkeys were used during the famine to house two families. They were constructed by the Earl of Cork.

Heading further south you can see Blasket Island group, last inhabited in 1954 when population numbers dwindled and for safety reasons the last families were forced to leave. Day trippers now visit, and you can camp overnight. The area is a grey seal breeding colony.

This section of road took us by surprise as we rounded a bend.

A beehive hut. There are many of these scattered around the Dingle Peninsula. Their age is disputed, but scientific evidence states the eldest no older than 700 BC…..so,they are pretty ancient.

Slea Head is marked by the white crucifixion statue.

Now we are on the western flank of the peninsula with different views.

Louis Mulcahy operates an amazing ceramics facility at Ballyferriter. Lucky I can’t carry much on the bike!

Gallatus Oratory is a chapel that has several interpretations. Opinions vary including an early Christian stone church, a 12th century romanesque church, a shelter for pilgrims, a funerary chapel built for a family.

One fact that is agreed, it was discovered in 1756, and each stone have been cut on every side and end so that they fit together perfectly.

There is a free way in via a back road and walkway, but I took the paid route.. you walk up a paddock and through a gate and this is the view.

We needed to get back to Dingle for lunch to head off to our accomodation in Tralee. It was goodbye to the western coast and then headed inland cutting back towards Dingle.

After lunch we retraced some of our previous day route and then new ground to travel to Tralee. The road was very rough and pot holes and our bums and arms were unimpressed.

Neither of us felt like climbing Conor Pass so had chosen the lower altitude route. a series of photos from the afternoon.

With about 30 km to go, we did see the west coast again. We also met a Swiss cyclist at a lay by with his maps open, a bit lost. He was heading to Kilkenny but he was on the wrong road.

He either needed to backtrack and turn, or go to a Tralee and head back. Not sure what he decided to do, but it does show how important gps mapping is in not getting lost with cycle touring.

We are in Tralee. It was another great day, 102 km, 960 m climbing. The temperature got up to 25c today and I finally have a leg tan despite sunscreen.

We had another great meal at an Irish pub. Predominately I have been having fish dishes, as fish is local and been really nice.

A few quirky photos to finish.

Thanks for reading 😊❣️

Leaving Kenmare we turned left and started climbing for the next 9.5 km, our first goal was Moll’s Gap

Molls Gap is a mountain pass on the road from Kenmare to Killarney, offering views of the MacGillycuddy’s Reek mountains.

Just about to reach the top, turn right then….

We then start descending.

The Ladies View is a great vantage point overlooking all of Killarney Park (in good weather). The view is so beautiful that Queen Victoria is said to have allowed her ladies-in-waiting to admire the landscape with her, which was regarded as a rare privilege – hence how it earned the site name of Ladies View.

We kept descending through the Killarney National Park.

Killarney National Park was the first national park in Ireland in 1932 but humans have lived in the area since at least the Bronze Age, 4000 years ago.

An old abandoned structure with a nice turret and wild deer. There had been warning signs on the road re wild deer. A wild goat had run out onto the road a little earlier reinforcing the need to descend with care.

The vegetation changed as we got lower. It became more lush.

A section of Upper Lake.

Torc waterfall flows into Muckross Lake.

Killarney town is super busy, lined with large and small accomodation. Very busy with tourists and locals, you can sit in a horse carriage and travel up to the Torc Falls and sights in between.

It had started to rain as we left Torc Falls, so went into this cafe for an earlier lunch, and popped our booties on (of course, it did not rain after that!).

Me eating healthy had envy of Tony’s choice.

A few local sights as we left Killarney.

Back into the countryside!

Killorglin is known for the annual Puck Fair festival, which traditionally starts with the crowning of a ‘king goat’. There is a large bronze King Puck statue on the edge of town, close to the bridge.

A bit of Australiana in the next section as we crossed towards the Dingle Peninsula.

This sign got us talking. The Wild Colonial Boy was a song we both sung at primary school. One and the same?

Yes, one and the same….there was a wild colonial boy, Jack Duggan was his name….

Post ride research indicates it is likely that Jack Duggan was fictitious, but a great song and surprise find today.

Castlemaine is a turning point to many places. You can see where we have come from, and where we are heading to, still on the Wild Atlantic Way, but no longer on the Ring of Kerry.

Now on the Dingle Peninsula looking towards Iveragh Peninsula.

Inches Beach is famous for a few reasons. It is the only place where an inch is actually three miles long! The movie Ryan’s Daughter was also filmed here.

