Wednesday 28 June 2017

Touring The Wild Atlantic Way (Ireland) Day 40 - 43

Touring The Wild Atlantic Way (Ireland) Day 40 - 43

Sunday 25th and Monday 26th June 2017 - Mostly sunshine on Sunday but ☔ on Monday afternoon

Well, it has to be said, after our last week of strenuous activity - either in the form of long cycle rides or walks, we're both feeling a bit jaded and in need of a little 'holiday', so with that in mind,  we decided to slow our pace over these 2 days. However, on Sunday chores had to be done - we needed to replenish supplies (which we did at the local Lidl)  and move 'house' back onto The Ring of Kerry ready to start our exploration of the Iveragh Peninsula.

The Iveragh Peninsula
However, we think we've made a bit of a blunder - in my previous blog I explained how ALL the tour busses travel around the Ring-O-Dingle in a clockwise direction to avoid any comings together - and we thought it would be the same on this peninsula - WRONG - here they go anti-clockwise!  And guess which way we're going๐Ÿ” ๐Ÿ˜‚, but by the time we realised it was to late to change our plan! So all we can do now is keep our fingers crossed and hope we only meet the big buggers when there's room to pass!

Anyway, after leaving Killarney we traversed along narrow roads that just about qualified as 2 lanes bumpy tracks, and in so doing we passed by more of The Reek Mountains where we spotted a ๐ŸฆŒ with it's Bambi and another sheep dog chasing sheep off the hillside.  And very conveniently, at this point there was another mountain lake with a big pull in - so that provided a lovely coffee stop.

Then once we were on route again it didn't take us long to get onto the Iveragh Peninsula where we passed through the pretty towns of Kenmore and Sneem which were very busy with tourists and coaches.  However, our target was a little further on - it was the Wave Crest Caravan Park just outside the hamlet of Caherdaniel - a site that we just managed to catch while it was still offering the cheap ACSI rate of 19 euros.  And we really couldn't have picked a better place to kick back and relax - it's motorhome heaven.  The site is right on the water's edge just a very short distance from O'Carroll's Cove, and additionally it's pitches  are scattered about randomly and we were lucky enough to bag a quite secluded one just metres from the water.



How lucky were we?  Needless to say we wasted no time at all in making our cuppa and putting our feet up for the rest of the afternoon before treating ourselves to a lovely Sunday Roast all cooked by yours truly in T4rdis2's little galley!

And Monday - well it was a bit of a race to get out for a stroll (5 miles!) before the promised rain came. For our walk we decided to visit Lamb's head which is an almost deserted dead end rocky cul-de-sac with a tiny pier at it's end.  This provided views over beaches that were the province of horse and riders, along with sights of unusual residences and lots of peace and tranquillity that assisted us in recharging our batteries.



We made it home just before the rains came - and that was quite lucky - because since it started it's hammered down quite noisily on T4rdis2's roof - but we both agreed that if we were going to be kept 'prisoner' for the afternoon, our jail was in a spectacular place where we could watch the splashing lapping tides advances.



Tuesday 27th June 2017 - Mostly overcast with occasional drizzle.

Today's been another quiet one for us, and all we've really done is move a bit further around the Iveragh Peninsula to the Mannix Point Campsite near Cahersiveen where we plan to stay for the next 4 nights (the rate was 4 for the price of 3๐Ÿ˜‚).  However, to get here we had to drive over The Coomakista Pass which took us to it's summit at 700 feet, and luckily once we were up there we easily found a parking space where we could sit with our coffee while we soaked in the panoramic sea views over a small harbour, and more distantly to the islands of Deenish and Scariff.


Then once we got going again we were soon in Waterville, apparently a town much favoured by Charlie Chaplin!  The story boards say that he first arrived there in the late 1950s after the town had been recommended to him by his friend Walt Disney as a good place for fly fishing.   After that the Chaplin family became regular visitors and a bronze statue was erected in Charlie's honour in 1998, and since 2011 there has been a Charlie Chaplin Comedy Film Festival held every summer!  Waterville also looks out into Ballinskelligs Bay, which I'm sure on a good day would be beautiful, but today with low mist and mizzle chasing us we didn't pause long to admire it.

