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| From My Pictures |
Having done the lion’s share of the mileage yesterday today was going to be much easier. Only problem was the cold was playing havoc with my left knee so I didn’t want to push it too hard in case I injured myself. Up early and after a cooked breakfast was out on the road again at first light. Caught the West Passage ferry across to Monkstown and headed overland to Kinsale.
A longish day mingles inland meandering with coastal dalliance. Traversing Corks undulating countryside the route features Cork and Kinsale Harbours, the lovely beaches of Courtnacsherry Bay and a handful of quiet villages. The journey could be broken at Kinsale, a pretty harbour village, also dubbed Irelands gourmet capital. Its medieval centre makes for a pleasant (and mouth watering) wander
Well don’t know about that but at 9.30am on a February Sunday morning it looked pretty quiet.
Old Head of Kinsale is a promontory south of Kinsale town. Unfortuantely its no longer possible to visit the lighthouse at the end of the promontory: the land is now closed to all but members of the Old Head Golf Links. However a side trip to the castle at the narrow neck affords great views of the coast and countryside on the return downhill run.
One of the highlights for today was the trip out onto Kinsale Head. I wanted to get off the R600 which was pretty busy for this time on a Sunday so was looking for a quieter route. Unfortunately I missed the turn thinking it was further on (yeah I know I should have better maps). Anyway I eventually managed to find the turn and decided to ride out to the very end of "Old Head" as it is known. What a glorious ride through undulating fields passing tumbledown houses and old farms. The very end of the head is a lighthouse and a golf course (which prevents access) and the remains of an old castle. There is also a memorial to the Lusitania which was sunk just off the coast from here with the loss of over 1100 lives. This single event was the reason that America entered WW1 and its so sad to think that such violence should have taken place here considering the beauty of the area. The Wikipedia entry for Lusitania is very interesting
The ride back took me through one of the surfer havens of Ireland at Garrettstown where even at this time of year people were surfing. The sign leaving Garrettstown said "Unsuitable for Horse Drawn Caravans". It should have also have mentioned tired cyclists cause jeez it was steep.
The shallow inlet to Courtmacsherry Bay attracts a wide variety of water birds, some of which migrate from Artic regions. At its head is the village of Timoleague and the impressive remains of its 14th century Franciscan friary
The ride across to Timoleague was very pleasant hugging the coast and drinking in the sights and smells. Actually met a few cyclists out for day all whizzing around and making me look very flat footed. I really wanted to take the longer route from here to Clonakilty but my knee just wasn’t up to the job. Was a shame to "skip" it but I had to be sensible, therefore I arrived in Clonakilty with over 2 hours to wait for the bus.
With plenty of live music, arts and crafts plus the beach nearby, Clonakilty is a lively small town. Most shops and restauraunts are on the long main street known, in different sections, as The Strand, Wolfe Tone Street, Ashe Street and Pearse Street. Restored and old buildings (including several from the linen industry, Clonakilty's mainstay for many centuries) give the place character. Clonakilty's most famous son, the Irish patriot Michael Collins, was born 7km west of the town in 1889
The bus arrived late, was full to bursting, had a drunk singing songs in a very off tone drunken slur, and my bike suffered a broken headlight (beyond repair) but it got me back to Cork in time to catch the Express train back to Dublin. A great weekend of riding but I have to do something about the cold affecting my knees etc
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