You can see how it just out into Castlemaine Harbour and Dingle Bay.

There was a sign up reminding drivers of high tide times and to ensure all cars are removed from the beach.

The last stint into Dingle predominately following the coast, but also heading inland for a section.

Back to the coast, then Dingle.

Dingle sits on the Atlantic coast and was developed following the Norman invasion of Ireland. It is a super busy town with tourists, fishing and agricultural pursuits.

The end of another day, and this is the half way point of our holiday. We have now ridden for 14 days, with numerous consecutive days over 100 km per day.

We are holding up ok. Our butts felt it a bit yesterday as some of the roads around Killarney and Dingle were very uneven, patched, pot holes so lots of bouncing around and trying to avoid hitting holes.

A big day planned tomorrow with the Slea Head Drive, a very popular circuit. We hope to leave early enough to avoid heavy traffic. We then come back to Dingle to refuel before the challenging Conor Pass.

Our hotel room is the smallest in living history. It is 3 m x 3 m. The shower is in a cupboard. The toilet is in another cupboard. The bed is about 6 inches short.

You cannot shut the toilet door if sitting on the loo. The hand basin is tiny and to clean your teeth you need to be able to be a contortionist. 🤣🤣🤣 Fortunately the bikes are in the rear courtyard!

Thanks for reading 😊❣️

A beautiful view from our bedroom window enjoying the distant panoramic views. The forecast was ok, with lighter winds, and light rain around 3 pm.

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast prepared by our hosts Jim and Carol and got underway soon thereafter.

It was straight up to the top of the hills down to the conga line of curious cows.

The first town was Skibbereen, the capital of West Cork. It was fairly quiet being a Sunday morning.

Not far from Skibbereen is the Abbeystrowry burial ground, a totally sobering experience. It is the site of what is regarded as one of the most poignant and significant Famine memorials in Ireland.

This is the location of the infamous ‘pits’ or mass graves where possibly 8,000 to 10,000 Famine victims were buried in 7 years.

The dead were thrown in the pits coffin-less and nameless, by the hundreds, daily without mourning or ceremony. A few inches of dirt would be added waiting for the next batch.

We moved on, but you had to feel compassion for the dreadful times experience here in Ireland where they lost 25% of their population to the Famine and subsequent emigration.

A short climb had a lay by we stopped at. There was a plaque promoting walks on the Mizen Peninsula.

Ballydehob was the next town, and it has an impressive 12 arch viaduct that was used by West Cork Rail in the last century

Schull lies at the foothills of Mount Gabriel and Schull Harbour. Very popular with yachtsmen.

We stopped for a coffee at a small cafe that was super busy, and drank our coffee next to the doggy minus a leg, overlooking the harbour.

Getting out of town down the narrow busy Main Street was like riding a scooter, crawling pace if lucky, ready to jump off at short notice. A steep but short climb out had us moving again, fairly clear of traffic. Where does it all go?

We were on the main route to Mizen Head and to our right was Knockaphuca. I just wanted to type the word, even in Irish is Cnoc an Phuca!

It is a mountain summit in Cork and a popular walking trail. Our route took us to the eastern and western flanks today.

Lowertown had seemingly seen better days. There were multiple commemorative plaques recognising what was on this site before. As an example, the little post office niche is where the Macleain post office once stood. It was closed in the late 1920’s.

It also memorialises,the former owners son who was killed by British forces in 1919 as part of the so called Troubles during the War for Irish Independence.

On a brighter note is this dancing platform. The dancing platform was a traditional meeting place where courtships and social gatherings built local community relationships.

Lowertown had a dancing platform, Locals would come and listen to Irish music, trade stories, watch and often dance themselves.

The coast was to be a constant companion for much of the rest of the ride. The scenery was outstanding along the Mizen Peninsula.

We stopped off to view The Altar. It has existed for over 4,000 with scientific research finding ancient bone fragments buried deep within. It is believed that these were the ashes of loved family from the Bronze Age.

In the 18th century, priests used the site to conduct services when it was illegal to say Catholic mass.

Magnificent coastal views as we headed to Mizen Head.

We crossed down to the right hand side of this beach, climbing up past the string of buildings you can see on the left hill.

Then looking back towards where we had ridden and the previous photo stop point.

Mizen Head is Irelands most South Westerly point. The site is operated by a tourism cooperative and costs 7.5 euro to enter. It has long been reported as the most southerly point of Ireland, but another head nearby is about two metres further south (but inaccessible?).