We landed on the campsite, which claims to be the BEST IN IRELAND in time for lunch, and once again we've been lucky enough to bag a pitch just metres from the water with lovely views over to Valentia Island which we will probably visit tomorrow.

The two bumps are Valentia!

Wednesday 28th June 2017 - Mostly Sunny

Today we had another spectacular ride over to Valentia Island - and before we set off we did debate how we should get there - we had 3 choices really!  As the island sits only about 500 yards in front of where we're parked we could have waited for the tide to go out and then paddled across - but that might have resulted in wet socks which would have been uncomfortable for the rest of the day!  We could have nipped across the Maurice O'Neill Memorial Bridge from Portmagee - a bridge that was started in 1967 and opened on New Year's Day in 1971, or we could take the ferry, and as that was only 2 miles down the road that's what we did.


Valentia is one of Ireland's most westerly points, and is positioned on the top side of the Iveragh Peninsula, with dimensions of only 7 miles long and 2 wide - however, a lot is packed into that small space.

We crossed over from Cahersiveen to Knightstown, and once there one of the first things we stopped to see was the historic clock tower.  It was commissioned in the late 1800s and the 4 faced clock was added a little later, and then apparently it rang out merrily every hour until 1922 when the Free State army decided to take pot shots at it.  For a long time after that it didn't work - the info board said 'neither tick, time nor chime to be seen or heard'.  And it remained silent for 93 years until it was restored in 2016 when the new chimes started to ring out again!



From Knightstown we headed for the lighthouse which sits on a rocky outcrop near Beginish Island - (where in the 10th century there was a Viking Settlement), and although the view was breathtaking it was maybe a bit of a mistake because it made us do something we don't usually have to!  The road we were following tipped us down steeply towards the shore - and there we found a lovely spot for our coffee break!  But then what comes down has to go back up - and even with the aid of our batteries on full power there was just no way we could propel ourselves up the almost perpendicular hill - so we had to get off and push!

Next we headed for the Geokaun Mountain and Fogher cliffs, but on the way John did another thing he hardly ever does - he took a wrong turn which resulted in us riding about half a mile down another steep hill!  'Oh flipping heck' we said before we huffed and puffed our way back up!

And then we came to the Mountain itself, and we even had to pay for the privilege of trying to ride up it - we didn't quite make that either!










There were 2 stopping points along the road to the summit - the first was a short walkway to see the huge Fogher Cliffs which fall away to the sea from the north side of the mountain.   Then once we'd reached the top we were treated to extensive views towards the Dingle Peninsula on the north side, the stately rise of Knocknadobar to the east, the rounded hills of South Kerry inland, and the distant Skelligs to the west - we really didn't know which way to look - but as it was so beautiful we chose it as today's dining room.


Our lofty perch also provided views  over the remains of the Crookhaven Radio station which was set up in 1902, and a slate quarry which provided slate for the Paris Opera House, London's Houses of Parliament and many billiard tables including the ones made for the Duke of Wellington and for Queen Victoria!

While we were up there we also learnt about the first transatlantic cable being laid from Knightstown to Newfoundland in Canada in 1858.  This communication link caused great rejoicing but the euphoria was quickly dashed because it failed after only 6 weeks.  It then took another 7 years to try laying a new cable - a ship called The Great Eastern sailed from Foilhomurrum Bay in July 1865 and managed to lay 2000 miles of cable across the Atlantic, however, the cable end was lost overboard 600 miles from Canada!  The  following year the ship tried again on 14th July 1866 with another cable, and not only was that successful, but they also managed to grapple and recover the one that had been lost previously.

The Skelligs

There were information boards everywhere telling about the history of the islands and how the people suffered great hardship in trying to survive in these remote places but I think my ramblings may become boring if I tried to tell about all we read.  Therefore,  suffice to say it was all more than interesting especially the stuff about the Skellig islands, and particularly Skellig Michael which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and apparently the best preserved early monastic site in the world having been built by St Fionan in the 6th century.  The story goes that twelve monks lived on the rock in beehive cells and survived on fish, birds, eggs, milk, meat and vegetables from their garden.  However the monks were violently ransacked by vikings between 796 and 839, and additionally the wild Atlantic Storms eventually drove the monks from the rock in the 12th century.  We'd love to visit but time is pressing now so I think that pleasure will have to be saved for a future adventure!

