Route Tracker (track our northbound ride on a Google Map)
Best. Day. So. Far.☘️
We weren’t even sure we should cycle to Mizen Head given the rainy and windy forecast (20-25 mph winds) but… we did because we surely won’t be back this way again.
Mizen Head is considered the most southwestern point of mainland Ireland and is known for its ginormous cliffs, sea caves, rugged coastline and spectacular Atlantic views. Its Signal Station was built in 1909 to help guide ships safely past the dangerous coastline.
When we left we had sunshine and a headwind. Upon arriving to Mizen Head we snapped a few pics and just after a blustery squall came through soaking us to the bone as we walked out to the signal station.
We got back to the Visitor Center, put on our rain gear but had hardly a drop of rain cycling all the way to Durrus. And we had a righteous tailwind.
It was the most enjoyable riding so far on the remote, flowy road hugging the coastline. 🌊Unforgettable.
All ya gotta do to keep the rain away is put on rain gear or get an umbrella out. 😉
Today’s route on EV 1 took us from Schull through Toormore, Goleen, and Mizen Head to Durrus.
Route Tracker (track our northbound ride on a Google Map)
Low and Inside… and we’re not talking about baseball. The weather has kept our daily mileage low and our overnights, inside and you’re not going to hear any whinging out of me.
Below we are taking cover from the rain in a petrol station.😅
The EV 1 route is brilliant because it takes us on low travelled roads with rural, scenic views and after a few miles, it reconnects us to a proper road so we get to experience a variety of riding.
After celebrating 11am Mass in St Patrick’s Cathedral, we were back on the route and Tom discovered a structure that was tucked away on a seldom-used road and a bit off route.
Aughdown Cemetery is a history lovers gem with its ruins, graves and weathered stones.
It was once an early Christian site, dating back to the time when Ireland was transitioning from its ancient Celtic traditions and Druids to Christianity.
The older section sits atop a medieval church which was in use until the early 1800’s. The earliest gravestone markings are from the early 1700’s.
There wasn’t much left of the structure, but that made it even more interesting. And it’s intriguing to me that there are graves IN these ancient structures. We also saw this in the Friary in Timoleague.
But more on the rain. Yes it rained today and it’s supposed to rain tomorrow so low and inside down to Mizen Head is our game plan.
Today we cycled through Skibbereen and Ballydehob on our way to Schull.
Route Tracker (track our northbound ride on a Google Map)
A soft day they call it. Not a lashing rain. It’s a rain that makes you think you’re looking through a plastic shower curtain while at the same time getting damp with a plant mister.
The day didn’t start out that way though. It was a glorious, sunny morning with a tail wind!
But before we jumped on our bikes, breaky was in order.
We didn’t bring the kitchen this trip so if a meal isn’t included with an indoor stay or we’re camping, we stop on the way out of town to grab a bite. It’s kinda nice to get a break from cooking.
We knew rain was headed our way and since we’ve been keep the mileage low we thought we were sure to avoid it.
Hugging the coast for most of the day gave way to more spectacular scenery but soon enough the rain tracked us down.
It came with about 10 miles to go and the biggest climb of the day that included a 20% incline. Ouch!
At the top of that pedal-stomping hill, a lovely colleen suddenly popped up from behind the hedge, armed with a cloth bag and a trowel. With a big smile, she cheerfully announced, “Tis a lovely day for Irish gardening!” 🌱
Indeed it is! And after that 20 percenter, we couldn’t have agreed more. 😂
Townslands we cycled through today on our way to Baltimore included Ardfield, Glandore, and Castletownsend.
More “soft” rain scheduled for tomorrow before the lashing starts Monday. 😂
Route Tracker (track our northbound ride on a Google Map)
This is only day one of our northbound ride along the Atlantic Coast but it seems like it’s been two weeks.😂 Here’s the skinny:
☘️Most importantly, there is NO way our iPhones will capture the beauty of this country. It’s simply not possible. Given that, we’ll do our best to give you an idea of this spectacular scenery.
☘️Drones gonna do what they gonna do along the windy Atlantic coast in Ireland.💨
☘️There is a stout brewed in Ireland that we like a wee bit better than Guinness. Murphy’s!
☘️The roads are narrow but the drivers are patient and courteous.
☘️Ya can’t go to the clubhouse at Old Head Golf Links for a stout or cuppa tea without a tee time and clubs. That’s just not the way it’s done. We did get Tom’s pic by the gate tho!
The smallish villages and scattered townlands we cycled through kept us from counting the miles or elevation. We passed by Old Head and through Garrettstown, Timoleague, Courtmacsherry and we landed in Clonakilty.
Two more bits of history:
🚢The passenger ship R M S The Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine on May 7, 1915 with 1,959 people aboard and sunk in just 18 minutes. This happened a short distance off the southern tip of Old Head.
There is a memorial located at a scenic viewpoint we visited along the way. There’s some controversy about the contents of the ship of course. Some claim the Lusitania was carrying munitions to support the efforts of the British in WWI, hence the torpedo.
