Keep Calm and Pedal On

Ireland Day 6: Glengariff to Eyeries | 43 Miles, 3,100 Feet Elevation | A Promise Is A Promise

Riding Stats (Link to Tom’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

Route Tracker (track our northbound ride on a Google Map)

Before I share about today’s ride (which again, was the best day so far and yes I know we make that claim everyday but they keep getting better and better), I promised Boo, Michael, Leo (not the Pope) and Gerry I would share a photo from the time we shared in O’Shea’s Pub last night.

Upon entering O’Shea’s one of the gentleman at the bar, Boo, asked Tom “what the F is the yellow jacket all about?” 👀

Yes, Tom mighta looked like a walking traffic cone but on the narrow roads we don’t gamble with visibility so Tom explained the coat and that we were cyclists and ordered them he ordered us both a pint.

What drew my attention to the crew was Michael’s red “Make Bally Great Again” hat. Coincidentally Trump is visiting Ireland this week.

We’ve learned in our travels that if there’s just one topic more controversial and lively than England’s Royal family, it’s American politics (and we don’t “go there”) so when Boo asked where we were from I quickly said “Canada”. I mean Tom just wanted to enjoy a Guinness and I, a cider soooo… that seemed like an easy answer.

When Tom shared we were cycling from Cork to Derry, there were more laughs, roars and Boo dropping to do push-ups to get in shape for his next event. I told him he needn’t bother, that I’d put a kiddie seat on the back of my bike and carry him along.

A couple of ladies at one table and a man and woman at another joined in the politically incorrect banter and the beautiful lassie behind the bar kept everyone’s pint glasses full while the raucous laughter continued.

Turns out Boo is a talented photographer but I must say, he missed his calling for he had me laughing so hard I cried and others were equally as entertained. The evening ended when someone called the pub to let Boo know his dinner was ready.😂

We began the day being welcomed by this pupper outside a coffee shop in Adrigole. Turns out the barista is also a local musician who has performed all over the world. His music about the Beara Peninsula is featured in today’s video so be sure to give it a listen.

Our route took us through Castletownbere and after a couple of flat whites in town we cycled to the ruins of Castle Dunboy. No time to write about its fascinating history here but believe me, walking the grounds was a bit haunting.

Cycling on the Beara Peninsula was perfection. Scenic, unspoiled, windy, hilly, FUN. Below are a few snaps but please do watch today’s video while enjoying Gerry’s music about the Beara Peninsula.

Towns we travelled through: Adrigole, Castletownbere, Ballydonegan and Allihies

Click on the image below to view today’s vid:

Ireland Day 5: Durrus to Glengariff | 37 Miles, 2,444 Feet Elevation | Sheep’s Head

Riding Stats (Link to Tom’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

Route Tracker (track our northbound ride on a Google Map)

My brother John said the scenery on our bike trip might be same thing on different day. He wasn’t wrong but I will say, it never gets old.💚

Around every turn and over every hill there’s a little somethin special. It might be a touch of color or it might be a historic homestead. See that rock structure in the second photo down? What was the story here?

Today we went down another peninsula and as we looked across Bantry Bay we saw the peninsula we rode up and down yesterday.

The highlight today however was climbing to the top of Sheep’s Head. It was steep, windy but definitely doable and worth the views at the top.

The sprinkles came and went per usual, but tonight we’re “back outside” in our trusty tent.

Our pitch tonight has a pub and we met the loveliest couple from the UK, Sharon and Paul. They’ve travelled extensively in the US and all over the world. So fun to spend time with like minded people.

On the way to Glengariff we travelled through: Kilcrohane, Loughaun, Bantry and Ballylicky☘️

Click on the image below view more pics on today’s vid:

Ireland Day 4: Schull to Durrus | 38 Miles, 2,050 Feet Elevation | Mizen Head

Riding Stats (Link to Tom’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

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.

Click on the image below to view today’s video:

Ireland Day 3: Baltimore to Schull | 27 Miles, 1,630 Feet Elevation | Low and Inside

Riding Stats (Link to Tom’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

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.

Click on the image below to view today’s video:

Ireland Day 2: Clonakilty to Baltimore | 38 Miles, 3,300 Feet Elevation | This is Irish Gardening Weather

Riding Stats (Link to Tom’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

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. 😂

Click on the image below to view today’s video.

Ireland Day 1: Kinsale to Clonakilty | 38 Miles, 2,500 Feet Elevation | What We’ve Learned Already

Riding Stats (Link to Tom’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

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.

More pics from today’s ride in the video below.

Ireland: We Made It. Bikes Made It. Let’s Shenanigate!

Riding Stats (Link to Deb’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

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.

Wrapping Up Our Ride on the Carretera Austral

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:

Carretera Austral Day 21: Lisa Marie Camping to Refugio Los Raices| 34 miles, 3,510 feet elevation | Almost There

Riding Stats (Link to Tom’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

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!

Click on the image below to view today’s video:

Carretera Austral Day 20: Tortel Turn Off to Lisa Marie Camping | 23 miles, 1,900 feet elevation | Tramily Reunion

Riding Stats (Link to Tom’s Strava)

Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)

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.😂