In earlier years we had contemplated a supported ride from Mizen Head to Malin Head ( far Northern Ireland), but changed our minds after that company kept 3,000 pounds ($6,000 aud) of a deposit six months out from a trip. That was the motivator for us doing our own thing. Look at us now, having our own solo bike adventures 😊❣️

Tony paid the fee and walked around the site, whilst I watched our bikes and got bailed up by curious, but well intentioned USA tourists. The place was crawling with tourists. The parking area was full of tour buses, campers and cars.

Tony found on the walk conga lines of slow moving tourists on the steep steps in various areas. We try to avoid conga lines! Here are some of the photos from his walk as he cut it short to return and not join the long lines.

We decided not to lunch here to get away from the crowds, and had noted a pub and pop up food van as we climbed the 4 km climb towards Mizen Head.

We scooted back to the food van, sat at an outdoor table and enjoyed a Belgian waffle with Nutella and banana, and a fruit smoothie.

The next section of ride was our favourite. The western flank of the Mizen Peninsula for 20 km or so, along a road that buses cannot enter, and large cars and caravans would find difficult. We encountered only four vehicles in 20 km, and one of those was the Garda (police).

Some of the photos of this blissful and beautiful section.

As we scooted along we last this couple blackberry picking. They both shouted at us, and the only word I recognised was “Aussie”. I’m like WT.??? Who could know we are Aussie, so we stopped and went back.

To our surprise and disbelief, it was Jim and Carol who cooked our breakfast, owning the lovely overnight accomodation in Union Hall. They had picked buckets of blackberries already.

We moved on to finish this lovely section of ride.

All good things must come to an end, and that quieter section of road ultimately joined the main road to Bantry, our overnight stay. Traffic was busy but for most there was a small verge.

Bantry is located at the mouth of Bantry Bay, twice entered by French fleets in 1689 to support James II against William of Orange.

As we entered we noted the children playing in the water, adjacent to the cemetery.

The bay is peaceful.

We checked into our accomodation, showered and crossed the road to check out dinner options.

A famous anchor.

We enjoyed our meal. Not cheap, as we had a main course each and a non alcoholic drink each, and it was $99 aud.( Seafood linguini and a lasagna, lemonade and a sparkling water).

The Australian dollar is not strong on the Euro or Sterling. making our dollar low helps our exporters be more competitive, but makes Aussies having international holidays pay more for the privilege.

The end of another day. It was a brilliant day. The winds were not an issue, the scenery and route was magnificent. 108 km and 1100 metres of climbing. A solid day.

Thanks for reading 😊❣️

Our accomodation in Waterford was …a bit of a a dive really. Breakfast would be at 8.30 so we decided to pass as we needed to be on the road earlier for a longer day ahead exacerbated by forecast high winds.

Finding food at the local convenience store we headed off towards the Waterford Greenway.

Waterford Greenway is a 46 km shared off road trail, running from Waterford City to Dungarvan along an old railway line. The cycle and walking paths follow the gently flowing River Suir beside the rugged Comeragh Mountains.

I really like this photo. The weather looks great (you can’t see wind 🤣), and something about those feet.

At this site they found significant Viking settlement remnants as they excavated for a major road. As a result, the road was diverted.

Quite a few of these road overpasses. This one is just before the end of the rail line.

As we went around a bend there was a commotion with this guy. He rode that cycle with the Dizzy Deliveries trailer over the rail line, jumped off, and carried on a treat in ultra dramatic style. We were halted in our ride. There was a film crew there filming his antics.

Dizzy Deliveries is an Irish tv show. Lamh is a manual sign system of communication used by children and adults with intellectual disabilities and communication needs in Ireland.

Moving on from that excitement we stopped to discover what the Lithuanian Way was. In essence, a cross country promotion.

It did feature colourful nesting boxes.

The signage on the Greenway was excellent. Some examples.

An interesting art work built from old railway metal, installed at an old railway station, now featuring a small portable coffee shop and badly maintained portaloos.

Just ahead was a lengthy tunnel.

The other end of the tunnel came out into a pretty, ferny cutting.

Overlooking Dungarvan on this windswept day.

At this point we detoured, heading up a solid hill to find Catherine. She is a family member of Tony’s cousin Melissa, having more recently returned from where she was living in France, now running a B&B (with a wonderful view), supported by son Ben who makes a mean chocolate brownie.

