Ring of Beara

Last weekend David had signed up for the Tour de Beara - a 120-km bike event around the Ring of Beara, starting and ending down in Glengarriff, County Cork. Sally and I were able to tag along and join him.

The first fun thing is that we finally caved and bought a new [to us] car, and literally picked it up that morning so it was our first road trip with our own vehicle. We were delighted not to have a car the first year we were here, but after a review of total cost of rental cars and a solemn oath never to drive to school or the grocery store, we decided it would actually be money well-spent and might allow us a bit more adventuring freedom. We decided on a Prius due to its combination of attractive fuel mileage and decent size for 3 of us plus Riley and some luggage. So, loaded it up with the bike rack and David’s bike and headed south!

We stayed at an Airbnb in Coomhola, just inland from Ballylickey, all near the Beara Peninsula. The cottage was perfect and very welcoming. The first night the sunset charmed us as we picked wild blackberries (many a near-miss with some resident spiders in the hedge) and Sally practiced her cartwheels on the lush lawn. Cattle and sheep lowed in the distance. After dark, we used our telescope to admire the full moon and a gorgeous planet rising.

Saturday dawned with perfect weather. Sally and I dropped David off near the start of his race and spent the day exploring. I have only once previously drive in Ireland - a 10-minute venture round our neighborhood very early on a Sunday morning. So setting off on a day of adventuring was very different. Sally (and Riley, of course!) was a supportive passenger (literally chanting for me, quietly, in the back seat) and learned the true meaning of “white-knuckled grip.” I practiced a lot of deep breathing. Things improved as the day went, with less invectives muttered at every passing vehicle (and hopefully vice versa was true also). I was filled with joy each time we entered a small town and the speed limit dropped, since I essentially was going that speed anyway!

First we walked around the harbour town of Bantry. It is home to Wolfe Tone Square, a beautiful waterfront, a historic mill wheel adjacent to the architecturally interesting library, and a lot of nicely painted buildings. Now there’s loads of mussel farming spanning the bay and inlets.

Then we headed to nearby Bantry House and Gardens. The guide book called it an “unmissable historic visit” but I admittedly just enjoyed the gardens and didn’t take in much of the history. It has astounding views over the bay and still operates as a B and B.

From there we went to Shanvallybeg Beach, at which we were the only visitors. The rock formations were incredible (they looked like wood) and we spent a couple hours climbing around exploring the formations. We did learn that this region is great for puffin-spotting, but had missed the season by a month or two. Something to keep in mind for next year.

Finally, we explored Carriganass Castle (mostly in disrepair but on a nice little creek and had beautiful flowers). We were going to stop by Kealkill Stone Circle but ran out of time. I almost failed to mention a brief stop at Snave Pier, which I don’t think necessary merits discussion except for its memorable name.

I would love to return and go to Glengarriff itself, along with Healy Pass and Garinish Island. However, that region had loads of road closures and far too many bikes to make my new driving skills comfortable. The other direction is Mizen Head lighthouse, considered the southern-most point of Ireland and supposed to be really worth the visit…but again, spending 2 hours driving on those roads on day 1 sounded less than desirable!

We successfully picked David up from his event (see his thoughts below about that) and regrouped for dinner in Bantry at Ocean Restaurant (delicious). Sally and I were astonished by the change in tide. Earlier in the day as we walked along the waterfront in Bantry, the boats tied were a solid 10 feet or so lower than the pier/wall. When we came back in the evening it was high tide and the water was coming over the wall and actually flooding the path/parking lot. It was an impressive tidal difference!

Sunday morning we woke to lashing rain so it wasn’t too sad to pack up and flee. I feel like you could go to one little town per weekend and never run out of these cute villages and gorgeous waterfronts in Ireland. We look forward to heading back!

David:

This weekend I took part in yet another long-distance bike ride; this time around the Ring of Beara. Although shorter than my ride around the Ring of Kerry in July (120km vs 170km), this ride was much more technically challenging - WAY more climbing, steeper hills, twisty descents, rougher roads, the list goes on and on...likely made worse by the fact that I didn't train at all when we were traveling around the US in July and August! I was able to raise €200 in support of cancer research in Ireland, and I am so grateful to all the folks who donated this time around (https://www.allirelandcycle.ie/fundraising/profile/DavidHansell574). I will say the Ring of Beara is some of the most amazing scenery I've seen so far in Ireland, and we've seen A LOT of breathtaking scenery in our time here. Also, Healy's Pass was almost the death of me! What a climb!