✝️ Near Timoleague we walked through the ruins of the Timoleague Friary. Prior to the Franciscans, the Augustinians were thought to have congregated there. The stone walls still remain firm and protect many gravestones within the friary although the structure’s roof is no more. It’s worth learning more about here.
By the way, Eurovelo 1 begins in Norway, ends in Portugal and is about 6,000 miles long. We’re cycling just a small portion of it in Ireland.
Route Tracker (track our northbound ride on a Google Map)
Time for some shenanigans and a shakedown ride!☘️
Tom boxed up the bikes nice and tidy for their direct overnight flight from Indy to Dublin with us in tow. We take them as checked baggage along with one additional duffle bag that includes our clothing and bike gear.
Since the Tipperary House wasn’t ready for us to check in (I mean it was only 10am), we strolled over to the park across the street to put the bikes together.
I actually went to get some coffee and donuts for us while Tom assembled the bikes. The Tipperary House will store the empty bike boxes and duffle until we get back in early October.
With bike chores out of the way we set our sites to visit the historic Temple Bar and the following day, a tour of the Guinness Storehouse. Tom loves the beer 🍻 here and I love the flowers. They are lovely!
A visit to the Storehouse isn’t complete without a “Stoutie” so yes we opted in for a couple of pints with our selfies on top of the Guinness foam. #typicaltourists
After two nights in Dublin we left our bike boxes behind and rode to the train station for our 2.5 hour ride to Cork where we began our shakedown ride to Kinsale as it’s the starting point for our portion of Eurovelo 1.
The bikes performed well and our legs even better on the hills between Cork and Kinsale, but dang were our lungs heaving and heart pumping.
Arriving in Kinsale with plenty of time to spare, we took in a four-mile round trip walk to Charles Fort, a fascinating 17th-century star-shaped military fortress built between 1688 and 1692 and named for King Charles II.
With discounts for “seniors,” we couldn’t resist a self-guided tour of this impressive structure, with its massive ramparts, bastions and parapets overlooking Kinsale Harbor.
Finally, I can’t say enough about the harbor town of Kinsale with its narrow roads, colorful buildings, pubs and shops. More pics in the video below.
Sitting on the bus from Villa O’Higgins back to Coyhaique which took us two days, gave us time to reflect on our ride. After all, we are traveling northbound on a portion of the very road we cycled on southbound.
Seated (kinda) comfortably on the bus we saw cyclists along the way, working toward their destinations just as we did days ago. Although we welcome the rest, we are already missing the riding. I was thinking… “Dang that riding looks kinda hard. Did we really just do that?”
Below are a few thoughts on the ride from each of us:
From Deb:
The first week was like bicycle boot camp riding on a different saddle, a mountain bike and even riding at all and especially on elevation like this. By the second week I was “all good”.
Winds, rain and cool temps were more of a challenge than the elevation and road surface for me.
I never tire of seeing mountains, waterfalls or flowing rivers and cycling on the Carretera Austral through Patagonia never got old.
So glad I was riding a mountain bike with front suspension. It made the lumps and bumps more manageable.
Spending time in the saddle for a good part of the day enabled me to spend quiet time with the Lord. There are a lot of special people that need prayers right now. Plus we began each day together in prayer. Why don’t we do that at home together?
Thank goodness I brought rain pants.😂
And finally, I’m grateful Tom is a planner and uses shareable spreadsheets. I always feel safe and prepared with this guy.😘
From Tom:
When you start a new trip in a new location, you have certain expectations as you plan daily rides. This trip as I was planning the daily rides, the mileage was a bit shorter, ~35 miles average per day, which seemed somewhat easy for us.
The unknown is the weather, wind, gravel riding surface and grade of climbs. At the beginning of the trip we were challenged with all of the above. The winds were difficult at times, the temperature was much colder than expected, and we had much more rain than expected. The gravel and climbs were no more difficult than what we experienced on the Great Divide or in New Zealand. By the end of the trip our mental state was stronger and our climbing legs were in shape.
At the end of these bike trips, you feel in such good shape, you just don’t want it to end, but then eventually have to reenter back to real life.
Working with Austral Bikes really helped with the logistics of renting mountain bikes and bags. If you ever consider riding the Carretera Austral, I highly recommend you consider reaching out to them for info.
Click on the image below to view our video wrap up:
Route Tracker (track our southbound ride on a Google Map)
It rained again last night and the forecast is for rain today. As cyclists either emerged from tents pitched inside or mats and sleeping pads on the floor of the shelter, we were all hoping for the same – no rain.
Wayne (from the UK) who I like to call Mr. Ambassador of the Carretera Austral (this is his third time riding it) knows his way around the camp kitchen. He pulls fresh produce and kitchen gadgets out of his packs like a pro to prepare his meals.
Ralph the elder of “the brothers” made a batch of mate and shared. Mate is a Chilean loose leaf type hot tea sipped through a straw. Ralph taught us the art of mate – do not stir, and when finished, say “gracias” and pass. Don’t say “no”. Despite the look on my face, it’s very good. I taste a lemon flavor. Would def try again!
