WILD ATLANTIC WAY COMPLETED TODAY. 218 km. 29 -5 - 24 DAY 27

KILACROHANE  TO  CRIGTWOHILL   218 km.

Had breakfast which didn't  amount to much, one egg, bacon tanned sausage and toast, coffee and OJ. Went down 10km to Sheep's Head  lighthouse and hiked 2 km to the lighthouse in my riding gear cause it was cold. Took an hour and I was sweating like a pig on the way back. 

    SHEEP'S  HEAD  POINT WITH SHEEP !

    SHEEP'S  HEAD  TRAIL

    B&B 

Then went to the next Peninsula which is the most southerly point of Ireland at Maizen Head. Had some drizzle but then it cleared and was a nice day with a good breeze.

Then headed to Kinsale which is the finish of the WAW trail but there was no campsites so headed out to E of Cork to Crigtwohill where I found a tiny campsite.  Met two Dutch lady cyclists  who invited me for a cooked dinner of shrimp and vegetables and it was so tasty, what a luck. 

    Dutch cyclist  dishing up dinner.

BEARA PENINSULA 290km DAY 26

DINGLE TO DURSEY ISLAND, ( BEARA PENINSULA ) THEN TO SHEEP'S HEAD , KILACROHANE @ BRIDGE VIEW HOUSE  B&B

Left Dingle and backtracked 100km to Kenmare in a very slight drizzle where I stopped for a bite and then continued on. down the Beara Peninsula. The end is Lamb's Head and Dursey Island and there is a cable car that can take you the 400 metres to the Island. Followed the narrow south shoreline road to Bantry and then down the penultimate Peninsula on the Wild Atlantic Way down the Sheep's Head to Kilcrohane where I got a B&B (€ 110 )

Could not find a campsite and the weather got ugly so got the B&B, according to the forecast there is high pressure moving in so should be good for the rest of the week. 

RING OF KERRY 330km. DAY 25

Was great to sleep in a bed again in a room with a bathroom and the lady that owns the home is so welcoming and made me tea and cake and then made me some sandwiches for my trip today.

Have heard so much of the Ring of Kerry road which is a loop around the Peninsula but it was not that impressive, I was expecting something non stop vistas, but it did not deliver for me. 

    SKILLEG COAST

Had to go back to Dingle which is about an hour but was worth it, having the room for two nights and not hassling about a campsite because it was meant to rain all day. Turned out to be a nice day with no precipitation 10*C -17*C.

   TOWN OF KENMARE

CLOGHANE TO DINGLE 94km. DAY 24

A short trip over the mountain to Dingle, then did a loop around the coast back to Dingle and found a room en suite at a house for €40. 

CLOGHANE O'CONNOR'S BAR AND CAMPGROUND. DAY 23

Rained out today. Woke up it was raining as expected, stayed here for the day which was not a bad thing. Luckily I left yesterday's caravan park because there I would have had to stay in my tent the entire time and being a mobile home park there was no shop to buy food.

Watched the FA Cup Final and the rain bucket down all day. Tomorrow also calls for rain but a lot less.

    Last nigjt these guys came in at 11pm and started jamming, turned out to be quite a show till 1am.

    Tonight's local duo. They just pull out their instruments and start playing.

CLIFDEN TO CLOGHANE 384 km. DAY 22

Got up early and there was no wind and when I unzipped the tent the midges were there to greet me. They are miniscule mosquito kind of thing and they are all over you, thousands of them, then they bite you and pee on you and that causes the itch. It is worse than any mosquitoes I have ever experienced and they nailed me.

   The first picture you post is what shows up on the main page, last night's campsite is not that exciting.

    Never seen campers sleep so late, maybe        they know about the midges. €20 to camp.

The weather was great with sunshine all day and I took advantage of that and jammed south as there is rain in the forecast for the next few days. Was nothing special today until the Moher Cliffs which were stunning. 

Crossed with a ferry saving two hours and then pushed on to Teela and found the campground but was mobile homes ,so left and saw two hikers and asked them if they knew of any camp sites and they told me they had stayed at O'Conner's which was 15 km away so buzzed over there and what a gem. Went to the pub and had a good Lamb stew, first proper meal in ages.

    Great road leading to the Moher Cliffs.

    Another ferry only 20 minutes  €12.

    O'Conner's Bar campground. 

WESTPORT TO CLIFDEN 310km. DAY 21

Was going to stay two nights but decided in the morning to pack up and see where I end up. Had to backtrack a bit up NW to Achill Island which was worth it as it was a beautiful drive to the end at Keem Beach.It was blowing a gale for the first hour and a half and bloody cold. Stopped in Keel for a Cappuciano and a scone which hit the spot and then went back down to Westport and south along the coast to Clifden for the night.  

    Dooagh coffee stop.

     Keem Beach

    The hillside are covered with these beautiful mauve flowers.

    Doolough Valley  where many Irish died of hunger afyer the British would not help them.