Catherine was a fun delight to meet and although our visit was short, we shared quite a few laughs. 😊

Thankyou to Tony’s Aunty Kay for the introduction, and cousin Melissa for helping to make the connection with comms. Aunty Kay has provided me with lots of personal support and encouragement, both with this blog and my open heart journey, sending me positive messages and encouragement regularly. I am truly thankful ❣️💐xx.

Leaving Catherine’s it was downhill back to the Greenway that finishes a few km ahead in Dungarvan. A pretty town. Water is lower tide at this point.

At the end of the track, Tony was interested in all the information on the tyre pump.

Next goal was Youghal. It was a fairly busy road once we left Dungarvan, but for the most had a good verge. We had the longest climb of the day at 3.9 km, and the first half were fortunately protected from the wind, but second half was blown away.

In an area with little verge I was passed very closely by a truck with portaloos on it. Must have heard my earlier negative comment 🙈😳. Near the top of the climb was a lay by, and here was the snoozer of a driver having a sleep.

He had 20 portaloos on his 2 trailers, and his vehicle was named “bear”. My luck in life to be taken out by a full portaloo…hopefully not. I felt like tapping on his window! So if you’re riding in Ireland, keep an eye out for this 💩 of a driver.

Youghal, is a former military and economic centre, located on the edge of a steep riverbank. Viking settlements date back to the 11th century.

Sir Walter Raleigh’s home “Myrtle Grove” is in the town. Tradition has it that it was here that he smoked the first cigarette and planted the first potatoes – true story?

We stopped in town for refreshments, at the supermarket. We sat in an area protected from the wind, enjoying the warm sun. But, we needed to keep moving and get back into the headwind, not before finding some toilets at the local Information Centre.

The local lighthouse, was built on this site after great local consternation and arguments. A lighthouse had existed on this site for 800 years but locals wanted it elsewhere on Capel Island. Construction was commenced, then locals changed their mind and wanted it where it us today.

Leaving town, the old boat high and dry full of colourful flowers.

Castle martyr had a pretty little Kiltha River, adjacent was a great named pub.

The wind was hard work. Wind you cannot control. It slows you down heaps (unless a tailwind 😊), and we knew it was strong. In Dungarvan it was reported as 32-50 kmh. It had freshened even more.

We stopped regularly just to stretch and were not unhappy to leave the busier road and head down towards Great Island and our overnight destination Cobh.

Great Island, roads were narrow and busy as we were approaching late afternoon on a Friday. These are some of the sites around Great Island.

Cobh was a major transatlantic Irish port, and the departure point for 2.5 million Irish who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. It is located on Great Island, one of the three large islands in Cork Harbour.

Our accomodation is in a skinny 6 storey house that was instructed for the US Defence when they lived in town. An elderly man eventually opened the door and spent 30 minutes explaining everything in great detail including the macerating toilet.

We have a great sea view room on the top floor, and I must count the steps. He took me up via lift the first time, but that lift goes to his bedroom, a floor below. I am sure it is a one person lift as we were far too close for strangers 🤣. Then he coughed 😳😳😳

He does have a wife ,but not yet seen her, but she will leave us croissants at 8.15 am, we are told. Later than we want but I dared not say anything out of the script. We will just start later to keep harmony.

We headed off to a local pub for dinner and had huge servings. After dinner we needed to walk. Our puffer jackets were worn for the first time this trip.

Cobh was the final port of call for the Titanic before it headed off on the last leg of her maiden voyage. There is an pay upon entry exhibition on the waterfront that was closed plus memorial gardens.

The town has some really pretty sites. There are steep hills and we walked up this one with the colourful houses to reach the cathedral at the top.

There is a memorial to the victims of the Lusitania, many of whom are buried in Cobh’s Old Church Cemetry. The ship was sunk off the coast in 1915 by a German submarine, an action which was responsible for bringing the USA into WWI.

This I did not know. Sonia O’Sullivan was born here. A great female athlete regarded as Ireland’s greatest. She went to four Olympics, won three world titles and still holds world records.

Thousands of teenagers filled the streets. I reckon the ratio if teenagers to adults was about 80/20. It was the place to be. On the waterfront were sideshow carnivals and loud music.

Back in our room we wanted to keep our window open as the headwind blew in to dry our clothes hanging off the curtain rails. On the other hand the music was very loud.

9 pm, it all switched off and the town drained itself of teenagers. Like the pied piper led them away.

The end of another day and our longest for this trip at 123 km. We have now ridden in excess of 1,000 km. The forecast tomorrow is for more wind of over 32 kmh. The rain radar looks favourable.

Thanks for reading 😊❣️