Spot the Glasses

Eventually, we tore ourselves away, and then it was all mostly downhill all the way home - except of course for the ferry crossing - and it was here that I made John Giggle!  I swore and sulked and told him I'd lost my sunglasses somewhere while we'd been out. He just doubled up laughing at me!




And then once we were back in T4rdis2 we made the camp site smell like an Indian Take-Away as we cooked our lovely Rogan Josh for Tea!

And tomorrow - well that will be a flower day but you'll have to tune in again to hear about that story.

Click here to see our Irish Camping spots

Saturday 24 June 2017

Touring The Wild Atlantic Way (Ireland) Day 36 - 39

Touring The Wild Atlantic Way (Ireland) Day 36 - 39

Wednesday 21st June 2017 - Drizzly to start but it got better as the day went along!

Well this might be the longest day of the year, but our night certainly didn't seem to be the shortest. Almost from when we went to bed the heavy rain drummed on T4rdis2's roof making it difficult even for a deaf person to sleep!  And then after we'd been in bed for about an hour it just sounded like someone had opened fire with a semi automatic - I'm sure if we climb up on the roof we'll see dents where the hail stones hit!

So understandably, we were a bit bleary eyed when we eventually persuaded ourselves to role out of bed this morning, and because it was still dank and drizzly we really couldn't make up our minds what to do.  However, because we're near the end tip of the Ring-O-Dingle our choice was limited to cycling or walking, and as we wanted to see The Slea Head Drive (which is another narrow cliff hugging road) the former won out - even though coaches go along it we didn't want to take T4rdis2 up there.

The route starts in the town of Dingle, but we joined it a little further on as it passes right by our camp site, and once again the views were splendid - but they quickly got much better as the magnificent Blasket Islands (which were shrouded in sea mist) came into view.  The Islands lie on the very western edge of Europe - there are 6 largish ones and numerous rocky outcrops, and between them and the mainland lies Blasket Sound - a stretch of water that provided a short cut for vessels that were prepared to risk the unpredictable tides and off shore rocks.


The last Islanders moved away in 1954, but if your so minded you can still go for a walk or camp on The Great Blasket (the biggest island) by taking a ferry from Dingle, Ventry or Dunquin!  However, that wasn't on our itinerary for today, but we did find a very picturesque view point were we thought we'd be able to drink in the peace and tranquillity of the views.






That was until the tour busses started to arrive - 3 of them - so our idyllic resting place was very quickly over-run by people of several nationalities snapping quick pics!  I think the Star Wars connection might have been the attraction - apparently Jedi Temples had been built in the bay during filming!

Anyway, despite the crowds we still sat and enjoyed our scones and coffee because we knew we'd need the fortification for the hills to come.  The winding road continued upwards hugging the seaward side of Mount Eagle and each turn revealed a new view - but sometimes the view was of a huge coach barrelling down towards us.


Apparently the tour busses all go around the peninsulas in a clockwise direction so they never have any comings together, but in places they still needed every inch of space to squeeze by the jagged edges of rock - on more than one occasion we were very glad we weren't in the van!


On our way we paused several times to take in the sights which included ancient beehive huts, forts, and a Stonehouse that had been converted into a restaurant, and then we began our decent down to Ventry beach which was to be our lunch spot.  From there we completed our circle back towards home, but on the way we side tracked for a little nip along Wine Strand where there are several tiny coves that people take advantage of for swimming - it was quite tempting but a bit nippy today!  So instead we watched the cormorants on the rocks drying their wings.



Thursday 22nd June 2017 - Mostly sunny all day

This morning we left The Oratory House Campsite and headed off the Ring-O-Dingle, and in so doing we left the flaming fuchsia hedgerows behind.  Apparently the plants are a native of Chile but they were introduced to these parts in the 1850s, and planted extensively as hedging in the 1930s, and now they add a glorious splash of colour wherever you look!