And in a moment not nearly as special as sharing a mate with the brothers and Tom, the camp kitty caught a mouse and proudly placed the dead creature at my feet while I was making breaky.😂
The ride was a bit tough on challenging climbs and rocks but the rain held off. Although we begin each day with prayer, we know it’s the prayers and encouragement from y’all that’s working for us. We give thanks for all of you. 😘
We rolled past waterfall after waterfall as the glaciers melted high above us. The clouds and gray day made it look like the mountains were weeping as streams of water flowed from the snowpack above. They were simply stunning. I’ll never forget it. And the flow of water is so powerful at times, it sounds like ocean waves. If you are in a car or on a motorcycle, you miss that.
Our last night on the Carretera Austral will be spent in a bunk house in an Eco Camp with an inviting cocina. Perfecto!
Route Tracker (track our southbound ride on a Google Map)
Waiting for the rain to stop before getting “out there.”
But before we leave, coffee.
“The Brothers”, Thomas (from Austria) and Ralph (from Germany) heading to Tortel for the day. They camped just around the corner from us by the river and stashed their panniers for faster riding to Tortel and will retrieve them on the way back.
Made it to the ferry with about five minutes to spare. When we got off the rain picked up again.
Gloomy but still worth riding to see what’s around every corner. Truly, this place is magical no matter the weather.
The “split” – first time leaving Ruta 7. We’re headed to O’Higgins on Saturday!
Tom planned an inside “camp” stay tonight due to weather. With our tent still wet from the night before it also needed to dry it out. We had an interesting stay at Lisa Marie’s with bunnies and chickens running around the front yard… soon followed by three horses. Later in the afternoon, the Brothers showed up as well as Wayne and Peter we we met at the Confluence. Our Tramily was united.
And I give you… (although easing up my guidelines) the Dog of the Day. This doggo, a pet belonging to our hosts welcomed everyone to the yard with “fierce” barking at anyone who dared to enter. Pretty sure one of the bunnies hopping around the yard could take it down.😂
Just a short post today; we’re eager to get back at it. More pics in the video below:
Route Tracker (track our southbound ride on a Google Map)
What is this? A day without 3,000 feet of climbing? Feels like we are on vacation or something.
It was our coldest night of camping this trip at 39 degrees. We jumped out of the tent at 8am and Tom quickly made a fire in the stove in the community cocina. We hung out in there all morning until it warmed up.
Not much climb today but the road surface was 💩 with lots of chunk rock, so much washboarding and more dust. But… there was less traffic.
More Patagonian views made the extra effort worthwhile.
We stopped about half way through and found a place to get a hamburger after thinking there wouldn’t be any services at all. We met a fellow rider from Israel – just 24 years old and… our El Gato Del Dia.
We are missing our doggos of the day since we aren’t riding through towns. Surely there will be some in O’Higgins on Saturday or maybe before.🐾
Tom found a prime camping spot right on the bank of a stream flowing out of the Baker River. We’re turning in early since we have a big climb first thing and a ferry to catch. And we are pretty sure a lot of rain is moving in.
Route Tracker (track our southbound ride on a Google Map)
Our extra day was spent in Cochrane buying food and fuel for the last stretch. We also did laundry for the first time – and for the first time ever, PAID someone to do it. That’s what is done here if you need cloths cleaned quickly.
Southbound from Cochrane, cell, WiFi, electricity and supplies are sketchy. We are ready for the final push!
Today was nothing but pure Patagonia with majestic mountains, big water, blue sky and clear air. It might have been the loveliest weather day we have experienced since we started riding almost three weeks ago.
We are in Patagonia, and in a place after which the familiar clothing company was founded and named in 1973 by American climber Yvon Chouinard.
I remember reading in “A Wild Idea” that Doug Tompkins and Chouinard and a hand full of other guys who named their group the “Fun Hogs” set out to climb Mount Fitz Roy (located in southern Patagonia near the Argentina/Chilean border) and one of the most difficult granite peaks in the world. The successful climb of Fitz Roy and the hardships endured profoundly impacted Chouinard. It’s an unforgettable story – pretty sure there was a movie made as well.
For him Patagonia was wild and mysterious. It represented adventure, exploration and unspoiled nature soooo why not name a company in the spirit of a place?
As an aside, Chouinard and Tompkins were lifelong friends and in fact, Chouinard was with the group of kayakers on Lake Chelenko when Tompkins had his fatal kayak accident.
We have shortened our riding mileage to accommodate the rough riding surfaces – lots of washboarding and rocky gravel. Good thing is… there is less traffic so we are liking that.
We were having a bit of a time finding a place to camp this evening. Our first choice looked a bit sketch so we peddled on. Our second choice was a wild camping spot by the river (good water source) but it was too close to the road for comfort.
On iOverlander Tom discovered another camping spot up the road and we snagged it.
It’s a husband and wife operation and if only we could communicate with them in Spanish beyond simple phrases. Their lifestyle here looks so different from ours and I have so many questions. They warmly welcomed us and explained everything we needed to know in Spanish.
Being the rule followers we are we want to be sure we don’t offend or disregard their instructions or customs. Their smile says it all tho. I think we are “doing things right”
Thanks so much for your encouragement, comments and prayers.
Keep Calm and Pedal On 