On Sunday October 24th I packed up my stuff after work and headed west to the stunningly beautiful Cloghane village, which nestles on the shore under the shadow of Mount Brandon. I had Monday and Tuesday to play with so I hoped to get some cycling, fishing and hiking done. Monday was forecast to be a good day but Tuesday looked less promising so I decided that I would try and pack as much into Monday as possible.
Cycling first. I stayed in the excellent Mount Brandon Hostel and after a good sleep and tasty breakfast I emerged into a beautiful clear morning. There was a little more in the way of a breeze than I would have preferred but it was mostly clear skies and dry. In October that passes for a great day. I left the village at 08.45 and headed along the shore towards Fermoyle. OMG, what a glorious sight the mountains made as they bathed in the reddish hues of the post dawn sun. Their gullies and cliffs were riven with shadows and light and it was wonderful to see. This moment alone made the trip worthwhile. I suppose I should have stopped and fished out my phone to take pictures but when I'm on the bike I prefer to keep going. The first six kilometres went quickly and soon I reached the road to Dingle. Next up comes the long climb to the Connor Pass. Now the mountains become even more of a joy as they seem to envelop you in an embrace as you begin to gradually rise towards the pass. To the left, Slieveanea soars and to the right the wonderful wall of mountain architecture that is the Mount Brandon massif takes the breath away. Not that I had much of it to spare, as I was finding the going quite tough at times as I pedaled a low gear up the slope. A brief shower of rain gave me a bit of a soaking but the stunning rainbow, framed under Brandon Peak, was ample compensation.
Eventually I crested the pass and now I had an easy 6 kilometre descent to look forward to and to hopefully recover. The road is good, and as I was into the breeze, I could just let the bike freewheel all the way to Dingle. After the bit of rain I found it chilly on the descent, but once down in the town I decided to cycle the bypass, so this meant a steep 40 metre climb as I skirted the town. This soon warmed me up, and by the time I turned right at the roundabout I was nice and comfortable again. I now that the justifiably famous cycle route, the Slea Head Cycle in store. I had decided to do the cycle in an anticlockwise direction as this would hopefully mean the breeze would be at my back for the latter stages and the return to Cloghane. This meant I was cycling inland on this stretch. It isn't too taxing for the first few kilometres and then a short easy hill is crested before you begin to head towards Brandon Creek. Now the wonderful coastline of this area is revealed. The Three Sisters, Smerwick Harbour, Ballydavid Head and more is a joy to behold and I was looking forward to seeing them all as I went along. I turned left and passed below Ballydavid Head and also turned into the breeze. I didn't mind though as it wasn't too strong and the scenery was wonderful. I cycled around the bay and through Ballyferriter and headed to the viewpoint near Clogher Head. The sea was quite rough and large waves could be seen crashing into the cliffs. You could taste the salty spray in the air.
The next few kilometres are simply divine. Mountains rise to the left and the road cuts through bog and rock, at times high above the ocean. The Blasket Islands rise from the deep and further afield the glories of the Everagh Peninsula were softened by a few spots of misty rain. Once I was passed the narrow spectacular section near Dunquin I had the breeze to my back and things became easier. Through Ventry I went and soon I was back in Dingle. A steep climb up the bypass road I found tough on tiring legs and I was fearing the worst for the return climb to the Connor Pass. I kept it to a low gear (like I had a choice) all the way but I still struggled at times. The kilometres were slow in passing but I managed it. The 8 or so kilometres back to the hostel were almost all downhill and flew by. It was a relief to get off the bike and remove the sweaty layers. A long hot shower was a great luxury and went a long way to revive me. I was feeling tired but elated at having been immersed in such wonderful scenery.
It was a substantial outing for me....over 95 kilometres and over 1400mtrs of ascent in 4 hours 13 minutes. I hadn't set any records but I was very pleased with the day.
I completed my day by fishing for bass at Fermoyle beach. After spending a long time digging bait I spent four hours fishing. I caught a small bass on my first cast and I was sure it would a great session. Alas it was to be my only fish of the day. I was a tired boy when I returned to my lodgings at 20.30. I slept well.
No comments:
Post a Comment