Next stop was a view point just above Inch Beach - another 3 mile stretch of sand - a lovely view to sit and look at while we sipped our morning coffee before continuing our journey onto our next port of call, which was Fossa - just a short distance from Killarney.  We're going to spend the next 3 nights there at Beech Grove Caravan Park, and hopefully take the time to revisit The Gap of Dunlow and explore the Muckross Lake area by cycling along the Killarney National Park Cycle Path.


However, by the time we'd arrived and settled in today it was too late to do either of those things, so this afternoon we contented ourselves with walking into Killarney National Park and sitting in the sunshine at the lovely thatched Deenagh Lodge Cafe where we treated ourselves to coffee and cake while watching the numerous pony and traps passing by.



Friday 23rd June 2017 - mostly cloudy but the promised rain didn't arrive๐Ÿ˜€

This morning, as planned we set of to explore the Muckross Lake area which is all within The Killarney National Park Boundary. And there was a lot to see - an ancient castle, a stately home, the Torc Waterfall and the stunning lakes, and to get around it all the park provides an abundance of trails where the only thing you have to compete with are the Jaunting Cars, and the only thing you have to be careful of is what they leave behind ๐Ÿ’ฉ๐Ÿ’ฉ

We left the campsite and we were almost immediately on The Fossa Way - the same multi use path that we'd walked along yesterday, and as we could monitor it with our bike computers, we were quite suprised to learn that yesterday's outing had been 6 and a half miles - more than enough to use up the large slice of cake we'd indulged in!



Anyway, once we were on the trails properly we came across a small group of people snapping pics - the chap on the left is apparently one of 700  red deer that live in the park - he must be used to crowds because he wouldn't interrupt his mid morning snack to lift his head and pose for the cameras! And even though we explored the park quite thoroughly, we never did find the other 699!







Then we didn't peddle much further before we came across the domineering silhouette of Ross Castle which has stood on the banks of Lough Leane for over 600 years - it was built for the O'Donoghue
Chieftains who ruled Killarney in the 15th century.







From there we followed another trail up onto Ross Island, where there are numerous information  boards concerning the copper mines that have existed there for over 4000 years.  We learnt that in those early days the miners used stone hammers and fire to extract the copper ore. This they placed in charcoal fuelled pits that reached temperatures of 1,000 degrees to produce the metal!



Next we cycled down the side of Lough Leane from where we had lovely views of the Lakes and Mountains before we nipped along another side track to the ruin of Muckross Friary where a community of Observantine Franciscan Monks had resided in the 15th century.


And as we peddled away from there The grand  Muckross House itself came into view. (I took the picture while I was peddling - that's why it's a bit wonky)


Now, all our exploring had taken quite a while, so by this time finding a spot for lunch was our main mission- but once we got settled we got a bit of a scare!  I was just going to bite into my tuna sarnie (trying to avoid getting extra meat rations in the form of millions of midges), when I noticed a big red blob on John's ankle!  I thought he'd been attacked by a blood sucking leech - but on closer examination it turned out to be a big blob of jam that had dribbled out of his scone earlier๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚

And once again we were lucky enough to have a splendid dining room overlooking the lake
Once fed and watered we carried on, first against the lake side, and then we followed a couple of pony and traps through the outskirts of Killarney - but quite soon we found ourselves travelling along a quiet road towards Torc Waterfall.  Here we noticed how densely and massively the rhododendrons were growing, despite the fact that it looked as if war had been waged on them in the recent past. Apparently they poses a serious threat to Killarney's forests because the plants grow up to 20 feet high in dense thickets, and each branch will take root wherever it touches soil.  Additionally, it's heavy shiny leaves reduce the sun light that can get to the forest floor and eliminate almost every other plant form, and as each flower can produce 3 - 7000 seeds  it reproduces prolifically. Then, to cap it all, the plant  contains toxins so nothing feeds on it - therefore it's only real enemies are  man with a chainsaw or spade!

Then eventually we reached Torc Waterfall car park where locked up our bikes and took the short walk to the fall itself.  It wasn't quite in spate, but as it fell 65 feet in several cascades it made a very pretty sight - however, once again the midges ensured that nobody lingered to long!  Nearly everybody looked as if they'd got insect induced Tourettes๐Ÿ˜.

