CYCLING THE COAST OF CO CLARE

At Kilkee, I was mesmerised by the sea. I had arrived the previous evening fighting a headwind. There were no hills of note but headwinds are very draining.




Kilkee's Reef with a swell

 I decided to have a rest day and Kilkee looked to be ideal. The little town overlooks a horseshoe shaped bay and I could see a sandy beach protected by a large reef. The waves were breaking over the reef dramatically and at the far end they exploded against the cliffs lifting the water over 10 metres into the air. The beach however was calm. I watched the little waves roll up onto the sand. To the left a flock of birds seemed that they were playing with these waves. As they came in the birds ran up the beach to escape getting their feet wet. However as the waves receded, the birds chased after them jumping into the water until the next wave came then it happened all over again. As I watched I discovered that they were  feeding. It seemed that they were taking micro-organisms from the surface. I think that these little birds may have been turnstones.
I saw my first currachs at Kilkee. They are ancient fishing boats made with a timber frame and originally covered with animal skins. Today they are still in use usually made with canvas. They are unique to the west coast of Ireland but are related to the Welsh coracle. My wife went on a course about 10 years ago and made a coracle. It took her 4 days. Today hers will not float because it has a hole in it. Clare's coastline is quite different to those I experienced earlier. For the cyclist, excluding the climb to the Cliffs of Moher, there are less hills and for me happily the weather was kinder. I wanted to see the Burren, an unusual landscape of limestone pavements in North West Clare where wild flowers thrive in the cracks. They are surrounded by a patchwork of small fields enclosed by stone boundary walls and grazed by cattle. I arrived too early in the season to see the wild flowers. I stopped to take photographs and in the distance I could see the Aran Isles


What I did not expect were more stunning beaches. First there was Lahinch, an obvious surfers' paradise with surf shops, coaching facilities and what seemed to be great eating places to hang out. Then I came across Fanore. Rarely have I seen such an unspoilt stunning beach that had a beautiful backdrop of dunes protecting the land behind.

Lahinch

Fanore Beach at low tide

Limestone pavement, the Burren

On the way I passed Doolin which looked like a fun place to visit but decided against stopping at the Cliffs of Moher. It was too busy and I have been there before they built the giant car park.


As if to cater for hungry cyclists with a taste for the exotic, my next discovery was Vasco's  close to Fanore where I indulged with the most amazing pudding and ice cream. My trip finished at Galway.


To date I have cycled 818 miles and climbed 44,000ft. I continue to put my daily maps and more images on Twitter where I have also made favourable comments on cyclists' safety here in Ireland.