Riding Stats (Link to Tom’s Strava)
Accommodations (daily mileage, elevation, etc.)
Route Tracker (track our northbound ride on a Google Map)
No pics from the early part of the ride from miles 19-30 because we were on a busy two lane, no shoulder road, with traffic. It’s heads down concentration and staying as far left on the road as we can without going over the edge. If it gets too busy we pull off.
As you might expect, the bikes handle differently with weight and wind is another factor with which to contend to keep them steady. So easy does it on the pics. Once we got to the Dingle Penninsula though…
It was nothing short of 50 shades of green, maybe more. And when the sun shines, it’s truly magical.
On our way to Dingle, our route took us to the edge of Annascaul, the hometown of explorer Tom Crean who accompanied Ernest Shackleton on the Endurance to Antarctica. Presently some of Crean’s descendants have opened a brewery and let me tell ya, their Scurvy Dog IPA rivals a Guinness and reminds us of home.
At some point during the day Tom said his idea of the perfect way to end the day would be watching the last part of the Irish Open while enjoying a Guinness. And that’s exactly what we did in Foxy John’s which is a hardware store (sort of) AND an old Irish pub.
I’m thinking the hardware side of the operation has a hoarding issue.😂
Have you heard of a baby Guinness? Those are shot glasses below filled with Kahlua and topped off with a splash of Bailey’s. They taste like a dessert and they kinda do look like mini a Guinness.
Or have you ever been served a pint of Guinness with a bicycle on top? How cool is that? Definitely makes riding in the rain and wind worth it. And sheesh they even put the valve stems in the proper places.😉
Just one more observation and not about the landscape, the weather or cycling. Let’s talk about the food and placing an order in an Irish restaurant.🇮🇪
First off, every morsel of food we’ve been served from Guinness stew, fish and chips (gonna pass on the mushy peas that look like guac dip), potato leek soup, the BROWN SODA BREAD and butter, black and white puddings, sweet potato chili, the full Irish breakfasts and the meat pies – everything is exceptionally tasty and we both earn “clean plate club” awards.
However… things work differently when ordering food. There is no dilly dallying when one arrives.
We barely have time to settle into our seats before someone is ready to take our order for the whole shibang. There’s no fuss, no unnecessary waiting, and somehow it all feels perfectly natural. Perhaps it’s part of the Irish way of doing things—friendly, efficient, and without unnecessary fuss. I can resonate with that and I wonder why it took us that long to figure it out.
We tried a few times to let our server know how much we enjoyed the meal and how well she took care of us. God bless her, she turned and said “all good then” and before we even got up to leave our table, she set it for the next couple who hadn’t arrived yet. There’s no fuss. They are efficient and they get $hit done.😂 I just wanted her to know HOW exceptional she was AND the food.
The day ended with a dolphin hunt. We went to find the bronze statue of Fungie, a beloved gregarious, dolphin who after being separated from his pod, lived in Dingle Harbor for years.
Towns we cycled through today included: Killogrin, Milltown, Castlemain, Boolteens and Annascaul.
Click on the image below to view today’s video:
Keep Calm and Pedal On 
So glad you are
LikeLike