Finally, all that was left for us to do was wend our way back through the park as we headed for home at the end of our 28 mile ride - for the rest of the evening it will be feet up and take it easy in preparation for another long and hilly outing tomorrow









Saturday 24th June 2017 - Sunshine for most of the day!

Today's ride was to be a long one (about 38 miles), and also fairly tough with several long ascents! But we'd travelled that way before -  about 20 years ago -  so although our memories of it were vague, we new we were in for a treat, especially as the weather was so good.  Our main target was The Gap of Dunloe - a 6.8 mile long narrow mountain pass which was forged between the MacGillycuddy Reeks Range and Purple Mountain by glacial flows, and in places it reaches 1,500 feet in depth.

The Gap is behind us!
We left T4rdis2 and travelled along quite roads to Kate Kearney's Cottage which lies at the bottom of The Gap, and form there we held with tradition that demands the way up is by hiking, biking or by pony and trap. And as the road meanders lazily through awe inspiring vistas that are interjected by a series of old bridges and sparkling waterfalls your very glad you can only go slowly!




In the end the climb turned out to be easier than we thought, and even though we'd used 'Tour' power on our bikes for most of the way up, we'd still got plenty in reserve for later - and we certainly didn't need any assistance to get down the other side!   We just held on tight and zoomed into Black Valley, from where we did a short detour to Lord Brandon's Cottage.  From here we could have caught a boat that would have taken us back down through the lakes to Ross Castle but we wanted to see more, so instead we continued along part of The Ring of the Reeks cycle route.
You can just about see the road on the upper left of the picture
Spot John!


And then we took a short cut! Up Up and Up it went for a couple of miles to a view point called Moll's Gap, and as this overlooked both part of the Reeks and the road we'd just ridden up we made it today's dining room!
Then once we'd eaten - it all went downhill - at nearly 30 mph!  All we had to do was breath in when the many many tour busses passed by.






However, we had to smile when we nipped by a sheep dog demonstration. There were loads of busses in the car park, and as we stood watching the clever dog rounding up the sheep we wondered if his time would be better spent rounding up the people cos from what we'd seen along the way there were certain similarities in the way the visitors were being treated!





Next came the parking bay at Ladies' View where we were we took the time to admire the panoramic sight of the lakes and waterways that lead down to the huge lower Lough Lake


And then it was more down-hilling, back into Killarney and back along some  of the ground we'd covered yesterday though the National Park as we wended our way home at the end of a spectacular day.

Tomorrow we'll move on again - this time to the small settlement of Sneem on the Iveragh Peninsula of the Ring of Kerry - so the next instalment will be from there ๐Ÿ˜˜

Click here to see our Irish camping spots

Tuesday 20 June 2017

Touring The Wild Atlantic Way (Ireland) Day 32 - 35

Touring The Wild Atlantic Way (Ireland) Day 32 - 35

Saturday 17th June 2017 - Wall to wall sunshine but still windy.

Yesterday we were on a bit of a mission to  get thing's done!  We needed shopping, fuel and LP|G (gas), and our journey was to be about 80 miles to our next destination  which was The Dingle Peninsula.   However, we only managed 2 out of 3!  We left our Loop Head wild camp and descended back down the narrow roads to the town of Kilrush, and as we went we passed doe eyed calves, bandy legged foals, and dozzy donkeys all munching their breakfasts.


Then after we'd restocked at Aldi and Tesco, we headed to Killimer  from where we caught a little roll on roll off ferry across the Shannon to Tarbert.  This saved us a very long drive around the Shannon Estuary which would have cost us dearly in both time and diesel, so as the fare was only 21 euros we thought it was money very well spent!

And once back on solid ground we wound our way passed the Blennerville Windmill  - apparently the tallest one in Europe - and on towards the town of Tralee where we thought we'd be able to collect some LPG gas - but alas there was none to be had!   But luckily we're not desperate yet, and as we'll be on a campsite for the next few days we won't need much in the near future.  So with no further messing we headed straight for the Anchor Campsite which sits just outside the settlement of Castlegregory on The Ring-O-Dingle. There we were made very welcome, and also offered a discount of 4 nights for the price of 3 - so this will be home till Tuesday.

