As an expedition, I have completed 555 miles and climbed 31,272ft. I have finished the south coast and four of the five peninsulas in the South West. It is Dingle tomorrow. I have experienced extreme weather from fierce Atlantic gales to glorious sunshine and there are still 1,100 miles to go.
It is not an expedition though. This is a journey that connects all the places I have been to previously in Ireland. Cycling and hiking are the best ways to experience the countryside. Both meander slowly in the great outdoors unhindered by the speed of a car so that you see and hear everything. I am putting my daily maps and many images on
twitter. My maps show the route, distance, climbing and my slow speed. Here are a few images of Beara and Kerry
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| Trawlers in Castletownbere sheltering from a storm |
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| An abandoned fishing smack near Lauragh on Beara |
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| Portmagee evening, Kerry |
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| Darrynane Bay, Kerry |
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| Traffic Congestion, on cycle route between Cahersiveen and Kells |
I saw my first bluebells three days ago. The patchwork of fields and hedgerows are coming alive with the green shoots of Spring. My bike is looking very weather beaten but I had to put sun cream today for the first time. There was time for a chat with the shepherd and he told me that the oldest lamb in this flock was 12 days old.
I hope you enjoyed your time in Kerry, Graham. I will be following your updates with interest. Safe journey
ReplyDeleteHello Graham, I am soooo jealous that I have to sit in my office building whilst you are having such a gorgeous adventure. I am following your blog. Do you remember: exactly four years ago we started on our trip through southern France in Avignon. Which was a gorgeous adventure, too. Keep peddling! xx Dagmar
ReplyDeleteWow! What lovely comments, thank you. Dagmar and I cycled through Ireland 3 years ago and that too was a fantastic journey. I am looking forward to revisiting The North West Cycle Trail in Sligo and Donegal that we visited then
ReplyDeleteLook fantastic Graham; you are lucky to have so many long distance off road routes tofollow. Wish we had more of them here.
ReplyDeleteHi Turlough. It was about 14 years ago when I cycled Lon Las Cymru. This is a 250 mile journey through the centre of Wales on minor roads and tracks. It was my first experience of the National Cycle Network. It was a stunning cycle journey and I resolved to explore more of the NCN. I have never been disappointed. It finds the best scenery in the locality and is mostly on quiet roads with few motorists. When I cycle through Ireland, the NCN exists in the north and, in the south, I try to follow the same principles and have found many terrific places
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