Anyway, back to Saturday now! This morning we'd planned to go out on our bikes, but as the wind was still howling we quickly changed our minds and went for a walk instead. And for this we chose Glanteenassig Forest Park as our target - it's said to be a valley of waterfalls and lakes and a place that lies  in a sheltered spot  amongst the Slieve Mish Mountains - however it certainly wasn't very sheltered today - the gale fairly howled through!  But it was another stunning setting even though it had obviously undergone a huge amount of forestry work in the form of tree felling - that just added to it's mystical grandeur especially near the lake sides.



We walked up the valley beside the Owencashla River following  trails that offered lovely views,  and to keep us company the river tumbled, gushed and chattered as it went. Eventually we arrived at Lough Caum and from there we circumnavigated the lake on a board walk, and as we went the landscape opened up to reveal the full majesty of the valley with a 360 degree vista of mountains, forest, waterfalls, lake and valley, and it also provided another splendid dining room for lunch.


Then, once we started our decent back down the hill towards Castlegregory we enjoyed more panoramic ocean scenes, and we could even easy make out the Loop Head Peninsula were we'd spent the last couple of days.  The colours in the ocean were also quite breathtaking as the water sparkled in the sunshine - if our surroundings hadn't been quite so green it would have been easy to think we were somewhere more exotic!




Sunday 18th June 2017 - ๐ŸŒž๐ŸŒž Hot Hot Hot๐ŸŒž๐ŸŒž

Happy Father's Day to all Daddies reading xx

Like most of the rest of England, for us today turned out to be a scorcher - so what did we decide to do?  Cycle up a very big hill to Brandon Point, which to the east provided fantastic views over Brandon Bay, and in a more north easterly direction we could once again see as far as Loop Head.

It took us a couple of hours to get to our destination, so as it was such a lovely day we felt quite entitled to have a break in the little hamlet of Brandon itself - right by the pier where others lazed in the sunshine and where we found a very welcoming pub - but we didn't want to drink and ride, so on this occasion we  resisted that temptation, and instead indulged in jammy scones and coffee while we watched a young lady wobbling on her paddle board.



After our indulgence was complete we continued on towards our goal, and as we neared the point itself the views became increasingly stunning, but the top turned out to be a false one - the car park had fantastic views but to get to the very top of Brandon Point you needed to continue on foot - John stopped with the bikes while I scampered a little way up but the hill seemed to be never ending and it would have taken a huge amount of time and energy - so I gave in gracefully and came back down!

John taking it easy while I climbed the hill!
However, while we were there we did take the time to learn about the Voyage of St Brenden the Navigator who is believed to have fasted for forty days on top of Mount Brandon in preparation for his seven year voyage to find the Isles of the Blessed.  It's said that on his journey he encountered sea monsters and demons from hell, and the island on which he lit a fire turned out to be a whale!  Therefore, were the Isles of the Blessed (North America)  discovered a millennium before Christopher Columbus? In 1976 an adventurer,Tim Severin, sailed to Newfoundland in a replica of Brendan's currach, proving that the voyage was possible!

Then next on our agenda was finding another lovely dining room for lunch, and this turned out to be Fermoyle Strand.  We didn't know at the time but the beach at Fermoyle starts a stretch of sand that is 12 kms long and that terminates at Castlegregory making it Ireland's longest beach.  It is also a beach that can be driven along, so once we'd sat and soaked up some sunshine, we remounted and rode for about a mile along firm packed sand - but in the end, nearly came unstuck!  A little riverlet obstructed our way - so we had 2 choices - either go back or wade across using some of the biggish stones to prevent our feet from getting wet.  John nipped across quite easily and pushed his bike as he went, but me - I've got absolutely no sense of balance, so he was forced to come back not only to get my bike, but to get me as well๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜€



We finished our day off by sunning our selves in our ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒทgarden ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒทcampsite, and the day seemed to never end cos at 11pm it still wasn't properly dark!


Monday 19th June 2017 - Another lovely hot day with almost wall to wall sunshine!

So today we John decided we'd go up another big big hill - this time we were going to the top of the infamous Coner Pass - and T4rdis2 just wouldn't fit!  Yesterday we'd seen signs declaring a 2 ton weight limit, a 1.8 metre width limit and 7.2 metre length limit, so that discounted our big ship on all 3 counts.  But we'd read that Coner Pass is one of the highest and most scenic roads in The Republic of Ireland and we certainly didn't want to miss it!  Therefore, we set off with fully charged bike batteries and plenty of water, but in the end, although it was steep in places, the climb was relatively easy on our trusty steeds!

Going








Going

Gone!
















John did leave me a bit behind at times but I made it in the end!

This was me just after I'd past a gentleman huffing and puffing his way up on his racer๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚
The Waterfall near Pedlar's Lake

To start with the road was a comfortable 2 lane highway with a reasonably good surface, but just after half way up we came to a view point from where  Pedlar's Lake can be accessed by following the stream uphill.  Then after that our way became much narrower and weaved it's way around sharp cliff faces and past more high corrie lakes (lakes formed by glacial activity over 2 million years ago), until we eventually reached the summit plateau.  And there we heard a macabre tale - in 1950 the body of a child was found in a bog near the Coner Pass, and it was thought to date back to the 7th or 8th century! The story goes that the body was very well preserved by the peat, and that she had red hair, a dress and carried a bag that contained a ball and a comb!


The View down towards Dingle Town
From the top the views spanned nearly 360 degrees with the town of Dingle and far reaching sea views in a Southerly direction,  and on the side we'd ridden up the vista stretched from Cloghane then out to sea with maybe hazy glimpses of Galway in the far distance.  It made a perfect dining room for today!

And this is the view the other way showing 2 of the Corries
And although some may say we cheated a bit because we went up on e-bikes, we still had to peddle hard - therefore, I think we deserve a bit of a pat on the back because our guide book informed us that this ascent is one of the most difficult climbs in Ireland.  However, rather than a pat on the back we both decided we'd rather have a nice cooling glass of cider when we got home ๐Ÿป๐Ÿป so as we sat in the late afternoon sunshine back at T4rdis2 that's exactly what we did!




Tuesday 20th June 2017 -  Lots of sunshine but with some hazy cloud at times.

This morning we left The Anchor Campsite knowing we more or less HAD to fill up with LPG, but we were quite confident because the site owners had told us that a garage back at  Blennerville (which was only about 6 miles back off The Dingle Peninsula) had it.  But Oh no they didn't!  However, a very informative Irish gentleman there told us if we backtracked to Tralee we would find some at Nolan's Service Station - so with some trepidation off we went!  And YAY they had some, but the pump didn't seem to work so we really thought we were in trouble - however once we read the sign that said 'NOT SELF SERVICE'  and got a bit of help we were soon sorted.

Then it was back onto The Ring-O-Dingle and along the main road to Dingle town itself where we had thought we might stop - but it was heaving and every available space had either a car, a coach or a motor home parked on it.  So without hardy a touch on the brake pedal we shot straight through - if it's any quieter on Thursday when we leave this area we might stop, but if not we'll just satisfy ourselves with what we see from T4rdis2's windows.

Then it was forwards and onwards to the Oratory House which claims to be Europe's most westerly campsite. And as we neared it we commented that the roads really hadn't been to bad - Mrs Snoopy (sat nav) must have overheard because all of a sudden she said 'in 200 metres turn right'.  Initially, the road looked ok but it very quickly narrowed down to single track with grass growing down the middle - then it became overgrown with flaming fuchsias that very nearly met in the centre (that grow copiously in every hedge row here) and more than once they became  tangled in T4rdis2's wing mirrors! Luckily, we didn't meet anything coming the other way, and eventually we came to the end of the road and realised that Mrs Snoopy had only led us down the lane as a shortcut -   we could almost hear her sniggering๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿ˜‚

Anyway, we soon got settled and our pitch, once again, has sea views and is only 800 metres from the Dingle Way Walking Path.  Additionally, The Slea Head Route is within cycling distance, so as we're only staying here for 2 nights I think it's going to be a hard decision as to how we're going to spend out time!  Maybe we should make a plan - but whatever we do I'll let you know in our next episode!

Bye for now ๐Ÿ˜˜

Click here to see our Irish camping spots